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X.200
Digital X Bus
Operational Basics
Are you ready to get started? Let’s turn on the
Digital X Bus and go over some of the general
operational features before we start passing audio
through it.
Turning on the Digital X Bus
Connect the supplied power cord to the male IEC
connector on the rear panel. Plug the other end of
the power cord into an outlet properly confi gured for
the voltage indicated on your particular model. Turn
on the power switch. The faders start moving and
the Digital X Bus loads its software into memory.
This may take up to 60 seconds. When the screens
display the channels strips, you’re ready to go.
About Fader Banks
If you have used a digital console before, then
you are probably familiar with the concept of fader
banks. Unlike an analog board, a digital mixing con-
sole can reassign a channel strip to route any input
to any output. This can be done on an individual
channel basis, or globally, by switching banks and
reassigning all 24 channel strips at once.
You can think of each bank as a separate layer
of controls, stacked one on top of each other. The
X.200 has six banks:
1-24
25-48
49-72
MASTERS
GROUPS
MIDI
Thus, 24 channels strips suddenly become 144
channels (24 channels x 6 banks = 144 channels)!
The fi rst three banks, channels 1-72, provide a
72x72 channel I/O matrix. With nine I/O cards in-
stalled, you can have 72 individual inputs and outputs
(8 inputs/outputs x 9 cards = 72 inputs/outputs).
The MASTERS bank is used for the 12 Aux Send
masters, 8 Bus masters, and the L/R mix master.
The GROUPS bank has the controls for Groups
1-12, and for 12 MIDI channels.
The MIDI bank is used to convert the Digital X Bus
into a control surface for any DAW that supports the
Mackie Control Universal protocol. You can select the
DAW you are using from an emulation mode box to
confi gure the MIDI bank to work with your particular
DAW via the MIDI IN/OUT connectors.
About V-Pot Controls
Just below the touchscreens are a row of rotary con-
trols called V-Pots, which is short for virtual potenti-
ometer. Again, unlike an analog console where a rotary
pot can control one function, a digital console allows
you to assign a V-Pot to many different functions.
Using the buttons to the right of the touchscreens,
you can assign the V-Pots to control the following
functions:
PAN L/R (Left/Right)
PAN F/B (Front/Back,
for surround sound)
AUX 1-8 Send
AUX 9/10 and 11/12 Send
AUX 9/10 and 11/12 PAN
Digital TRIM
LEVEL TO TAPE
When one of the above buttons is
selected (lit), all 24 V-Pots control that
function for each of the 24 channels
in the selected bank. What would take
384 controls on an analog console can
be done with 24 controls and 16 but-
tons on the Digital X Bus!
In addition, windows that contain
adjustable parameters, like the Dy-
namics and EQ windows, have their
controls situated above the channel
V-Pots, which temporarily become
controls for the parameters in the
window, overriding the V-Pot Assign selection. As
soon as the window is closed, V-Pot control returns to
whatever is selected in the V-Pot Assign section.
Touchscreens
Although using the touchscreens may seem unfa-
miliar at fi rst, the touchscreen interface will quickly
become second-nature to you. The dual 15" TFT
touchscreens not only give you a detailed, high-defi ni-
tion view of what is happening with the Digital X Bus,
but they also give you almost instant access to alter-
nate screens, settings, and controls. As you become
familiar with
navigating the touchscreen interface,
you will fi nd yourself accessing screens and controls
with increasing speed and effi ciency.
Keyboard and Mouse
In addition to the touchscreens, you can use a key-
board and mouse to select and change controls on
the Digital X Bus. Use a keyboard to enter keyboard
shortcuts (hot keys), or to enter letters and numbers
whenever a keyboard graphic appears on-screen.
Use the mouse to click on-screen where you would
otherwise touch to open, close, or select something.
CUE 1 CUE 2
MIC LINE
POT CONTROLS
PAN
L/R
PAN
F/B
7 8
5 6
3 4
1 2
TRIM
LEVEL
TO
TAPE
PAN PAN
9-10 11-12
GROUPS
49-72
MIDI
MSTRS
1-24 25-48