Mackie LM-3204 User manual

LM-3204 OWNER’SMANUAL
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STEREO AUX RETURNS
AUX RETURN
TO CONTROL
ROOM ONLY
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LM-3204 STEREO LINE MIXER
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LEFT RIGHT CONTROL RM
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BALANCE
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SHIFT
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4 3
12k
STEREO MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
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EQ
SOLO
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STEREO MONO
HI
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LO
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MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
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12k
STEREO MONO
HI
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LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
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L
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LO
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MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
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STEREO MONO
HI
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LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
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L
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STEREO MONO
HI
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LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
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L
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12k
STEREO MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
U
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BALANCE
L
–15 +15
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SHIFT
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STEREO MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
U
+30dB
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L
–15 +15
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SHIFT
-20
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4 3
12k
STEREO MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
U
+30dB
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L
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STEREO MONO
HI
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MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
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SHIFT
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12k
STEREO MONO
HI
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LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
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L
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SHIFT
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12k
STEREO MONO
HI
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LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
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STEREO MONO
HI
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2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
U
+30dB
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HI
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MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
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–15 +15
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HI
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LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
1
CHANNEL
2
CHANNEL
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CHANNEL
4
CHANNEL
5
CHANNEL
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CHANNEL
7
CHANNEL
8
CHANNEL
9
CHANNEL
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CHANNEL
11
CHANNEL
12
CHANNEL
13
CHANNEL
14
CHANNEL
15
CHANNEL
16
CHANNEL
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
GAINGAINGAINGAINGAINGAINGAINGAINGAINGAINGAINGAINGAINGAINGAINGAIN
®

2
v1.1–10/94
CAUTION AVIS
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE
NE PAS OUVRIR
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK)
NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL
ATTENTION: POUR EVITER LES RISQUES DE CHOC
ELECTRIQUE, NE PAS ENLEVER LE COUVERCLE. AUCUN
ENTRETIEN DE PIECES INTERIEURES PAR L'USAGER. CONFIER
L'ENTRETIEN AU PERSONNEL QUALIFIE.
AVIS: POUR EVITER LES RISQUES D'INCENDIE OU
D'ELECTROCUTION, N'EXPOSEZ PAS CET ARTICLE
A LA PLUIE OU A L'HUMIDITE
The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral
triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated
"dangerous voltage" within the product's enclosure, that may be
of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
Le symbole éclair avec point de flèche à l'intérieur d'un triangle
équilatéral est utilisé pour alerter l'utilisateur de la présence à
l'intérieur du coffret de "voltage dangereux" non isolé d'ampleur
suffisante pour constituer un risque d'éléctrocution.
The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to
alert the user of the presence of important operating and maintenance
(servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance.
Le point d'exclamation à l'intérieur d'un triangle équilatéral est
employé pour alerter les utilisateurs de la présence d'instructions
importantes pour le fonctionnement et l'entretien (service) dans le
livret d'instruction accompagnant l'appareil.
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
1.ReadInstructions—Readallthesafetyandoperation
instructionsbeforeoperatingtheLM-3204Console.
2.Retain Instructions — Keep the safety and operating
instructionsforfuture reference.
3.HeedWarnings — Follow all warnings on the LM-3204
Consoleandintheseoperating instructions.
4.FollowInstructions—Followalloperatingandother
instructions.
5.WaterandMoisture—DonotusetheLM-3204Console
nearwater-forexample,nearabathtub,washbowl,kitchen
sink,laundrytub,inawetbasement,nearaswimmingpool,
swamporsalivatingSt.Bernard dog, etc.
6.Heat—LocatetheLM-3204Consoleawayfrom heat
sourcessuchasradiators,compostpitsorotherdevicesthat
produceheat.
7.Power Sources — Connect the LM-3204 Console only to
apowersupplyofthetypedescribedintheseoperation
instructionsorasmarkedon the LM-3204 Console.
8.PowerCordProtection—Routepowersupplycordsso
thattheyarenotlikelytobewalkeduponorpinchedby
itemsplaceduponoragainstthem,payingparticular
attentiontocordsatplugs,conveniencereceptacles,andthe
pointwheretheyexittheLM-3204Console.
9. Object and Liquid Entry— Do not dropobjects or spill
liquidsintotheinsideoftheLM-3204Console.
10. Damage Requiring Service —The LM-3204 Console
shouldbeservicedonlybyqualifiedservicepersonnelwhen:
A. LM-3204 Consolepower-supply cord or theplug has
beendamaged;or
B.Objectshavefallen,orliquidhasspilledintotheLM-
3204Console;or
C. The LM-3204Console has beenexposed to rain; or
D.TheLM-3204Consoledoesnot appear to operate or
exhibitsamarkedchangeinperformance;or
E.TheLM-3204Consolehasbeendropped,oritschassis
damaged.
11.Servicing — Donot attempt to service the LM-3204
Console beyondthosemeansdescribedinthisoperating
manual. AllotherservicingshouldbereferredtotheMackie
Tech SupportDepartment.
13. To prevent electric shock, do not use the LM-3204
Consolepolarizedplugwithanextensioncord,receptacleor
otheroutletunlessthebladescanbefullyinserted to prevent
bladeexposure.
Pour préevenirles chocs électriques ne pas utiliser cette fiche
polariseéavec un prolongateur, un prise de courant ou une
autresortie de courant, sauf si les lames peuvent être
inséréesà fond sans laisser aucune pariie à découvert.
14.Grounding or Polarization—Donotdefeatthe
groundingorpolarizationoftheLM-3204Console.
ThisapparatusdoesnotexceedtheClassA/Class B
(whicheverisapplicable) limits for radio noise emissions
fromdigitalapparatusassetoutintheradio interference
regulationsofthe Canadian Department of Communications.
ATTENTION—Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de
bruitsradioélectriques dépassant las limites applicables aux
appareilsnumériques de class A/de class B (selon le cas)
prescritesdans le règlement sur le brouillage radioélectrique
édictépar les ministere des communications du Canada.
WARNING—Toreducetheriskoffireorelectricshock,do
notexposethisapplianceto rain or moisture.
©1994,MackieDesigns,AllRightsReserved.
PrintedintheUSA.

3
PLEASE! SAVE THE
SHIPPING BOX!
Top Ten Reasons for
saving your shipping box:
10. It’shere.
9. It’syours.
8. It’spaidfor.
7. It’sstrongandsturdy.
6. Itfitsyourmixerperfectly.
5. Youwillneeditif youevershipyourmixer.
4. We mayhave tosellyou anotherone ifyou
needto shipyour mixerand youdon’thave
it.
3. Itwill impressyourfriendswho have no
liveswhen theysee itin yourbasement.
2. It’stheecologicallysound thingto do.
1. It’stheMackiesound thingto do.
Top Ten Reasons for not saving your
shipping box:
10. Your cathas alreadyusedit.
9. You stolethe mixeroutof aKaraoke bar.
8. Your Mackiemixer willnever break.
7. You willnever moveagain.
6. You wrotea songonit andareconsidering
framingit.
5. You havecut off thetop andareusingit as
anequipmentrack.
4. You reallyhateplanning aheadbecause it
neverworksoutanyway.
3. Itfitssome othermanufacturer’sproduct,
whichisbroken, perfectly.
2. Youhavekeptallthe boxesofalltheother
equipmentyouhaveeverboughtandyou
haveneverusedoneofthemever.
1. You areafraidof corrugatedproducts.
LAYOUT
AND
FUNCTION
APPENDICES
GENERAL
INFO
PANEL LAYOUT AND
FUNCTION
GENERAL
INFORMATION
USING THE
LM-3204
CONNECTIONS, OPTIONS,
SPECS, AND SERVICE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION 1:
Introduction..................................................... 4
SensitivityAdjustments.................................... 5
SECTION 2:
PanelLayout&Function.................................. 6
Input module (channel strip).................. 6
Master output section................................ 9
Rear Panel ................................................12
SECTION 3:
GeneralInformation........................................16
SECTION 4:
UsingtheLM-3204 ..........................................19
Instrument submixer, stage.....................19
Instrument submixer, studio...................20
Effects submixer, studio ...........................20
Main mixer, studio...................................20
Club sound reinforcement mixers...........20
Otherapplications....................................21
APPENDIX A:
Connections ....................................................30
APPENDIX B:
Options,Add-OnsandExtraStuff ...................33
APPENDIX C:
Specifications,TechStuff................................34
APPENDIX D:
Service ............................................................38
USING THE
LM-3204

4
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION
Itmarksinformationthatisabsolutelycriticalor
isunique tothe LM-3204.
Inaddition,sectionstaggedwiththisicon:
includebothin-depthinformationandourown
deeplyfeltbutneverbiasedopinions.
Note:one ofthe iconsinthe manualis actu-
allya scratch-officon, which,if yourub long
enoughwith theedge ofacoin, willmake ahole
inthe page.If yousucceed in findinga secret
messageunder aMackie icon,please writeus
andtell usabout it.(We weregoingtomakean-
otherindustryfirstandput ascratch-and-sniff
iconin thismanual, butour OdorsandPhero-
monesDepartment couldnot finda smell
relatedtosound mixingthat wasnot insome
wayoffensive.)
TheMackie LM-3204is a32-input, 2+2Bus
linelevel soundmixer. Eachofthe 16stereoin-
putmodules isfitted withgain, balance,EQ and
auxiliarysendcontrols.
TheLM-3204isdesignedforapplicationsre-
quiringcontrol ofa numberof stereo/monoline
levelsources,while providingexceptional audio
performanceinasmall(andveryaffordable)
rack-mountedunit —it makesthe idealcenter-
pieceof aMIDI projectsuite.
TheLM-3204 isequally suitedfor useasa
synthesizer/sampler/effectssubmixerforstage,
soundreinforcementandstudioapplications.
TheLM-3204isalso perfectfor audio-visual
soundmixing inexhibit hallsand inpresenta-
tionrooms,for multiple-sourcearchitectural
sounddistribution,andforsimpleaudioandvideo
post-productionsuites.
IF YOU IGNORE MANUALS...
Howdid youfind thissection?
Becauseyou’resecretlywonderingifthere
mightactually besomething worthyour timein
abook likethis. Whatcanwe say?We’ll giveyou
concise,accurateinformation thateven relates
tothe realworld,somenice patchingdiagrams,
abit ofentertainment anda fullyear’sworth of
weatherforecastsfor7 regionsofthecountry.
Why,we’reeven thinkingof drillinga holeinthe
cornerso youcan hangitby thetoilet.
Ifyou’removingtoo fastto reviewallthis
greatprose, tryto checkoutSection 2and the
systemBlock Diagram.Thereareafewhandy
and/oruniquefeaturesinthe LM-3204design
youshould knowabout.
Attheveryleast,lookforthisimportanticon:

5
IMPORTANT SENSITIVITY
ADJUSTMENT PROCEDURE!
Soimportant we put it first, beforeanything
else.
To fully achieve the LM-3204 Mixer’s
impressive headroom and specs, you should
always “tune” the input sensitivity for each
channel.
FOLLOW THIS PROCEDURE FOR EACH
CHANNEL IN USE
1. SettheControlRoom,Phones,LeftandRight
MasterFaderandSolocontrolsalltheway
off.(Asyouareworkingthroughthesteps,
youcanbringthesecontrolsupabittohear
whatyouaredoing,butbecareful.There’sa
lottalevelinthismixer.)
2. Applysignaltochannelinput.
Insertastereolineinputintothecorrespond-
ingLeftandRightInputjacksattherearof
themixer.
or
Insertamonolineinputintothecorrespond-
ingLeftInputjackontherearofthemixer.
3. Setchannelstripcontrolsasfollows:
Gaincontrolat“U”detent.
Soloswitchdown.
Muteswitchup.
Balancecontrolat“U”detent.
EQcontrolsat“U”detent.
Auxcontrolsfullycounterclockwise(off).
4. Applyanaudiosignaltotheinput.The
materialandlevelyouusetosetupthemixer
shouldbevaguelyrepresentativeofwhatyou
willreallybedoingwhenyoureallydoit.If
you’reconnectedtoatapedeckoraCD
player,putsomemusiconandpushthe
button!Ifyou’rehookeduptoasynthesizer,
ticklethoseplasticivories!
5. Thechannel’s–20dBLEDshouldlight.The
L/Rmainmeterswillshowtheactual
internaloperatinglevelofsoloedsignals.
Nowyouwilloptimizelevels.
Forameterreadingof0dBuwith+4dBu
input(linelevel)signals,thesettingsinstep3
shouldbejustaboutright.Adjustthechannel
Gaincontrolslightlysothatyougetpeaksthat
regularlyhit0dBontheLeftandRightmeters.
For–10dBVsignals,youmayhaveto turn
thechannelGain controlclockwise to
boostthe signalto read0d B on
theLeftandRightmeters.
Ontheotherhand,youmighthavetodeviate
fromthisapproachoncertainchannels.For
example,youdon’twanttosetthehi-hatcymbal
channelat0dB.Useyourjudgementonthis.
TheLong Arm Exercise:ForMicrophone
signals(usinganonboardMackiemic
preamp),leavethechannelGainsettingat
the“U”detentandinsteadadjusttheMic
Trimpotontherearofthemixeruntilyou
getpeaklevelsofaround0dBontheLeftand
Rightmeters.Remember,thesoundcoming
inthemicrophoneshouldbetypicalofwhat
youwillreallybeusing.Forpatchinginstruc-
tions,seepage11,“Microphone
Preamplifiers.”
6. Ifdesired(optional):
Adjustthechannelstrip’sEQtoaboutwhat
youwillbeusingduringthesession.
RepeatStep5.
7. Returnthechannelstrip’sSolobuttontothe
upposition.
8. Repeatsteps1–7onthenextchannelthatis
beingused.
9. Asyouun-solothechannelstripstolistento
yourmix,easeuptheLeftandRightmaster
faderstosetagoodmixlevelonthemeters,
withoccasionalpeaksof0dB.

6
SECTION 2: PANEL LAYOUT & FUNCTION
ON THE LEFT SIDE
Most of the LM-3204 front panel (four-fifths,
precisely) is occupied by the 16 stereo, line
levelinput modules orchannel strips.Each
strip sports identical features, functions, knobs
and buttons, so we’ll take a close look at one
and leave it to you to extrapolate. Still with us?
ON THE RIGHT SIDE
The rightmost one-fifth of the LM-3204 is
the Master Output section, featuring auxiliary
returns, master level controls, meters, lights
and a few other tricks.
THE OFFICIAL GUIDED TOUR OF A
TYPICAL LM-3204 INPUT MODULE
(CHANNEL STRIP)
Pretty straightforward. But remember,
these are all stereo input modules, so even
though there is only one volume control and
one EQ section per channel strip, there are
actually two audio channels, Left and Right,
routed through each strip…so each control
on an input module is a dual control, working
on both sides of the stereo signal.
THE GAIN CONTROL
Atthe bottom ofeach strip isthe white Gain
knob,which is astereogain controlfor that
channel’ssignal.In the time-honoredMackie
tradition,the Gain controlhas a tremendous
range,from off atthe “ ” markto unity (nogain
orloss of gain)to a 30dBincreasein signal level
whenfully clockwise providing 15dBof gain
aboveunity.Thisrangeallows theLM-3204 to
easilyhandle a widerange of“line level” inputs,
fromprofessional +4dBu and+8dBu levels all
theway down toconsumer and semi-pro-type–
10dBVlevels and lower.The “U” mark at the top
center the Gain control’s
arc of travel stands for
“Unity Gain.” It’s the point
at which no level is added
to or subtracted from the input signal. With
the input Gain control and Left/Right master
gain controls set at “U,” a –10dBV signal at
the input jacks of the LM-3204 is still –10 at
the output jacks. Likewise, a +4dBu signal
comes in at +4 and goes out at +4.
U
+30dB
OO
BALANCE
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1+15
OO
U16
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
STEREO
MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
16
CHANNEL
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
GAIN
GAIN
U
+30dB
OO
BALANCE
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2
+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1
+15
OO
U
1
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
STEREO
MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
U
+30dB
OO
BALANCE
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2
+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1
+15
OO
U
2
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
STEREO
MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
U
+30dB
OO
BALANCE
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2
+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1
+15
OO
U
3
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
STEREO
MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
U
+30dB
OO
BALANCE
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2
+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1
+15
OO
U
4
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
STEREO
MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
U
+30dB
OO
BALANCE
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2
+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1
+15
OO
U
5
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
STEREO
MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
U
+30dB
OO
BALANCE
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2
+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1
+15
OO
U
6
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
STEREO
MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
U
+30dB
OO
BALANCE
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2
+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1
+15
OO
U
7
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
STEREO
MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
U
+30dB
OO
BALANCE
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2
+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1
+15
OO
U
8
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
STEREO
MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
U
+30dB
OO
BALANCE
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2
+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1
+15
OO
U
9
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
STEREO
MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
U
OO
BALANC
E
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2
+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1
+15
OO
U
STEREO
MONO
EQ
SOLO
AUX
L
1
CHANNEL
2
CHANNEL
3
CHANNEL
4
CHANNEL
5
CHANNEL
6
CHANNEL
7
CHANNEL
8
CHANNEL
9
CHANNEL
10
CHANNEL
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
GAI
N
GAINGAINGAINGAINGAINGAINGAINGAINGAIN

7
LAYOUT
AND
FUNCTION
Tomake matterseveneasier,thecrack Mackie
DetentCrewhave putalittle mechanical“pot-
hole”ordetentattheUnity Gainpointonevery
rotarycontrol.Addingdetentsisaprecise,tedious
andlargelythanklessjob,sothinkof thoseguys
everynowandthenasyou’regoing aboutyour
glamorousandexcitinglivesmixingandrecording
andperforming,whiletheyworklateinto the
nightinrainyWoodinvillewiththeir littlebagsof
punchesandelf-sizedball-peenhammers.
THE LEDs
AbovetheGainknobaretwo LED(light-emit-
tingdiode)indicatorlightstohelpyou monitor
thesignallevelswithineachinputmodule.
–20 LED
The green LED is marked –20. It will light
whenever there is a signal level of –20dBu (at
1kHz) or above at the input jacks of that chan-
nel strip. In practice, this LED will flicker or
light almost constantly when there is activity in
that channel, and it basically serves as a conve-
nient indicator for you — a way of figuring out
who’s singing now or what’s plugged into where.
Whether it lights rarely or is on all the time
is not really important; it’s just a porch light to
show you somebody’s home. We designed it to
be ultra-responsive, so, with a little practice,
you can probably tell what’s on the channel (or
at least the difference between the kick drum
channel and a keyboard channel). However, it’s
not the way to determine levels. There is a
much more accurate way to measure your in-
put strip levels: see the section on Setting
Levels in Solo further down the pike here.
Note: The –20 LED shows
signal activity on the right
side of each channel. If you
had a stereo source (two
cords, two plugs) or a mono
source (one plug into the left MONO jack), the
–20 LED will reflect that signal. However, if you
have a stereo source with no signal happening
on the right side, the –20 LED will be as unre-
sponsive as a hybernating hippo on Sominex
™
.
OL LED
TheredLED is markedOL, and thatstands
forOverLoad. The channelstrip OverLoad cir-
cuitsconstantly check attwo critical pointsin
theinput module: afterthe line input’sfirst gain
amplifierand after theEQ and gaincircuits. If
eithercircuit is driventoo hard (intooverload),
U
+30dB
OO
BALANCE
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2
+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1
+15
OO
U
16
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
STEREO
MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
16
CHANNEL
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
GAIN
GAIN
10
22
+20
OO
U
1
LEVEL
+20
OO
U
2
+20
OO
U
3
LEVEL
+20
OO
U
4
STEREO AUX RETURNS
AUX RETURN
TO CONTROL
ROOM ONLY
SOURCE
ALT 3-4
40
30
20
10
7
4
2
0
2
4
7
+
–
CLIP
PHONES
OO
SOLO
+20
OO
U
TAPE
MONITOR
LEVEL
POWER
LM-3204 STEREO LINE MIXER
,,,,,,,
,,,,,,
,
,,,,,,
,
,,,,,,
,
,,,,,,,
dB
20
15
5
10
OO
5
10
30
40
U
dB
20
15
5
10
OO
5
10
30
40
U
,,,,,,,
,
,,,,,
,
,
,,,,,
,
,
,,,,,
,
,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,
,
,,,,,
,
,
,,,,,
,
,
,,,,,
,
,,,,,,,
LEFT RIGHT CONTROL RM
U
+30dB
A
LANCE
+15
U
+12
U
+15
O
U
1
5+15
U
+15
U
10
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
L
O
U
X
R
U
+30dB
OO
BALANCE
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2
+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1
+15
OO
U
11
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
STEREO
MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
U
+30dB
OO
BALANCE
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2
+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1
+15
OO
U
12
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
STEREO
MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
U
+30dB
OO
BALANCE
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2
+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1
+15
OO
U
13
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
STEREO
MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
U
+30dB
OO
BALANCE
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2
+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1
+15
OO
U
14
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
STEREO
MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
U
+30dB
OO
BALANCE
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2
+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1
+15
OO
U
15
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
STEREO
MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
U
+30dB
OO
BALANCE
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2
+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1
+15
OO
U
16
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
STEREO
MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
1
0
A
NNEL
11
CHANNEL
12
CHANNEL
13
CHANNEL
14
CHANNEL
15
CHANNEL
16
CHANNEL
T
E
3
-4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
GAINGAINGAINGAINGAINGAINGAIN

8
U
+30dB
OO
BALANCE
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2
+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1
+15
OO
U
16
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
STEREO
MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
16
CHANNEL
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
GAIN
GAIN
willalso lightthat pulsating flambeau,that im-
pudentalarm, that rubypharos guarding the
Mackieshore,the Rude SoloLight.
MUTE/ALT 3–4
Nextup is theMute switch, whichlives up to
itsname by mutingitschannelstrip. Whenthe
Muteswitch is depressed,thesignal in thatin-
putmodule is removedfromthe main Left/Right
busesand from anyselected Auxiliary buses.
Even though the channel is muted, there
can still be audio within the input module. The
–20 and OL lights will light, signal will still be
available at the Insert jack (channels 1–4),
and the channel Solo function will still work. In
regard to the main and auxiliary outputs,
though, the channel is effectively turned off.
But there is a twist.
IMPORTANT: Any and all muted channels
are routed to an additional pair of stereo out-
puts, called the Alt 3–4 outputs. If you have
nothing connected to Alt 3–4 outputs, the
Mute switch is simply a Mute switch. If you
use Alt 3–4, then the Mute switch acts like an
assignment button, switching the signal be-
tween two sets of stereo output buses: the
Main L–R and the Alt 3–4 buses. This feature
is fraught with potential. What appeared at
first as a two-bus mixer now is revealed to be,
for many purposes, a four-bus mixer. Yow!
BALANCE
Whatlookslikeapanpot,actslikeapanpotbut
isnotapanpot?It’saBalancecontrol!Withaste-
reoinputmodule,youarenolongerdealingwitha
monosignaltopanfromlefttoright.Instead,you
haveastereosignalalreadyspreadacrossthe
soundstage,andyoumayhavetoonlytweakthe
balancebetweenthetwochannelsabit.
That’s what the Balance control on the
LM-3204 does. It’s identical to the balance
control on your Aunt Agatha’s Unrealistic hi-fi
receiver. There is a detent at the top, where
the balance is even. As you shift the control
from one side to the other, the stereo balance
changes, with the extremes being left channel
only or right channel only.
Note: It is possible to use a channel strip
on the LM-3204 as a mono input by plugging a
cord only into the Left (MONO) input. In this
case, the mono signal is applied equally to
both of the stereo signal paths. In this mode,
the Balance control acts just like a pan pot,
automatically! What a world we live in.
theredOL light willflash.
Thisis to beavoided. Overloading amixer cir-
cuitforces theaudio signal toclipandseriously
distortthe sound. Whenthe OL lightflashes, it
meanssomething is tooloud. It couldbe the
levelof the unitconnected to theLM-3204 input
jacksor a deviceyou plugged intothe Insert
Jack;maybe you havethe Gain controlturned
toohigh or anextremeamount ofEQ (which
liftsthe gain incertain frequencyranges).You
needto find outwhat is tooloud and turnit
downuntil the OLLED no longerlights.
Note: When a channel
strip is soloed, both the
channel LEDs light
steadily to indicate that
module’s solo status.
SOLO
A solo function on a mixer allows you to lis-
ten to (and on a Mackie mixer, to observe on
the meters) any input or combination of in-
puts without affecting the main or auxiliary
outputs of the mixer. In other words, you can
push a solo button to check something out
just about any time without affecting your
recording or sound reinforcement feed.
The Solo switch on each LM-3204 channel
strip assigns the stereo signal in that channel
to the stereo solo buses. Both the channel –20
LED and OL LED will light steadily to indicate
the module’s solo status. The solo signals are
tapped off after the Balance control, the Gain
control and the EQ circuits, and will be af-
fected by all these settings.
IMPORTANT!! Setting Levels with Solo
On the LM-3204, Solo has another impor-
tant function.
Each Solo switch also triggers circuitry
that disconnects the meters, the Control
Room monitors and the Phones from their
normal duties and reconnects them all to the
output of the solo buses. Not only can you lis-
ten to the soloed tracks but you can measure
them on the 13-segment main meters.
Infact,this is the recommended way to ad-
just input levels.As youareinitially setting up
a stereo pair of inputs, push the Solo button. It
doesn’t matter if the channel strip is muted:
solo will function on a muted or unmuted
track. Now set the input level to the range you
want, simply by checking out the main meters.
Lastly, bymeansof extremelyexpensivestate-
of-the-arthighly obfuscated envelope-pushing
silicontechnology,any Solo switchontheboard

9
EQ
Inkeepingwiththestereothemeofthisentire
mixer,theengineersatMackiehavedecidedto
providestereoequalizationas well.Justlike the
stereoGaincontrol, theEQknobs havebothleft
andrightEQsectionsgangedona singleshaft.
The LM-3204 EQ has three sections, each
with a fixed knee or center frequency and
bandwidth. Frequency curves are shownbelow.
The low-frequency equalizer is a shelv-
ing EQ with the knee of the shelf set at 80 Hz.
The Lo section offers a swing of ±15dB.
The mid-frequency EQ is a peaking EQ,
featuring a bell-shaped peak/dip curve cen-
tered at 2.5 kHz with a smooth-sounding
2-octave bandwidth. The Mid section can cut
or boost over a range of ±12dB.
The high-frequency equalizer is a shelv-
ing EQ with the knee of the shelf set at 12
kHz. Like the Lo section, the Hi section offers
a swing of ±15dB at a very useful frequency.
When any of the EQ knobs are set at their
“Unity” detents, that section is effectively out
of the circuit.
AUX SENDS
The LM-3204 offers 4 separate sets of auxil-
iary sends from each input module. Two sets
of sends per module can be selected at any
one time. The Shift switch allows you to
choose either sends 1 and 2, or sends 3 and 4
on any channel strip.
Sends 1 and 3 , selected alternately by
the Shift button, are true stereo sends with
left and right channels maintained separately
throughout the auxiliary send circuitry.
Sends 2 and 4 , also selected alternately
by the Shift switch, are mono sends. Within
each channel strip, the left and right input
signals are combined into a mono sum for
sends 2 and 4, which appear at their output
jacks as monaural signals.
All the sends on the LM-3204 are post-Gain
control, post-EQ, post-Mute switch. Unfortu-
nately, due to the incredibly dense surface
mount circuitry inside this beast, modifica-
tions are not possible.
Each AUX send control has a “Unity” de-
tent at the top of its travel, and, like the rest
of the mixer, will deliver a “level in = level
out” signal at the send outputs when set to
“U.” Setting the aux send controls fully clock-
wise delivers a whopping +15dB of gain.
THE MASTER OUTPUT SECTION —
THE TOUR CONTINUES
TheMasterOutputsectionisthatright-hand
one-fifthoftheLM-3204wepromisedwe’d talk
aboutearlierinthemanual.Thissection is
hometotheMasterFaders,ControlRoom,
HeadphoneandSololevelcontrols,theAUX Re-
turnsand,ofcourse,theRudeSolo Light.
LEFT AND RIGHT MASTER FADERS
The mix level of the main Left and Right
buses is controlled by the Left and Right
Master Faders. The unity gain point for the
mix output circuits is marked with a “U,”
with 10dB of gain available beyond that
point. When both channel strip Gain and
the Left and Right Master Faders are set at
unity, the output level of the LM-3204 will
be the same as the input level.
LEFT AND RIGHT METERS
Above the Master Faders are the Left
and Right Meters. These are peak averag-
ingmeters, with zero (0)dB referenced to
20 Hz 100 Hz 1k Hz 10k Hz 20k Hz
–15
–10
–5
0
+5
+10
+15
20 Hz 100 Hz 1k Hz 10k Hz 20k Hz
–15
–10
–5
0
+5
+10
+15
20Hz 100Hz 1kHz 10kHz 20kHz
–15
–10
–5
0
+5
+10
+15
LM-3204 Lo shelving EQ ±15dB boost/cut.
LM-3204 Mid peaking EQ ±12dB boost/cut.
LM-3204 Hi shelving EQ ±15dB boost/cut.
U
+30dB
OO
BALANCE
L
–15 +15
U
–12 +12
U
2
+15
OO
U
–15 +15
U
1
+15
OO
U
16
SHIFT
-20
OL
4
3
12k
STEREO
MONO
HI
80
LO
2.5k
MID
EQ
SOLO
AUX
LR
16
CHANNEL
MUTE
ALT 3- 4
GAIN
GAIN
10
22
+20
OO
U
1
LEVEL
+20
OO
U
2
+20
OO
U
3
LEVEL
+20
OO
U
4
STEREO AUX RETURNS
AUX RETURN
TO CONTROL
ROOM ONLY
SOURCE
ALT 3-4
40
30
20
10
7
4
2
0
2
4
7
+
–
CLIP
PHONES
OO
SOLO
+20
OO
U
TAPE
MONITOR
LEVEL
POWER
LM-3204 STEREO LINE MIXER
,,,,,,,
,,,,,,
,
,,,,,,
,
,,,,,,
,
,,,,,,,
dB
20
15
5
10
OO
5
10
30
40
U
dB
20
15
5
10
OO
5
10
30
40
U
,,,,,,,
,
,,,,,
,
,
,,,,,
,
,
,,,,,
,
,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,
,
,,,,,
,
,
,,,,,
,
,
,,,,,
,
,,,,,,,
LEFT RIGHT CONTROL RM

10
0dBu (.775 volts rms) at the rear output
jacks. The LM-3204’s main outputs are
0dBu=0dB Meter whether you are using
balanced or unbalanced cables.
Themetersareswitchedbythe samecircuits
thatswitchtheControlRoomandPhones moni-
tors.Sowhateveryouarehearinginthemonitors
iswhat’sonthe meters.Normally, thatwouldbe
themainLeftandRightbusoutputs. IftheTape
Monitorswitchispusheddown,themeters (and
themonitors)areconnected totheTape Injacks.
(SeetheTapeMonitor switchnoteintheMonitor-
ingsectionalittlefartheron.)
NOTE: The Control
Room fader does not affect
meter levels.
Andremember, whenever
anysolo button ispressed,
themeters arenot readingthe main outputbus
level.When a Solobutton is pressed,the moni-
torsand the metersareconnected tothesolo
busesfor input leveladjustment.
You should setyour L/R levelsfor a readingin
themiddle of themeters, with occasionalpeaks
reachinginto the yellow+7 to +10range. You
shouldneverhavethe levelsloud enough tolight
theredOL LEDs, whichareset at+20dBu, just
beforeclipping (+22dBu) toindicate
Return3 control and circuitry.
This allows you to use Alt 3–4 as a pair of
submix buses and then re-mix them back into
the main Left and Right buses.
AUX RETURN TO CONTROL ROOM ONLY
It has such a long name that it hardly
needs any explanation. When this switch is
up, AUX Return 4 functions normally. When
the switch is down, the AUX Return 4 is dis-
connected from the main Left and Right buses
and is re-connected to the control room moni-
tor and headphone circuits (where it is mixed
back in with Left and Right signal on its way
to the Monitor section).
This allows you to use wet monitor, listen-
ing with echo or delay without actually using
the effect in the main Left and Right outputs,
or to “play along” to a cue or click feed with-
out having it go onto tape.
SOLO
When a Solo button is pressed, the soloed
signals are sent to the meters and the solo
buses, which are fed to the control room
monitor and headphone circuits. The Solo
control in the main Output section sets
solo monitoring level. It has no effect on the
levels on the meters or on any of the main, al-
ternate or auxiliary buses.
Next to the Solo level control is the Rude
Solo Light, as nasty an indicator as our Indi-
cator Department could find without
actually being dangerous. When it is blink-
ing, something is soloed. Simplicity itself.
Furthermore,the–20andOLLEDsonsoloed
channel(s)glowsteadilytoindicateSolo-edstatus.
MONITORING
The LM-3204 has both Control Room
and Phone monitoring outputs, each cir-
cuit with its own level control. Monitoring
controls consist of the stereo Control Rm
fader, the Phones level control (with a handy
Phones jack just below it), and the Tape
Monitor switch.
Control Rm and Phone monitor outputs
always share the same sources:
• The main Left and Right buses under
normal conditions;
• The output of your tape recorder (or some
other source patched into the Tape In jacks)
when the Tape Monitor switch is pushed, or;
• The stereo solo buses whenever any Solo
switch is pressed. The solo circuits override
the Tape Monitor switch.
10
22
+20
OO
U
1
LEVEL
+20
OO
U
2
+20
OO
U
3
LEVEL
+20
OO
U
4
STEREO AUX RETURNS
AUX RETURN
TO CONTROL
ROOM ONLY
SOURCE
ALT 3-4
40
30
20
10
7
4
2
0
2
4
7
+
–
CLIP
PHONES
OO
SOLO
+20
OO
U
TAPE
MONITOR
LEVEL
POWER
LM-3204 STEREO LINE MIXER
,,,,,,,
,,,,,,
,
,,,,,,
,
,,,,,,
,
,,,,,,,
dB
20
15
5
10
OO
5
10
30
40
U
dB
20
15
5
10
OO
5
10
30
40
U
,,,,,,,
,
,,,,,
,
,
,,,,,
,
,
,,,,,
,
,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,
,
,,,,,
,
,
,,,,,
,
,
,,,,,
,
,,,,,,,
LEFT RIGHT CONTROL RM
busdistortion.
STEREO AUX RETURNS
The LM-3204 has 4 stereo Auxil-
iary (AUX) returns for reverb, delay
and other effect returns. The returns
pass through ganged stereo level con-
trols and are routed into the main
Left and Right buses. Each level con-
trol has a “U” detent and plenty of
gain (+20dB) for any effect you use.
Just like a channel strip input, any
return can be used in mono by patch-
ing into the Left input only.
There are a
couple of Mackie bo-
nus switches in the
AUXReturncircuits:
THE SOURCE ALT 3–4 SWITCH
This switch works on the AUX
Return 3. With the switchup, AUX
Return 3 is just what it’s advertised
to be: an AUX Return. When the
Source Alt 3–4 switch is down, AUX
Return 3 inputs are disconnected.
Instead, the outputs of the Alt 3–4
buses are routed into the AUX

11
Quick recap: In theup position, the Tape
Monitor switch selects the main Left and
Right bus outputs for the monitor circuits and
the meters. In the down position, the Tape
Monitor switch selects the Tape Inputs for the
monitor circuits and the meters.
MICROPHONE PREAMPLIFIERS
Another Mackie bonus feature! How did
this come about? Was there just too much
blank space on the back panel? Did some-
body say, “Well, what if you have a
microphone?” We’ll never know. But the
happy fact is, in addition to all the fabulous
stereo line input features you could possibly
want, there are two high-performance
Mackie microphone preamplifiers hidden
away on the rear panel, just in case you need
them.
The mic preamps each have a standard
XLR-3 input connector, a trim control, and
switchable phantom powering. However, they
don’t go anywhere (non-normalled). That’s up
to you.
To use a mic preamp, simply patch one of
the (unbalanced
1
⁄ 4 ") Mic Out jacks into any
one of the line input jacks of the mixer. Patch
’em in mono, patch ’em in stereo, patch ’em
anywhere your cord will reach.
NOTE: While dynamic
mics ignore phantom
power, ribbon mics don’t.
Make sure that the Phan-
tom Power switch is off
before plugging in a ribbon mic. Wouldn’t
want to barbecue your Beyer
®
…
The Long Arm Exercise revisited
The mic Trim knob will add from +10dB
to +50dB of sensitivity to an LM-3204 input.
For proper level setting, put all the controls
in your signal path at the “U” detent and
solo the input module you are using for a
mic input. Then, while someone is making
appropriate noises in front of the micro-
phone, adjust the mic trim so that the peak
levels read about 0dB on the meters.
If you are using condenser microphones,
don’t forget to engage the Phantom Power
switch,located between thetwo mic trimknobs.
LAYOUT
AND
FUNCTION

12
REAR-PANEL CONNECTIONS
Withthe exceptionofthe handyPhonesout-
putjack,alloftheconnectionsto theLM-3204 are
madeontherearpanelofthe unit,backin your
equipmentrackwhereall thecablingislurking.
LINE INPUTS
Thereare32line inputsinthe LM-3204,aleft-
rightpairforeachofthe16 inputmodules.The
channelinputsareeach electronicallybalanced,
highimpedancelineinputs,accommodatinga
rangeofsignalsfromnominallevelsof lessthan–
10dBtoover+4dBu.
Theinputjackswillalsoacceptunbalanced
linelevelinputs.
Eachjack is wiredas a TRS(Tip-Ring-
Sleeve)
1
⁄ 4 "phone jack, commonlycalled a
“stereo”phone jack. Thetipof thejackis wired
tothe “high” (hot)side of theinput circuitry, the
ringis wiredtothe“low” (cold)side,and the
sleeveis the circuitground (earth) connection.
StandardTS (Tip-Sleeve)
1
⁄ 4 "phone plugs
(oftencalled “mono” plugs)may be usedto
bringunbalanced signals intothe LM-3204. The
sleeveof the TSplug will automaticallyconnect
thelow side ofthe input jackto ground andun-
balancethe input.
MONO PATCHING
Thestereopair of inputjacks connected to
eachinput module iswiredsothatan input sig-
nalplugged only intothe LEFT (Mono)jack will
beapplied to boththe left andright input cir-
cuits.Inserting a pluginto the RIGHTinput jack
(withthe LEFT inputstill plugged in)disables
themono switching andreturnstheinputmod-
uleto the stereomode.
INSERTS—CHANNELS 1–4 ONLY
Stereoinputmodules1through4havechannel
insertjacksonthebackpanel.Aninsertjackallows
youtotapthesignaloutofthecircuitforprocessing
inanotherpieceofequipmentandthenreturnthe
processedaudiobackintotheLM-3204.
The channel inserts occur just before the
balance, gain and EQ circuits and controls.
Mackieinsertsuse
1
⁄ 4 "TRS
phonejacks,andcanbeused
inthreedifferentways:
1. As a “direct output,” with no interruption of
the signal to the output section. Use a
1
⁄ 4 "
TS (mono) plug, but insert it only to the
first click.
2. Asa“directoutput,”whichalsointerruptsthe
signaltotheoutputsection.Usea
1
⁄ 4 "TS
(mono)plug,andpushitinallthewaytothe
secondclick.
CONCEIVED, DESIGNED, AND MANUFACTURED
BY MACKIE DESIGNS INC • WOODINVILLE • WA
98072 • USA • MADE IN USA • FABRIQUE AU USA
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
RL
1234
(MONO)
L
15
CONTROL ROOM
OUTPUTS
R
(MONO)
L
R
RL
ALT 3/4
OUTPUTS
EXPANDER IN
STEREO AUX RETURNS
LM-3204 • STEREO • LINE • MIXER
1234
AUX SENDS
L
R
L
STEREO
MONO
R
16
USE ONLY WITH LM-3204E EXPANDERS.
STEREO
REPLACEWITHTHESAMETYPEFUSEANDRATING.
DISCONNECTSUPPLYCORDBEFORECHANGINGFUSE UTILISE UN FUSIBLE DE RECHANGE DE
M
DEBRANCHERAVANTDEREMPLACER L
E
WARNING: TOREDUCE THERISKOF FIREORELECTRIC SHOCK,D
O
EXPOSETHIS EQUIPMENTTORAIN ORMOISTURE.DO NOTREMOVECO
V
NOUSERSERVICEABLE PARTSINSIDE.REFER SERVICINGTOQUALIFIED
AVIS: RISCDECHOC ELECTRIQUE NEPASOUVRIR
CAUTION
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"
For use as an effects loop.
(TIP= send to effect, RING = return from effects)
MONO PLUG
MONO PLUG
STEREO
PLUG
TIP
RING
tip
this plug connects to the CR-1604 "ring"
tip ring shield SEND
RETURN

13
3. Asasend-returninsertforprocessing.Usea
1
⁄ 4 "TRS(stereo)plug“Y”-edtotwomono
(TS)
1
⁄ 4 "plugs.Thetipshouldbewiredto
sendtotheeffect’sinput,andtheringshould
bewiredasthereturnfromtheeffectback
intotheLM-3204.Thesleeveisthecommon
groundconnection.
SeetheInsertJackdiagramatleft.Thesame
diagramisonthebackpaneloftheLM-3204for
yourwiringconvenience.Bringyourownflashlight.
MAIN/TAPE OUTPUTS
TheLeft and RightMain Outputs areeach
electronically balanced, line level outputs, ca-
pableof driving linelevels of–10dBVor +4dBu
equallywell.
Each output jack is wired as a TRS (Tip-
Ring-Sleeve)
1
⁄ 4 " phone jack. Like the balanced
input jacks, the tip of the jack is wired to the
“high” side of the input circuitry, the ring is
wired to the “low” side, and the sleeve is the
circuit ground connection.
StandardTS (Tip-Sleeve)
1
⁄ 4 "phone plugs
maybe connected tothe LM-3204 MainOutputs
forconnection to unbalancedequipment. The
sleeveof the TSplug will automaticallyconnect
thelow side ofthe jack toground and unbalance
theoutput.
Thereis no changein signal levelwhenusing
anunbalanced (TS) cordinstead of abalanced
(TRS)cord.
TheMainOutputsalsoappearasunbalanced
outputsontheTapeL–ROutRCAjacksimmedi-
atelytotheright.(Alsoabletodrive–10to+4.)
MAIN INSERTS
Themain left andright output circuitsalso
haveinsert jacks availableon the backpanel.
Likethe channel inserts,these jacks allowyou to
tapthe signal outof the circuitfor processing in
anotherpiece of equipmentand then returnthe
processedaudio back intothe LM-3204. Inthis
case,the entiremainleft-right mixing buseswill
beprocessed. Themaininsertsoccurjust
afterthebussummingamplifi-
ersandbeforethemasterLeft
andRightfaders.When“print-
ing”amix,thiswouldbethe
placetopatchinastereocompressor/limiter,EQ
and/orauralexciter.Ifyou’reusingtheLM-3204
forlivesound,youmaywantto patchina stereo
graphicequalizeroranti-feedbackprocessorhere.
Themaininsertsarethesame asthechannel
insertsinregardto send/return,direct,and direct
with interrupt wiring. See the three ways to use
LAYOUT
AND
FUNCTION
FUSE INSIDE
SERIAL NUMBER MANUFACTURING DATE
POWER
120VAC
50/60 HZ 60W
1A/250V SLO BLO
ON
OFF
13 11 9 7 531
STEREO BALANCED OR UNBALANCED LINE INPUTS
CHANNEL INSERT OPTIONS
(MONO)
L
R
L
R
L
R
L
R
CHANNEL INSERTS
1
3
RL
MAIN INSERTS
21
MIC PREAMP
OUTPUT
MIC IN
RL
MAIN/TAPE OUTPUTS
RL
TAPE INPUTS
21
MIC PREAMP GAIN
10 dB 50 dB
G
A
I
N
G
A
I
N
PHANTOM
POWER
+48V
24
14 12 10 8 6 4 2
TIP OUT TO EFFECTS DEVICE
RING RETURN FROM EFFECTS
STEREO
PLUG
DIRECT OUT WITH
NO SIGNAL
INTERRUPTION
TO MASTER
DIRECT OUT WITH
SIGNAL
INTERRUPTION
TO MASTER
FOR USE AS AN
EFFECTS LOOP
(TIP = SEND,
RING = RETURN)
INSERT ALL THE WAY IN TO
THE "SECOND CLICK"
INSERT ONLY INTO THE
"FIRST CLICK"
MONO PLUG
MONO PLUG
10 dB 50 dB
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE
RISK OF FIRE, REPLACE WITH THE
SAME TYPE FUSE AND RATING
M
ETYPE.
F
USIBLE
N
OT
E
R.
E
RSONNEL.

14
an insert at left, or check the patching illustra-
tion on the back of the LM-3204.
TAPE OUT AND TAPE IN
TheLM-3204 provides anumber of waysto
feeda tape deck,a cassette orDATrecorderand
tomonitor the outputof the recorderas well.
TheMain Output connectionsarementioned
earlier, andmaybe used asthe primary feedto
yourrecorder.
The
1
⁄ 4 "TS Tape In jacksprovide a monitor
returnfrom the outputof your deck.The Tape In
jacksarerouted through theTapeMonitor
switchin the MainOutput section onthe front
panel,which can sendthe signal tothe control
roomand phones.
Additionally, theLM-3204 has fourunbal-
anced“RCA”-type connectors labeled“Tape” on
therearpanel for easyconnectionto yourre-
corder. The Tape OutRCAjacks areconnected
inparallel to theMain Output jacks.
TheTapeInRCAjacks areconnectedin par-
allelwith the Tape In
1
⁄ 4 "phone jacks.
NOTE: Using the
1
⁄ 4 "
Tape In jacks will de-
activate the RCA Tape In
jacks.
AUX SENDS
Rememberthat on thefront panel, AUX
Sends1 and 3werestereosends andAUXSends
2and 4 weremono? Well,it’strue backheretoo,
wherethey finally comeoutof the mixer.
AUXSends 1 and3 each havea left-right pair
ofline level, unbalanced
1
⁄ 4 "TS phone jacksfor
connectionto the outsideworld.
Ifyou want touse AUX Send1 and/or AUX
Send3 as agood old monoAUX send (like2and
4),just plug yourcord into theLeft (MONO)
AUXSend output. Thenboth the Leftand Right
signalswill be summedinto that output.
Sends2 and 4have one mono,unbalanced
1
⁄ 4 "TS phone jackeach.
STEREO AUX RETURNS
TheLM-3204hasfoursetsofstereoAUXreturns
forbringing that finestereoreverband delay
backinto your mix.(Even though sends2 and 4
aremono,all the AUXreturnsarereadyfor ste-
reosignalsgenerated within youreffectsboxes.)
Eachinput is aline level, unbalanced
1
⁄ 4 "TS
standardphone jack, whichroutes the signal
directlyto the AUXReturnamplifiers and front
panelcontrols,andontothemainL/Rmixbus.See
page10,“StereoAuxReturns,”forswitchingoptions.
Just like the channel inputs, using the
(Mono) Left input jack only will apply the re-
turn signal equally to both the left and right
AUX inputs for a mono return.
ALT 3/4 OUTPUTS
TheAlt 3/4 Outputsarestraightforward: Left
andRight line levelunbalanced
1
⁄ 4 "TS jacks,
eachconnected to theAlt 3/4 buses.Use them
forwhatever you candreamup. Forinstance,
youcould use themto send selectedchannels to
yourmultitrack deck forbouncing or overdub-
bing(see the hook-updiagrams farther onfor
morepossibilities).
RL
15 13 11 9
CONTROL ROOM
OUTPUTS
STEREO BALANCED OR U
N
(MONO)
L
R
RL
ALT 3/4
OUTPUTS
L
R
L
R
RL
MAIN INSERTS
21
MIC PREAMP
OUTPUT
RL
MAIN/TAPE OUTPUTS
RL
TAPE INPUTS
16 14 12 10
1234
(MONO)
L
R
EXPANDER IN
STEREO AUX RETURNS
1234
AUX SENDS
L
R
L
STEREO
MONO
R
USE ONLY WITH LM-3204E EXPANDERS.
STEREO

15
10
22
40
30
20
10
7
4
2
0
2
4
7
+
–
CLIP
PHONES
OO
SOLO
+20
OO
U
TAPE
MONITOR
LEVEL
CONTROL ROOM OUTPUTS
This is where you plug in your monitor
power amplifier. The Left and Right Control
Room Outputs are line level unbalanced
1
⁄ 4 "
TS jacks, controlled by the Control Room
fader on the front panel.
MICROPHONE CONNECTIONS
Here’sa Mackiebonus: two micpreampshid-
denaway on theback panel!
TheMic In connectors arestandard fe-
maleXLR3-type microphone connectors,wired
toa pair ofclassic Mackie balancedmic pream-
plifierswith moreheadroomthan a Kenworth
caband less noisethan a mortuaryat midnight.
Pin2 is wiredhigh, pin 3is low andpin1 is
grounded,per AES standards.
Phantommic powering canbe applied to
bothinputs with aflick of thePhantom Power
switch .Mic preamplevelsareindividually ad-
justedby two Trimcontrols. Themic sig-
nalswon’t go
anywhereun-
lessyou patch
them.Each
preamphasa
linelevel unbal-
anced
1
⁄ 4 "TS
MicOut jack.
You can patchthe mic outsignal into anychan-
nelinput or eveninto other piecesof line level
equipmentin your rack.
EXPANDER IN
TheExpanderIn jackiswhereyouplug inyour
optionalLM-3204E expander. See AppendixB.
PHONES OUT
ThePhonesjackislocatedonthe frontpanel
totherightofthemetersand belowthePhones
Levelknob.Thejackisastandard
1
⁄ 4 "TRSstereo
headphonejackwiththeleftchannelon thetip,
therightchannelonthering,and thecommon
groundconnectiononthesleeve.Careful;it’s
loud.It isanIC,anditwill notdriveaspeaker
anditwilltoastapoweramp (ifturnedup).
WARNING:Turn downthe
Phones level control before
you plug in the headphones.
Then inch the control up
until you feel groovy.
RL
CONTROL ROOM
OUTPUTS
RL
ALT 3/4
OUTPUTS
L
R
RL
MAIN INSERTS
RL
MAIN/TAPE OUTPUTS
MIC IN
21
MIC PREAMP GAIN
10 dB 50 dB
G
A
I
N
G
A
I
N
PHANTOM
POWER
+48V
10 dB 50 dB
1234
(MONO)
L
R
EXPANDER IN
STEREO AUX RETURNS
1234
AUX SENDS
L
R
L
STEREO
MONO
R
USE ONLY WITH LM-3204E EXPANDERS.
STEREO
LAYOUT
AND
FUNCTION

16
SECTION3:GENERALINFORMATION
grindingdistortion.
Somewhere between the noise and the
clipping is an optimum level for your signal:
high enough above the noise floor to render
the hiss inaudible, and far enough below the
distortion point to allow range for loud peaks
of music to pass without clipping. This safe
operating zone might be called operating level
ornominal level or zero or perhaps line level.
The range between your operating level and
clipping is called headroom, which defines
just how tall your signal can be without hav-
ing to duck for the rafters.
Your mission as a designated Master of the
Levels is to get the low level signals up to line
level as soon as possible and to keep them
thereas much as possible, but not toturn them
uptoo much.
Unity Gain
On a Mackie mixer, the easy way to do this
is to set all the level controls in your path to
the “U” marks screened onto the panels. Set
the Balance control to the center and press
the channel Solo button. This will display the
channel level on the Left and Right meters.
Then adjust the channel Gain or the Mic trim
until you have a good level on the meters. The
“U” stands for unity gain, which basically
means level in = level out. Now, with mic in-
puts that’s not exactly the case, but ignore
that and set your faders at “U”. That will get
you in the safe zone.
Metering
Pay close attention to the meters. A meter
is an aid, a window looking onto part of the
dynamic range of your signal, and it will tell
you if your level is in the ballpark, so to speak.
Try to keep your signals in the middle
range of the meters, for the most part. If the
signal is always very low, you may not be get-
ting the best signal-to-noise ratio you can.
If the meter LEDs are always solidly lit from
bottom to top, you are likely distorting both
the console and your recording tape regularly.
Keep the signal in the middle, with occasional
peaks into the yellow. Remember, the top
yellow LED of the meter represents a level of
+10dBu, and the LM-3204 doesn’t clip until
+22dBu. Even when “banging” the yellow
LEDs hard, you still have around 12dB of
headroom for your peaks. The Left and Right
meters have a red LED segment to show
imminent clipping at +20dBu.
Maybe you don’t need to read this at all.
Battle-scarred pros: skip to Section 4.
Beginners: face the blackboard, please.
Manyof you readingthis
manualhave a lotof experi-
encein using mixersand
mixingconsoles. For you
battle-scarredpros, Section 2
andthe Block Diagramwill probably beall that
youneed to lookat.
Forthose of youwho areeither newtousing
mixersor just liketo readevenlarger quantities
ofour glib prose,we’ve provided thisshort sec-
tion.It discusses thebasic concepts and
proceduresused in recording,mixing andsound
reinforcementwork.If you canmakesome
senseof it, youcan check outyour application
andpatching in Section4 and startplugging
thingsin.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Hereisa primer coveringa few important
ideasyou should beon good termswith before
yousit down toa mixer.
LEVELS
Microphoneshave low outputlevels. Line
leveldevices have highoutput levels. Oneof the
functionsof a mixeris to amplifyor attenuate
thesesignal levels properly.Sinceit’seasy tode-
gradethe signal bynot handling levelswell, and
sinceit’syour handon theknobs,you shouldbe
sureyouknow how muchgain to applyand
whereto apply it. Note: No matter what
combination of cable
adapters you may have at
hand, never connect the
output of a power ampli-
fier to the input of a mixer.
Noise
Everyelectronic circuit producesnoise or
hissor hash orbuzz, and anynoise presenton
theinput of anelectronic circuit willbe faith-
fullypassed through. Turn itup high enough,
andyou will hearthe noise.
Headroom
Everyelectronic circuit alsohas a pointof
overload,aclip point, wherethevoltage simply
cannotrise any higher, nomatter what theinput
signaland your fadermove would like.This
overload,or clipping, willshow up astooth-

17
But if your music is sounding good, don’t
worry if you’re in the yellow a lot or if some
parts of the track hardly read at all. You’ll
quickly get a feel for what works for you, when
you can get away with really smacking the tape
or the electronics.
BUSES
Moreoftenthan not, thegoalin a mixingcon-
soleis to mixtwo or moreinputsinto one
output.Like a coachwho has twoor moreplay-
ersto get tothe same ballgame,console
designersuseabus.EvenWebster’sUnabridged
Dictionaryagrees,defining theword busin elec-
tronicsas “a conductorserving as acommon
connectorfor threeormorecircuits.”
TheMackie LM-3204 has12 buses. Thefour
suggestedin the name(the main Leftand Right
busesand the Alt3–4 buses) areimportant, but
therearealso Auxiliary buses(twostereoand
twomono = six)and a pairof solo buses.Wewill
tryto be clearjust what buswe aretalkingabout
whenwe do talkabout buses.
SENDS AND RETURNS
Sendsarebuses fed tooutputs,and returns
areinputs.So why don’twe call themoutputs
andinputs?
Well, actually, the terms send and return
can mean many things, but the way they are
generally used in mixing console parlance is
to refer tosend buses, which tap off a little of
a signal to send to some effects device (like a
reverberation unit), andreturn inputs, which
function to return that reverb back into the
mix. The original, unprocessed signal is called
the “dry” signal. The reverb unit’s output sig-
nal is called the “wet” signal.
Sendsarealso used totapsome of thesignal
froma collection ofchannels for aheadphone
cuemix or monitormix. For thatmatter,sends
canbeusedasadditionalmixbuses, ifneeded.
Inthe same way, if youdon’t need returnsfor
reverboreffects, they canbeused as additional
linelevel inputs toyour mix.
SOLO
Soloisastandardconsolefunctionthatal-
lows you to listen to one or more sources all by
themselves (soloed).
Youcan check EQ,possibledistortion orbuzz,
orjust listen tosee if aparticular mic isopenor
not.When soloing morethan one source,you
canlisten to theblend of justpart of yourmix:
onlya flute sampleon channel one,for example,
orjust the percussionmodule on channeleight.
Thesolo circuits aredesigned not tointerrupt
therecordingprocess. Thesolo bus signalis sent
directlyto the ControlRoomand Headphone
outputswithout affecting anyof the otherinputs,
outputsor recordingbuses.Solo circuits onthe
LM-3204are“AfterFaderListen” (AFL), mean-
ingthe soloed channel’sgain control affectsthe
sololevel.
EQ
Everybodyknows what EQis, but justin case
you’dlike a refresher, we’llput in afew para-
graphshere.
Equalization (EQ) refers to purposely
changing the frequency response of a circuit,
sometimes to correct for previous unequal re-
sponse(hence the term, equalization),and
more often to add or subtract level at certain
frequencies for a pleasing effect.
Bassand treblecontrols onyour stereoare
EQ;soaretheunits calledparametricsand
graphicsandnotch filters.
Alotofhowwerefertoequalizationhastodo
withwhatagraphofthefrequencyresponse
wouldlooklike.Aflatresponse(noEQ)is a
straightline;apeaklookslikeahill, adipisaval-
ley,anotchisareallyskinnyvalley,andashelf
lookslikeaplateau(orashelf).Theslopeisthe
gradeofthehillonthegraph.
Graphic equalizers have enough frequency
slider controls to form a visual representation
of the EQ curve right on the front panel.
ParametricEQs let you vary several EQ para-
meters at once. A filter is simply a form of
equalizer which allows certain frequencies
through unmolested and other frequencies
are attenuated or removed.
The equalizer on the LM-3204 combines
two different types of EQ into three different
sections.
TheLOandHIsectionsoftheEQareshelving
equalizers.Asyoucan
see,shelvingEQsliftor
lowertheentirerange
offrequenciesaboveor
belowacertainpoint.
TheLOEQonthe
LM-3204isat80Hzand
theHIisat12kHz,and
canvarythebassand
trebleby 15dB.We
pickedthesefrequen-
ciesbecausetheymake
for amoremusicaland
pleasantsounding
equalizer;they give you
GENERAL
INFO
Hi shelf
Lo shelf

18
morepunchandmore
sizzlewithoutmaking
themixmuddyorharsh.
TheMIDEQsection
isapeaking/dipping
equalizerwithabell-
shapedresponsecurve.
Thefrequencyiscentered
at2.5kHzandthebandwidthisfixed.TheMIDEQ
cancutorboost12dB.
CONNECTORS
If you’ve used a Mackie MicroSeries 1202, a
CR-1604 or a Mackie 8-Bus Series, you’re famil-
iar with the various kinds of connectors used
with or mixers. If you’re new to the whole thing,
review the drawings below. They’re also de-
scribed in detail in Appendix A on page 30 of
this manual.
23
1
HOT
COLD
COMMON
COMMON
COLD HOT
COMMON
COLD HOT
SLEEVE
TIP
TIPSLEEVE
TIP
SLEEVE
SLEEVE
TIPSLEEVE
TIP
RING
RING
TIP
SLEEVERING
TIPSLEEVETIPSLEEVE
TIP
(SEND)
RING (IN)
TIP (OUT) RING
(RETURN)
TO MIXER
CHANNEL INSERT
TIP (RETURN)
TIP (SEND)
TO
PROCESSOR
INPUT
FROM
PROCESSOR
OUTPUT
Tip/Sleeve (TS) Plug
Tip/Ring/Sleeve (TRS) Plug
Balanced XLR Connectors
RCA Plug used on some outboard gear
Midrange peak
Effects Send/Return connector

19
SECTION4:USINGTHELM-3204
hookeduptoasynthesizer,ticklethose
plasticivories!Ontheotherhand,youmight
havetodeviatefromthisapproachoncertain
channels.Forexample,youdon’twanttoset
thehi-hatcymbalchannelat0dB.Useyour
judgementonthis.
5. Thechannel’s–20dBLEDshouldlight.The
L/Rmainmeterswillshowtheactualinternal
operatinglevelofsoloedsignals.Nowyouwill
optimizelevels.
Forameterreadingof0dBuwith+4dBu
input(linelevel)signals,thesettingsinstep3
shouldbejustaboutright.Adjustthechannel
Gaincontrolslightlysothatyougetpeaksthat
regularlyhit0dBontheLeftandRightmeters.
For–10dBVsignals,youmay haveto turn
thechannel Gaincontrol clockwise to
boostthe signalto read0dB onthe Left
andRight meters.
TheLong Arm Exercise:ForMicrophone
signals(usinganonboardMackie mic
preamp),leave thechannelGainsettingat
the“U”detentandinstead adjusttheMic
Trimpot ontherearofthemixeruntilyou
getpeaklevelsofaround 0dBontheLeft
andRightmeters.Remember,thesound
cominginthemicrophoneshould betypical
ofwhatyouwillreallybeusing.Forpatching
instructions,seepage11,“Microphone
Preamplifiers.”
6. Ifdesired(optional):
Adjustthechannelstrip’sEQtoaboutwhat
youwillbeusingduringthesession.
RepeatStep5.
7. Returnthechannelstrip’sSolobuttontothe
upposition.
8. Repeatsteps1–7onthenextchannelthatis
beingused.
9. Asyouun-solothechannelstripstolistento
yourmix,easeuptheLeftandRightmaster
faderstosetagoodmixlevelonthemeters,
withoccasionalpeaksof0dB.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT SUBMIXER:
STAGE
A rock stage setup used to only include
three guitar amps and a set of drums. Here at
the turn of the century, it still means guitars
and drums, but add to that samplers and
synthesizers and drum pads and guitar
synths and MIDI saxophones and delays and
reverbs and choruses and maybe even sub-
harmonic synthesis. Imagine the joy your
USING THE
LM-3204
If you’re a seasoned patch-cord weaver and
general propellor-head, just refer the to the
way-cool hook-up drawings that start on page
22 of this section.
If,you’reagluttonforverbaleffluvia,readon.
IMPORTANT SENSITIVITY ADJUSTMENT
PROCEDURE!
To fullyachievethe
LM-3204Mixer’simpressive
headroomand specs, you
must“tune” the inputsensi-
tivityfor each channel.This
simpleoperation is soimportant that we’rere-
peatingit hereaswell as atthebeginning of this
manual.If our TechnicalSupportdepartment
hadits way, the adjustmentprocedurewould
probablybe repeatedoneveryother pageofthis
manual.They spend afair amount oftheir time
“solving” new Mackie Mixer users’ noise and
headroom “problems” by directing neophyte
owners to the IMPORTANT SENSITIVITY
ADJUSTMENT PROCEDURE.
FOLLOW THIS PROCEDURE FOR EACH LM-
3204 CHANNEL IN USE:
1. SettheControlRoom,Phones,LeftandRight
MasterFaders,andSolocontrolsalltheway
off.(Asyouareworkingthroughthesteps,
youcaneasethesecontrolsupabittohear
whatyouaredoing,butbecareful.There’sa
lottalevelinthismixer.)
2. Applysignaltochannelinput.
Insertastereolineinput intothecorre-
spondingLeftandRightInputjacksatthe
rearofthemixer.
or
Insertamonolineinputintothecorrespond-
ingLeftInputjackontherearofthemixer.
3. Setchannelstripcontrolsasfollows:
Gaincontrolat“U”detent.
Soloswitchdown.
Muteswitchup.
Balancecontrolat“U”detent.
EQcontrolsat“U”detent.
Auxcontrolsfullycounterclockwise(off).
4. Applyaudiosignaltotheinput.Thematerial
andlevelyouusetosetupthemixershould
bevaguelyrepresentativeofwhatyouwill
reallybedoingwhenyoureallydoit.Ifyou’re
connectedtoatapedeckoraCDplayer,put
somemusiconandpushthebutton!Ifyou’re

20
sound engineer feels when you come at her
with your 12 output cables.
Wefigurethat ifyou bought anLM-3204 for
stageuse, you alreadyhave an equipmentrack
justabout full offine electronic musicaltechnol-
ogy.So, we designedtheLM-3204 tobe19" wide
anda mere5rack units high.Tofit inyour rack.
TheLM-3204 will letyou submix allyour in-
strumentsin stereo,add your effectsandprovide
stageamp, sound reinforcement,monitor or re-
cordingfeeds. Not onlydoes it makethe
impossiblepossible andclean upthat nestof
cables,but it leavesthe balance, EQand effects
blendin yourhands, right therein yourrack.
All of your electronic instruments (and CD
players and DAT players) can patch directly
into the LM-3204 stereo inputs. Guitar and
bass preamps, whether rack-mount units or
built into the amp heads, can patch in here
too. If you have a mono instrument, simply
plug its output into the Left (MONO) jack of
the LM-3204 channel input you select.
Use the LM-3204 main Left and Right out-
puts to connect to the main house PA mixer, or
feed them directly into your stage amp. In fact,
you can connect to both at once, using the
main 1/4" outputs for the house mixer and the
RCA Tape outputs (which carry the same sig-
nal) for your amplifier.
You can use the Control Room outputs to
feed a small amp next to you, if you’d like. This
output will also allow you to Solo various
LM-3204 inputs to check MIDI patches, verify
presets, send a click track (via AUX Return 4’s
“AUXReturn to ControlRoom Only” switch)to
yourselfonly, and soon,without affecting the
mainoutputs. Youcan also useheadphones on
the Phones output.
Effects such as reverb, delay or chorus
can easily be patched into the AUX send and
return circuits in the LM-3204. Gates and
compressors will usually be connected to
either a stereo pair of channel strip Insert
jacks (channel 1–4 inserts for mics, drum
machines, guitars…) or to the main Left and
Right Insert jacks. After you’ve adjusted the
compressor or gate settings as you want, ad-
just the effect’s overall gain for unity, so that
the level of your signal is about the same
with the insert device in or out of the circuit.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT SUBMIXER:
STUDIO
MIDIsuites and projectstudios run intothe
sameproblems as largestage setups: racksfull
ofsynthesizers and samplerseating up allthe
mixingconsole inputs.
So,useyourLM-3204asamusicalinstrument
submixer. Connect your banks of instruments
into the stereo inputs of theLM-3204,and
patchthe main Leftand Right outputsinto a
pair of inputs on your main console.Suddenly,
moremixinginputs appear!
EFFECTS SUBMIXER
Andaslongaswe’rediscoveringmoreinputsfor
yourstudio,consideryourmainconsoleauxiliary
returns:do youhaveenough?AnLM-3204can
giveyouanadditional16stereoreturnswiththe
addedbonusofEQ onthereturns.
Keepthe routing ofthe sends fromyour main
consolethe same; butrun all yourmany effects’
stereoreturnsthrough the LM-3204,and patch
theLM-3204 Left andRight outputs backinto
onepair of auxiliaryreturns(or intoapair of
channelinputs).
MAIN STUDIO MIXER
There’snoreasonwhy you can’tusethe
LM-3204asyour mainmixer.Not everybody’sin
lovewith adjusting mixeswith rotary controls,
butit’snot hardtoget used to(a gazillion
MS1202mixers ownerscan’tbeall wrong). And
remember,the LM-3204 hasthesame legendary
soundquality that’sallowedourCR-1604 to be
usedfor tracking andmixing of allsorts of hits.
Plus,we’ll send youa freeT-shirtifyou send usa
CDor cassette mixedon the LM-3204(see page
39for details).
CLUB SOUND REINFORCEMENT MIXER
Fora small actwith entirelyelectronic instru-
mentsand only twovocalists, the LM-3204is an
extremelyaffordable,compactand easy-to-oper-
atesound reinforcementmixer.
Plugyour mics intothe two preampsin the
rearandpatch the preampoutputs into apair of
channelstrips, using theLeft (MONO) jacks.
Nowconnect your drummachines, keyboards
andsamplers to moreinputs. Connect youref-
fectsto the AUXsends and returns,and patch
themain Left andRight (or ControlRoom) out-
putsto your poweramplifier. Turn onthe
spotlights,smoke generator andbubble ma-
chine,and you’reready.
You can use the same setup to record a
demo of your band. Simply connect a stereo
recorder to the Tape In and Tape Out jacks.
To check out what you’re recording, plug in
some headphones (or use the Control Room
outputs) and press the Tape Monitor switch.
You can record and check playback as you are
performing, if you want, without affecting
what your audience is hearing (unless a bit of
button-pushing gets you off tempo).