Mackie 1642-VLZ3 Manual De Usuario

Owner’

s Manual

This 15 dB of attenuation can be very handy when you 

are inserting a signal that is very hot, or you want to add 
a lot of EQ gain, or both. Without this “virtual pad,” a 
scenario like this might lead to channel clipping.

The GAIN controls for stereo channels 9-10 and 11-12 

are only used to adjust the Mic inputs. The line inputs 
are set to unity gain. 

The GAIN controls for channels 13-14 and 15-16 only 

adjust the line-level inputs, as they have no Mic inputs.

Found only on channels 1–8, these 1/4" unbalanced 

jacks are for connecting serial effects processors such 
as compressors, equalizers, de-essers, or filters. The 
insert point is after the GAIN [3] control, but before the 
channel’s EQ [32], LOW CUT [34], FADER [25] and 
MUTE [30] controls.

Insert cables must be wired thusly:

Tip = send (to effects device input)
Ring = return (from effects device output)
Sleeve = common ground

Even though channels 1–8 already have DIRECT OUT 

[5] jacks, INSERT jacks can also be used as channel 
direct outputs (as they are post-GAIN, pre-EQ, pre-LOW 
CUT, pre-FADER, and pre-MUTE).

Appendix B, page 27 has a lovely diagram (Figure F) 

showing three ways you can use the INSERT jacks.

Unless you know for certain it is safe to do 
so, never plug single-ended (unbalanced) 
microphones, instruments, ribbon mics, or 

electronic devices into the MIC [1] input jacks if the 
phantom power is on.

These 1/4" jacks share circuitry (but not phantom 

power) with the mic preamps. You can use these inputs 
for virtually any signal you’ll come across, from instru-
ment levels as low as –50 dB to operating levels of –10 
dBV to +4 dBu, as there is 45 dB of gain available via the 
GAIN [3] knob. Note that channels 1-8 line inputs are 
intially attenuated by 15 dB.

Always be sure to perform the Level-Setting Proce-

dure (page 3) when you connect a new input. 

To learn how signals are routed from these inputs, 

see the details lovingly described in the Channel Strip 
section. 

To connect balanced lines to these inputs, use a 1/4" 

tip-ring-sleeve (TRS) plug, the type found on some 
stereo headphones: 

Tip = positive (+ or hot) 
Ring = negative (– or cold) 
Sleeve = shield or ground 

To connect unbalanced lines to these inputs, use a 

1/4" mono (TS) phone plug or standard instrument 
cable:

Tip = signal (+)
Sleeve = ground

These controls are not in the patchbay, but 

they are the top row of knobs in the channel 
strip section. (They are so vitally linked with 
the inputs, this seemed like a good place to 
describe them.)

Every time you plug something into a 

MIC [1] or LINE [2] input jack, you should 
perform the Level-Setting Procedure, and that 
procedure is basically “how to use the GAIN 
knob.”

GAIN adjusts the input sensitivity of the 

MIC and LINE inputs. This allows signals 
from the outside world to be adjusted to 
 optimal internal operating levels.

Through the XLR jack (MIC), there 

will be 0 dB of gain with the knob fully 
down, ramping to 60 dB of gain fully up. 

Through the 1/4" input (LINE), there 

is 15 dB of attenuation fully down and 45 
dB of gain fully up, with unity gain (U) at 10:00.