Mackie U.420 Musical Instrument User Manual


 
5
Owner’s Manual
Owner’s Manual
Getting Started
READ THIS PAGE!!
Even if you never read manuals, please
read and digest the safety instructions
on page 2, and this page before you
begin using your mixer.
Zero the Controls
1. Unplug the mixer’s external power supply from the
mixer.
2. Turn down all the gain, aux, and level controls, and
center all the EQ controls.
3. Set all push button switches to their “out” positions.
4. In the center section, turn down the large level
knob, FW in knob, and phones level knob.
Connections
If you already know how you want to connect the
mixer, go ahead and connect the inputs and outputs
the way you want them. If you just want to get sound
through the mixer, follow these steps:
1.
Plug a signal source into the mixer. This could be a:
Turntable into the phono input.
Line-level source such as a CD player into a
line-level input.
A guitar plugged into channel 1’s left input,
with the instrument switch pressed in.
2
. Connect cords from the main outs to your powered
speakers or amplifier.
3. Plug in the mixer’s external power supply, and con
-
nect it to a live AC outlet to turn on the mixer.
4. If you have powered speakers, turn them on. Other
-
wise, hook up your speakers to your amp and turn it
on. Adjust your powered speaker or amplifier level
controls to however the
manufacturer recommends.
(This is usually all the way up.)
Set the Levels
To set the gain controls, it’s not even necessary to
hear what you’re doing at the outputs of the mixer. If
you want to listen while you work, plug headphones into
the phones jack on the front panel, then set the phones
knob up a little.
1. Play something into the selected input. Be sure
that the volume of the input source is the same as
it would be during normal use. If it isn’t, you might
have to readjust these levels during the middle of a
set.
2. Adjust the channel’s rotary gain control so that the
level set LED comes on while you are playing, and
goes off when you stop. As a rough guide, adjust the
gain until the LED is on for about half the time dur-
ing your performance. (The LED indicates that the
signal level is 0 dBu.)
3. Repeat for any other channels.
Instant Mixing
1.
To get sound out of the speakers, turn up the
channel’s level control to the U (unity gain) position,
and slowly
rotate the large main control to a comfort-
able listening level.
2. Sing and play. You’re a star! Bring in the other
channels, and generally have fun.
3. Grease the frying pan with hog fat and turn up the
heat just enough to not fill the kitchen with fine
blue smoke.
4. Cook the sausages until golden brown, and serve
with black pudding and a pint of warm beer.
FireWire
1. See Appendix D, on page 21 for details of getting
started with FireWire.
2. There is a nice section about recording with
FireWire on page 22.
3. There is no step 3. Well, only this one, and it is not
very informative. (Tech writers just love numbered
lists.)
4. There is no step 4 either.
Other Nuggets of Wisdom
Always turn down the main level control and phone
level control before making any connections.
When you shut down your equipment, turn off the
amplifiers first. When powering up, turn on the
amplifiers last.