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Mackie VLZ3 4BUS Owner's Manual

Manual is about: 24/32 channel

Summary of VLZ3 4BUS

  • Page 1

    24/32-channel premium fx mixer with usb vlz3 4•bus gain 1 gain 2 gain 3 gain 4 gain 5 gain 6 gain 7 gain 8 gain 9 gain gain gain gain gain gain 10 11 12 13 14 15 gain gain gain gain gain gain 20 21/22 23/24 17 18 19 gain 16 lo w c u t 100 hz 18 db/oc t lo w c u t 100 hz 18 db/oc t lo w c u t 100 hz ...

  • Page 2

    2 vlz3 4•bus 1. Read these instructions. 2. Keep these instructions. 3. Heed all warnings. 4. Follow all instructions. 5. Do not use this apparatus near water. 6. Clean only with a dry cloth. 7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. 8. Do ...

  • Page 3: Set The Levels

    Owner's manual 3 part no. Sw0844 rev. A 06/10 ©2010 loud technologies inc. All rights reserved. Loosely based on a dream involving strong personalities and even stronger drinks...Wait, that wasn't a dream? Set the levels it’s not even necessary to hear what you’re doing to set optimal levels. But if...

  • Page 4: Introduction

    4 vlz3 4•bus introduction awesomely unheard of features usb recording and playback the vlz3 4•bus series mixers feature a 4x2 usb recording and playback function. This means up to four signals may be recorded simultaneously and a stereo mix returned to the mixer for playback. There are two switches ...

  • Page 5: Features

    Owner's manual 5 features • proven vlz3 low-noise, high-headroom design • studio grade xdr2 ™ mic preamps • 130db dynamic range • distortion under 0.0007% (20 hz - 20 khz) • phantom power for studio condenser mics • 4 subgroups, each with dedicated compressors for total dynamic control • dedicated i...

  • Page 6: Contents

    6 vlz3 4•bus contents important safety instructions ........................ 2 quick start .......................................................... 3 introduction ...................................................... 4 table of contents ............................................... 6 hookup dia...

  • Page 7: Hookup Diagrams

    Owner's manual 7 hookup diagrams typical live sound system the drummer is the mic and channel hog of the band; dustin has the kick, snare and three toms mic'd up, in addition to two overhead mics. These run to mic inputs 1-7. Destroyer is rockin' the electric guitar through a blackheart full stack r...

  • Page 8

    8 vlz3 4•bus typical recording system once the band has played a few shows and feel that the songs are up to par, then it's time to record them for posterity and all three adoring fans. The good thing is that the mackie vlz3 4•bus mixer functions great in both environments... Live and recording! Her...

  • Page 9: Rear Panel - Connections

    Owner's manual 9 rear panel - connections 1. Mic inputs this is a female xlr connector that accepts a balanced mic or line level input from almost any type of source. The mic preamps feature our xdr2 design, with higher fidelity and headroom rivaling any standalone mic preamp on the market today. Th...

  • Page 10

    10 vlz3 4•bus 2404 usb l r tape out in mono main out insert line tip=send ring=return (bal/unbal) right main out insert line left main out insert line tip=send ring=return tip=send ring=return (bal/unbal) (bal/unbal) talkback mic power on phantom on 2 1 2 1 6 5 4 2 1 6 5 4 aux inserts (tip=send, rin...

  • Page 11

    Owner's manual 11 7. Left/right main outputs: xlr & 1/4" the male xlr connectors provide a balanced line-level signal that represents the end of the mixer chain, where your fully mixed stereo signal enters the real world. Connect these to the left or right inputs of your main power amplifiers, power...

  • Page 12

    12 vlz3 4•bus 2404 usb l r tape out in mono main out insert line tip=send ring=return (bal/unbal) right main out insert line left main out insert line tip=send ring=return tip=send ring=return (bal/unbal) (bal/unbal) talkback mic power on phantom on 2 1 2 1 6 5 4 2 1 6 5 4 aux inserts (tip=send, rin...

  • Page 13

    Owner's manual 13 the usb routing capabilities are as follows: usb input to the mixer - playback: (1) stereo channel 23/24 (on the 2404-vlz3) and 31/32 (on the 3204-vlz3) features a usb button, so one may route computer output (such as itunes ® ) down the last stereo channel of the board. This stere...

  • Page 14

    14 vlz3 4•bus 2404 usb l r tape out in mono main out insert line tip=send ring=return (bal/unbal) right main out insert line left main out insert line tip=send ring=return tip=send ring=return (bal/unbal) (bal/unbal) talkback mic power on phantom on 2 1 2 1 6 5 4 2 1 6 5 4 aux inserts (tip=send, rin...

  • Page 15: Vlz3 4•bus Features

    Owner's manual 15 gain 1 gain 2 gain 3 gain 4 gain 5 gain 6 gain 7 gain 8 gain 9 gain gain gain gain gain gain 10 11 12 13 14 15 gain gain gain gain gain gain 20 21/22 23/24 17 18 19 gain 16 low cut 100 hz 18db/oct low cut 100 hz 18db/oct low cut 100 hz 18db/oct low cut 100 hz 18db/oct low cut 100 h...

  • Page 16: Channel Controls

    16 vlz3 4•bus gain gain gain gain gain gain 20 21/22 23/24 17 18 19 gain 16 low cut 100 hz 18db/oct low cut 100 hz 18db/oct low cut 100 hz 18db/oct low cut 100 hz 18db/oct pad -20db low cut 100 hz 18db/oct fx 1 usb fx 2 u +20 -20 u +20 -20 off max off max off max off max comp comp comp comp 0 60 -45...

  • Page 17

    Owner's manual 17 at the maximum compression, the threshold is set at 0 dbu, and the input to output relationship is represented by the lower curve. If the input is -5 dbu (that is, below the threshold), the output is -5 dbu. As the input reaches 0 dbu, the output is a bit less than 0 dbu. If the in...

  • Page 18

    18 vlz3 4•bus aux eq int fx aux 5/6 pre hi 12k low 80hz mid freq 1 2 3 4 pre pre 5 6 fx1 fx2 u +15 o o u +15 o o u +15 o o u +15 o o u +15 o o u +15 o o 2k 800 200 8k 100 u -15 u +15 -15 +15 -15 +15 u u u 27. Aux sends 1-6 these controls allow you to set up to six independent mixes, typically for ru...

  • Page 19

    Owner's manual 19 31. High eq the high eq provides up to 15 db of boost or cut above 12 khz, and it is also flat (no boost or cut) at the detent. Use it to add sizzle to cymbals, an overall sense of transparency, or an edge to keyboards, vocals, guitar and bacon frying. Turn it down a little to redu...

  • Page 20

    20 vlz3 4•bus the ol (overload) led will come on when the channel’s input signal is too high. This should be avoided, as distortion will occur. If the ol led comes on regularly, check that the gain control [23] is set correctly for your input device, and that the channel eq is not set with too much ...

  • Page 21: Meters

    Owner's manual 21 so, the original unprocessed “dry” signals go from the channels to the main mix, and the processed “wet” signals go from the stereo returns to the main mix, and once mixed together, the dry and wet signals combine to create a glorious sound! Pre-fader aux sends are typically used t...

  • Page 22: 2404

    22 vlz3 4•bus 51. Usb out these two switches allow for monstrous flexibility on the four recordable signals. The default switch configuration (disengaged) routes subgroups 1-4 over the usb connection to your favorite daw software for a "mix it later" 4-track recording. Engaging the switch on the lef...

  • Page 23

    Owner's manual 23 58. Left/right level meters these peak meters are made up of two columns of twelve leds, with three colors to indicate different ranges of signal level, traffic light style. They range from –30 at the bottom, to 0 in the middle, to +20 (clip) at the top. When a channel is soloed in...

  • Page 24: Stereo Effects Processors,

    24 vlz3 4•bus stereo effects processors, headphones, talkback, main and groups mix* there are two identical mackie running-man 32-bit internal effects processors. They are mono-in, stereo-out effects processors, with 24 presets each. Signals to these effects processors come from adjusting the fx1 an...

  • Page 25

    Owner's manual 25 solo left tap delay int fx mute push to talk talkback groups main right aux 1-4 stereo right solo left to aux 1 to aux 2 solo phones monitor tap delay int fx mute to aux 1 to aux 2 right solo stereo left right solo left send master send master to main to main fx 2 fx 1 1 2 3 4 main...

  • Page 26

    26 vlz3 4•bus 68. Monitor level this knob is used to adjust the volume at the monitor output [15, 16], from off to maximum gain (max). 69. Phones level this knob is used to adjust the volume at the phones output [17], from off to maximum gain (max). If solo is not active, the monitor, phones and met...

  • Page 27

    Owner's manual 27 afl is a stereo solo bus, so in afl mode, soloing group 1 by itself places the signal on the left, group 2 shows up on the right, and soloing both yields a stereo image, with group 1 on the left and group 2 on the right, and each reduced by 3 db, not unlike using one of the channel...

  • Page 28: Appendix A: Service

    28 vlz3 4•bus appendix a: service information if you think your mixer has a problem, please check out the following troubleshooting tips and do your best to confirm the problem. Visit the support section of our website (www.Mackie.Com) where you will find lots of useful information such as faqs, doc...

  • Page 29: “Xlr” Connectors

    Owner's manual 29 “xlr” connectors mackie mixers use 3-pin female “xlr” connectors on all microphone inputs, with pin 1 wired to the grounded (earthed) shield, pin 2 wired to the “high” (”hot” or positive polarity) side of the audio signal and pin 3 wired to the “low” (“cold” or negative polarity) s...

  • Page 30

    30 vlz3 4•bus trs send/receive insert jacks mackie’s single-jack inserts are the three- conductor, trs 1⁄4" phone type. They are unbalanced, but have both the mixer output (send) and the mixer input (return) signals in one connector. See figure f. The sleeve is the common ground (earth) for both sig...

  • Page 31: Specifications

    Owner's manual 31 specifications noise characteristics: (mic in to insert send out, max gain.) 150 ohm termination: –129.0 dbu (20 hz–20 khz bandwidth, 1/4" main out, channel gains @ unity gain, channel eqs flat, all channels assigned to main mix, odd channels panned left, even channels panned right...

  • Page 32: Dimensions

    32 vlz3 4•bus dimensions 50% 25% 75% 0% 100% suck gain 1 gain 2 gain 3 gain 4 gain 5 gain 6 gain 7 gain 8 gain 9 gain gain gain gain gain gain 10 11 12 13 14 15 gain gain gain gain gain gain 20 21/22 23/24 17 18 19 gain 16 low cut 100 hz 18db/oct low cut 100 hz 18db/oct low cut 100 hz 18db/oct low c...

  • Page 33: Block Diagram

    Owner's manual 33 block diagram l r pfl solo m ain pfl solo afl solo l m on ito r l ev el insert le ve l p an l r s ub 1 o ut (sub 2-4 identical ) p ho ne s m on ito r o u t l r l su m r s um s ub 1 s um 1 2 sub aux 1 (pre) aux 1 a ss ig n t alk ba ck a ss ig n h u d so n r iv e r c e n tra l p a rk...

  • Page 34: Track Sheet - Mono Channels

    34 vlz3 4•bus track sheet - mono channels gain x gain x gain x gain x gain x gain x gain x gain x gain x gain gain gain gain gain gain x x x x x x gain gain gain gain gain gain xx xx/xx xx/xx xx xx xx gain x low cut 100 hz 18db/oct low cut 100 hz 18db/oct low cut 100 hz 18db/oct low cut 100 hz 18db/...

  • Page 35

    Owner's manual 35 track sheet - comp & stereo channels and master section gain x gain x gain x gain x gain x gain x gain x gain x gain x gain gain gain gain gain gain x x x x x x gain gain gain gain gain gain xx xx/xx xx/xx xx xx xx gain x low cut 100 hz 18db/oct low cut 100 hz 18db/oct low cut 100 ...

  • Page 36

    36 vlz3 4•bus appendix d: usb and you... Sb the built-in usb interface allows for some power- ful and flexible routing. It is a 4x2 interface allowing you to record up to four streams from the mixer, or to input stereo playback from a computer and route it to nearly any output or pair of outputs on ...

  • Page 37

    Owner's manual 37 appendix e: table of effects presets no. Title description example of its use 01 plate reverb this preset emulates vintage mechanical reverberation that was generated with a metal plate. Its sound is char- acterized by lots of early reflections and no pre-delay. Perfect for thicken...

  • Page 38: Normal Business Hours, Pst).

    38 vlz3 4•bus vlz3 4•bus limited warranty please keep your sales receipt in a safe place. This limited product warranty (“product warranty”) is provided by loud technologies inc. (“loud”) and is applicable to products purchased in the united states or canada through a loud-authorized reseller or dea...

  • Page 39

    16220 wood-red road ne • woodinville, wa 98072 • usa united states and canada: 800.898.3211 europe, asia, central and south america: 425.487.4333 middle east and africa: 31.20.654.4000 fax: 425.487.4337 • www.Mackie.Com e-mail: sales@mackie.Com.