Mackie 1620i User Manual

Quick Start Guide   

11

The 1/4" TRS stereo control room outputs can be used 

to run a separate sound system in a control room or a 
different zone. Connect these outputs to the line-level 
inputs of an amplifi er running passive studio monitors, 
or to the inputs of powered studio monitors.

The headphones play the same program material as 

the control room. The meters show the levels prior to 
the control room and phones level controls.

The source that plays in the control room,  

headphones, and meters is selected using the switches 
in the control room/phones source matrix:

• Main 

mix

• Tape

• Alt 

3-4 

• 

FW 1-2: The stereo FireWire 1-2 output from 
your computer

• 

A combination of all four above

Select one or more of these, or there will be no sound 

in the control room or phones, and no indication on the 
meters (unless a solo button is engaged).

Select main mix to listen to the main mix in the 

control room or headphones. The meters show the levels 
after the main mix fader.

Select tape to listen to the RCA tape input in the 

control room or headphones. The meters show the level 
coming in from your tape or CD player. Press "assign to 
main mix" to play intermission music in your main mix.

Select alt 3-4 to listen to the alt 3-4 mix in the control 

room or headphones. This is a stereo mix of any  
channels that have their mute/alt 3-4 switch engaged. 
This can be used for cueing up sources prior to "going 
live," and for other useful reasons. The meters show the 
level of the alt 3-4 output.

Select FW 1-2 to listen in the control room or  

headphones to the FireWire 1 and 2 audio streams   
coming from your computer. The meters will show the 
levels of the signals coming in from your computer.

Except for the main mix, whatever is selected as a 

source for your control room and phones can also be 
routed to the main mix by pressing this switch. The 
main mix does not play in the control room or phones if 
this switch is engaged.

Whenever solo is engaged, all control  

 

room/headphone source selections (main mix, alt 3-4, 
tape, and FireWire) are defeated, and you will only hear 
the soloed channel(s) in the headphones and control 
room. This gives you the opportunity to audition the 
channels before they are added to the main mix or   
alt 3-4 mix. The main mix continues to play, so the show 
can still go on during solo. The solo mode switch allows 
solo to be AFL (after-fader listen) or PFL (pre-fader 
listen):

When the solo mode switch is out (PFL), soloed  

channels will be pre-fader, allowing you to set the  
channel gain without regard to fader level. (PFL is 
also post-EQ.) When a channel is soled in PFL, you can 
adjust the channel gain until your input source reaches 
the 0 dB LED in the right meter.

When solo mode is in (AFL), soloed channels will be 

post-fader, EQ, and pan, allowing you to hear fader, EQ, 
and pan adjustments on soloed channels.  

Solo signals reaching the headphones and control 

room may be loud, therefore turn down the phones level 
and control room level before channels are soloed.

SOLO

SOLO

SOLO

SOLO

SOLO

SOLO

SOLO

SOLO

SOLO

SOLO

SOLO

SOLO

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

MUTE

48V

48V

48V

48V

48V

48V

48V

48V