Mackie 16-8 BUS Technical document

MACKIE
HOOK-UP
GUIDE
8•BUS
SERIES
OUR [IN]FAMOUS PRODUCT
HOOKUPS IN BYTE-SIZED MORSELS
Copyright © 2002 Mackie Designs Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Hello and welcome to one of many download-
able web editions of Mackie’s Product Hook-Up
Guide. Since 1992, we’ve been including these
helpful “connection maps” in our In Your Face
product guides, and we’ve been urged to continue
doing so because they’re so gosh-darned help-
ful. Now, we’ve split our hook-ups into product
famlies, and made them available to you over this
new-fangled “Internet”thingy that everyone is
talking about these days.
There will be documents that cover hooking
up our compact VLZ®PRO Series, Analog 8•Bus
Series consoles, CFX Series effects mixers, DFX
Series compact effects mixers, the D8B digital
console, the HDR24/96 hard disk recorder, PPM
Series powered mixers, the FR Series amplifiers,
SR Series front-of-house mixers, and our Active
loudspeakers.
Inside you’ll find lots of useful information
— most likely your questions will be answered
here. We realize that there’s no possible way to
cover every single question or application in so few
pages because new ways to use Mackie products
are invented every day. You may come up with
some ideas on how to do what you want by look-
ing at the various diagrams we’ve included here.
Keep in mind that a good half of the battle in
hooking up our products is having the proper
connections. Check the cables ’n’ plugs that you
already have with the diagrams on the next
page. We know it may look boring, but one of
these drawings could save your life. Well, maybe
not your life, but probably a lot of weeping and
sorrow. And don’t forget to check out the tech
tips/FAQs document also available for download
on theweb at www.mackie.com/techsupport
If you don’t find the answers you’re after, then
why not give our mighty Tech Support gang a
call? These folks have tons of experience in the
real world, and they’ve got lots of equipment and
mixers at their beck and call. They’re aching to
share their knowledge with you. (And calling them
would be a very humanitarian thing to do — they’re
located in the dank sub-basement of our building
and they rarely get visitors. Your call just may be
the one that keeps their spirits alive.)
Call Mackie Tech Support toll-free (in the U.S.)
at 800-258-6883 (Monday through Friday, 7 AM
to 5 PM Pacific Time) with any Mackie product-
question you can conjure. Put them through the
wringer! We encourage it.
Incidentally, the Mackie Product Hook-Up Guide
(Web Editions) were put together from within the
confines of the Mackie Digital Mosh Pit — located
on the second floor near the Area Of Refuge — by
the well-meaning, super-preening Mackie Macin-
tosh Department. We used Adobe InDesign®,
Illustrator®, Photoshop®, and Acrobat®on a
number of suped-up big daddy Macs.
Oh yeah: Copyright © 2002 Mackie Designs Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
The following are trademarks or registered trade-
marks of Mackie Designs Inc.: “MACKIE.”, the
“Running Man”figure, VLZ, XDR, D8B, HUI, CFX
Series, FR Series, and HR Series.
PRINTING NOTE: These pages were built 21cm wide (8.2 in) by 27.94cm (11in) tall to
accommodate the printers of both our North American users and our users around the
globe. This PDF will print at 100% on both “Letter” sized and “A4” sized paper (with room in
the left margin for hole punching).

Standard mono/unbalanced phone
plug used for most mixer connections.
Insert “Y” Cable
TS Plug (mono)
TRS Plug (stereo)
Standard stereo/balanced phone plug used for
balanced connections on Mackie mixers.
The “Y”Cable is used for connecting serial effects
devices, such as graphic equalizers or compressors, to a
Mackie mixer’s Channel or Bus insert jacks. On one end is
a standard Tip-Ring-Sleeve “stereo”plug. Its tip and ring
are wired to separate mono Tip-Sleeve plugs. Note that
the RING of the TRS plug (A) is actually wired to the TIP of
one of the mono TS plugs (B). If you insert a TS (mono)
1/4" plug only partially (to the first click) into an insert
jack, the plug will not activate the jack switch and will not
break the insert connection in the circuit (thereby allowing
the channel signal to continue on its merry way through
the mixer). See (C) in “Insert Points”below.
Partial insertion allows you to tap out of the channel or
bus circuit at that point in the circuit without interrupting
normal operation.
If you push the 1/4" TS plug in to the second click, you
will open the jack switch and create a direct out, which does
interrupt the signal in that channel or bus circuit. See (D) in
“Insert Points”above. Note: Do not overload or short-circuit
the signal you are tapping from the mixer. That will affect
the internal signal of the mixer.
Balanced XLR
Standard XLR microphone connector to be used
with mic-level.
RCA/P ono Plug
Tape deck connections
on most Mackie mixers.
Insert Points
Direct out with no signal interruption to master.
Insert only to first “click.”
Direct out with signal interruption to master.
Insert all the way in to the second “click.”
(TIP = SEND to effects
RING = RETURN from effects)
For use as an effects loop.
TS Plug (mono)
TS Plug (mono)
TRS Plug (stereo)
SET IT UP, AND GO!
A VISUAL
GUIDE
COMMON
PRO AUDIO PLUGS AND CONNECTORS
KNOW YOUR
PLUGS
Attention !
You may notice these effects unit hookups (Figure A)
throughout this applications guide. These hookups utilize
the Insert "Y" Cable (explained on the facing page).
Figure B is a closeup of Figure A. The two colors
represent the input and output traveling the length of the
"Y" cable. The dotted line represents the two signals
travelling alongside one another.
OUT
COMPRESSOR
MIXER INSERT
IN
A
B

SET IT UP, AND GO!
VLZ PRO
8•BUS
TRACKING
AUX SENDS BAL/UNBAL
AUX RETURNS
CHANNEL INSERTS
CHANNEL INPUTS
DIRECT OUT (BAL/UNBAL)
OPTIONAL:
You can use 24 Direct Outs
as the signal source for your HDR24/96
hard disk recorder or three 8-track
Digital recorders. Then, route the signals
from the recorder(s) back to the
Tape Returns for mixdown.
Reverb2
Reverb1
Delay2
Delay1
Mic 1-2
Guitar
Keyboard
Drum Machine
Stereo Compressor
Mono FX
8•BUS TRACKING PART 1
Contuinued on
next page

TAPE RETURNS
SUBMASTER/TAPE OUTPUTS
For the simplest recording solution, plug
24 Submaster/Tape Outputs into one HDR24/96
hard disk recorder or three 8-track
Digital recorders. Then, route the signals
back to the Tape Returns for mixdown.
PHONES
MIX-B OUT
MAIN MIX
MAIN INSERTS
2-TRACK
INPUT
EXTERNAL
INPUT
C/R OUT
BAL/UNBAL
STUDIO OUT
BAL/UNBAL
MAIN BAL OUTPUTS
Headphones
DAT Recorder
HR824s or other
powered monitors
HR824s or other
powered monitors
CD Player
Stereo Compressor
Q:
Q:
What does Mix B do?
A:
A:
Mix-B is where your tape returns show up during
tracking. Select Mix-B as the control room source to
hear what's coming out of the recorder. Mix-B also allows
you to create a separate stereo mix for monitoring or
recording purposes. If you want to drop a live event to 2-
track, you can obtain a stereo mix for a recorder by using
this feature. You can start an overall monitor mix by using
the Mix-B outputs to feed an appropriate distributing
device and then send other instruments in independently.
Q:
Q:
How do I use the Source
Button for Mix B?
A:
A:
The Source button lets the Mix-B access signals
from two different places. You can use this as you
see fit depending on your current mixing situation. One
choice is to have it access the channel. This lets it receive
its information as the channel “hears”it. Whatever is in
the channel and is being manipulated by EQ, channel
inserts, or Low-Cut, will appear on that channel’s Mix-B.
The other option is to have Mix-B fed before all of the
channels’processing power. If the Source switch is in the
Up or “Flip Switch”position, Mix-B will receive its signal
according to the position of the Flip Switch.
8•BUS TRACKING PART 2
Contuinued from
previous page