PHONES
The PHONES 1 (16) and PHONES 2 (17) sections are identical. Each contains a stereo level control for the headphones outputs, a stereo SOLO switch, and five pushbuttons to select from the following signal sources: MONITOR, MIX-B, AUX SENDS 3 & 4, AUX SENDS 5 & 6, and EXTERNAL. You can select any combination of sources. � The MIX-B, AUX SENDS 3 & 4 and AUX SENDS 5 & 6 switches are connected directly from the outputs of their respective circuits. � MONITOR takes the signal from after the MONITOR selection switches described below, and therefore carries the same signal that is applied to the control room monitors. (The PHONES section is not affected by the CNTL RM level control or the MONO switch in the MONITOR section, though.) � The EXTERNAL switch is connected directly from the L and R EXTERNAL INPUTS in the jack panel above. External is an independent cue channel for click tracks, etc. Its signal DOES NOT appear at any of the channels or buses. NOTE: If MONITOR is selected as a PHONES source and the solo button in the PHONES section is depressed, nothing will happen except that the Solo LEDs will light up. That�s because Solo is disabled under these conditions to prevent a feedback loop and its associated anguish. NOTE: if nothing is selected, signal may still feed the PHONES from AUX Return 3 & 4, via that section�s ASSIGN TO PHONES switches.
The MONO switch sums the left and right channels together to allow you to check your mix in monaural. This affects only the control room monitor speakers, the studio monitor speakers, and the L/R meters (although the meters are not monoed in solo mode.)
LAYOUT AND FUNCTION
SOLO
The Solo section (19) contains the master level control for the stereo Solo mix. Set at the center detent, it will match the level of the soloed signals to the same signals unsoloed. This section also has the most obnoxious solo light allowed under international trade and safety regulations. We hope it gets your attention. The monitor switch in the phones section must be pushed in (selected) or the solo bus will not feed the phones. (By the way, if your console has two little tiny Death�s Heads above your RUDE SOLO LITE, you are very lucky. Only one in 10,000 Mackie consoles has what we call �Grim Greg� on it, and if you send in the top panel of your console with proof of purchase, we will ship postpaid to your door the bivalve pride of the Northwest, a Quilcene-smoked Geoduck filet, with our compliments!)
TALKBACK
The talkback section has four momentary pushbutton switches, which assign talkback to any combination of AUX Send 1, AUX Send 2, TAPE SUBGRPS (L/R MIX and the 8 SUBMASTERS) and PHONES/STUDIO. Try setting the talkback level at the center detent for starters. It can be tweaked up or down to your liking. Note: When talkback is engaged, only the control room outputs are padded by 20dB to avoid feedback, yet still allow the engineer to hear the musicians. The studio output is not padded. In situations where either the control room level is set way up, or there is a speaker pointing at the console, there may still be feedback. To prevent this, turn down the talkback level, the control room level, or change the angle of the control room speakers. The Talkback Microphone is located just above the L/R MIX fader. This ain�t no Neumann, so don�t attempt vocals through it (we wanted it to sound gritty and generally talkback-esque). Application of chewing gum to this orifice will degrade performance further to simulate really beat-up AM radio production studios.
MONITOR
The control room monitors and the studio playback monitors are both controlled from the MONITOR section of the console (18). There is a stereo level control for the control room and another for the studio. NOTE: Fully clockwise equals unity gain. A bank of switches selects the stereo sources available to the speakers from L/R Mix, MIX-B, Tape and External. You can select any combination of signal sources. The L/R MIX and MIX-B switches are connected from the outputs of the L/R and MIX-B buses. The TAPE and EXTERNAL switches are connected from the 2-TRACK INPUTS and the EXTERNAL INPUTS, respectively, on the jack panel above.
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