User manual ALESIS MM8FW

[. . . ] Reference Manual This page intentionally left blank 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Table Of Contents Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Welcome!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 About the MultiMix 8 FireWire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 All-In-One Mixer and Multichannel Computer Audio Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 MultiMix 8 FireWire Key Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 How to Use This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 A Few Words for Beginners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Chapter 1: Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Hooking up the MultiMix 8 FireWire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Using Proper Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Setting Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Chapter Two: A Tour of the MultiMix. . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Patchbay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Mic Inputs (Channels 1 ­ 4). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [. . . ] The "CTRL RM" in the name of this knob refers to the fact that it controls the signal that typically is sent to the control room monitors of a studio, where someone--usually an engineer--is working the mixer. However, don't be intimidated if you're using this mixer in your bedroom, which probably isn't equipped with a control room. In this scenario, you can use headphones or connect the CTRL RM OUT to your speakers. 16 A Tour of the MultiMix FireWire 2TK TO CTRL ROOM Switch When you engage this switch, the signal coming in from the 2TRACK jacks is routed to the headphones and to the control room output. This level is controlled by the HDPH / CTRL ROOM level control and cancels out any signal from the main mix. 2 AUX RETURN A LEVEL This is the level control for the signal returning to the mixer via AUX RETURN A. EFFECTS / AUX RET B LEVEL If you are using one of the MultiMix 8 FireWire's internal effects, this knob controls the effect level. If AUX SEND B is connected to an external device, this knob controls the level for AUX RETURN B. LED Meters These are the two rows of yellow, green and red lights you see in the master section of the mixer. The LED meters allow you to view the signal level of the main mix and 2-TRACK IN depending on which signal you have routed to the control room mix. POWER Indicator When this LED is lit up, that means the POWER ON switch on the rear of the mixer has been activated. +48V Indicator When this one is lit up, that means the PHANTOM ON switch on the rear of the mixer has been activated and is supplying +48V phantom power to all XLR mic inputs. 17 2 A Tour of the MultiMix FireWire Rear of the Mixer Here's what you'll find at the rear of the mixer. Power Input Here's where you plug in your mixer's external power supply. You should always connect your power supply to the mixer before you plug the power supply into an electrical outlet. The POWER INPUT is built to accept only the power supply unit provided with your MultiMix 8 FireWire, or an AC power supply that has the same specs. Others probably will not work. Power Supply Unit This unit provides 18. 5 VAC at 700 mA, more than enough to keep your MultiMix 8 FireWire running smoothly. As with nearly all power supply units, this one tends to get warm when left on for a while. Make sure that all master output knobs are turned all the way down when powering your mixer up or down. Phantom On This switch activates and deactivates the phantom power described in "Mic Inputs (Channels 1 ­ 4), " page 13. This switch controls phantom power for all four mic inputs. As we said earlier, it's very important that you plug in your microphones and mute your system before you turn on phantom power. Firewire ports These ports allow you to connect the MultiMix to a computer for multichannel digital audio communication. Use one port to connect to a computer; the other port can be used for other computer peripherals (like external hard drives). 18 3 Digital Effects Processor Onboard your MultiMix 8 FireWire is a powerful effects unit that has 100 preset programs. We offer a few tips on where to use these, but don't limit yourself to our suggestions. We recommend that you experiment with these effects to get a good feel for how they can improve your mixes. Effects Section Components Program Selection Knob You can use this knob to assign one of 100 effect programs to your mix. Turning the knob to the right increments the program number, and turning it to the left decrements the program number. You can control the level of the effect for each channel via the channel's AUX B knob. You must PRESS the effect knob to activate the selected effect. LED Display This display shows you the number of the current program. CLIP Indicator When lit, this LED tells you that there is a signal clip at the internal effects input. This means that you should reduce the signal via the EFFECTS / AUX RET B LEVEL control. SIG Indicator When lit, this LED indicates that the effects processor is receiving a signal. Effect Descriptions HALL This type of reverb simulates the ambience of a grand concert hall. ROOM This type of reverb reproduces the more intimate ambiance of natural room acoustics. PLATE These are simulations of metal plate reverbs, as used on classic recordings from the '70s and '80s. CHAMBER These are simulations of the reverb created by artificial echo chambers, as used on classic recordings of the '50s and '60s. 19 3 Digital Effects Processor CHORUS These create the effect of multiple voices (or instruments) sounding at once from a single input. FLANGE These create a sweeping, swooshing sound effect that you will probably recognize. DELAY These effects are based on a discrete repetition or echo of the input. PITCH These effects transpose the pitch of the input signal and blend the effect signal with the original to create harmonies. MULTI & MULTI II These are combinations of two or more of the above effects. 20 4 Traditional Mixing Your MultiMix 8 FireWire can be used in a wide variety of ways in both live and recording applications. You have several options for bringing sound into and out of the board. And when it's brought in, you can route it to various parts of the mixer for certain desired effects, or even send it to an external processor or tape deck and back. To give you some ideas for different mixing scenarios, here are descriptions of a few common applications for the MultiMix 8 FireWire. Simple Live Setup In this setup, connect your instruments and microphones to the mono and stereo channels. Set the levels for each of your microphones and line-level sources as explained earlier. [. . . ] The cutting of an audio signal caused by a level that is too great for a mixer circuit to handle. Different CODECs are used by different digital audio devices and file formats. A type of high-quality microphone that produces a weak signal, usually requiring an external power source like the ones provided by your MultiMix 8 FireWire's XLR mic inputs. As you turn the knob or slide the fader, you'll feel it "click" into the detent. [. . . ]