Mackie DFX6 Technical document

MACKIE
HOOK-UP
GUIDE
DFX
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 theTIP 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" TSplug in to the second click, you
will open the jack switch and create a direct out, which does
interrupt the signalin that channel orbus 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 DFX SERIES
DFX 12
KAROKE
STEREO AUX RETURNS
MAIN OUT
BAL/UNBAL
1
1MON 2EFX
LR
2
L (MONO) R
PHONES
OUT
AUX SENDS
BAL/UNBAL
CHANNEL INPUTS
TAPE OUTCD/TAPE IN
FOOTSWITCH
L (MONO) R
L (MONO) R
L (MONO) R
CHANNEL INSERTS
Laser Disc Player
Laser Disc Player
Mic 1-4
Mono in/Stereo
out Reverb
Active Monitor (SRM450)
Headphones
CD Player
routed through
Vocal Eliminator
SA1530 Active Monitors

SET IT UP, AND GO!
VLZ PRO DFX SERIES
DFX 12
REHEARSAL ROOM
STEREO AUX RETURNS
MAIN OUT
BAL/UNBAL
1
1MON 2EFX
LR
2
L (MONO) R
PHONES
OUT
AUX SENDS
BAL/UNBAL
CHANNEL INPUTS
TAPE OUTCD/TAPE IN
FOOTSWITCH
L (MONO) R
L (MONO) R
L (MONO) R
CHANNEL INSERTS
Keyboard
DAT Recorder
Mic 1-4
Mono in/Stereo
out Reverb
Active Monitor (SRM450)
Active Monitors (SRM450s)
Headphones
Cassette Player
Guitar
Bass
Mono Effects
Drum Machine
Foot Switch

SET IT UP, AND GO!
VLZ PRO DFX SERIES
DFX 12
SMALL CHURCH
STEREO AUX RETURNS
MAIN OUT
BAL/UNBAL
1
1MON 2EFX
LR
2
L (MONO) R
PHONES
OUT
AUX SENDS
BAL/UNBAL
CHANNEL INPUTS
TAPE OUTCD/TAPE IN
FOOTSWITCH
L (MONO) R
L (MONO) R
L (MONO) R
CHANNEL INSERTS
Mic 1-4
Mono in/Stereo
out Reverb
Compressors
Active Monitor (SRM450)
SA1521 Active Monitors
Headphones
CD Player
DAT Recorder
Keyboard
Cassette Recorder

SET IT UP, AND GO!
DFX SERIES
DFX 6
DJ SET UP
STEREO AUX RETURNS
MAIN OUT
BAL/UNBAL
1
1MON 2EFX
LR
2
PHONES
OUT
AUX SENDS
BAL/UNBAL
CHANNEL INPUTS
TAPE OUTCD/TAPE IN
FOOTSWITCH
L (MONO) R
L (MONO) R
CHANNEL INSERTS
Compressor
Reverb
Mic 1-2
Mono in/Stereo
out Reverb
Active Monitor (SRM450)
Headphones
CD Player
routed through
Vocal Eliminator
CD Player
CD Player
SA1530 Active Monitors