American Audio Q-221 User Manual

American Audio®

™

Q-221

Professional Preamp Mixer

American Audio

4295 Charter Street

Los Angeles Ca. 90058

www.americandj.com

Q-221™ Unpacking

Every Q-221™ has been thoroughly tested and has been shipped in perfect operating condition. Care­fully check the shipping carton for damage that may have occurred during shipping. If the carton
appears to be damaged, carefully inspect your mixer for any damage and be sure all equipment neces­sary to operate the mixer has arrived intact. In case damage has been found or parts are missing,
please contact our toll free customer support number for further instructions, please do not return the
mixer to your dealer.

Q-221™ Introduction

Introduction:

Congratulations and thank you for purchasing the American Audio® Q-221™ professional audio pre­amp/mixer. This mixer is a representation of American Audio’s continuing commitment to produce the
best and highest quality audio products possible at an affordable price. The Q-221™ comes with a two
year limited warranty! Please read and understand this manual completely before attempting to operate
your new mixer. This booklet contains important information concerning the proper and safe operation
of your new mixer.

Customer Support:
American Audio

® provides a toll free customer support line, to provide set up help and to answer any

question should you encounter problems during your initial set up or operation. You may also visit us on
the web at www.americandj.com for any comments or suggestions. Service Hours are Monday through
Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Pacifi c Standard Time.
Voice: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

Caution! There are no user serviceable parts inside this mixer. Do not attempt any repairs yourself,
doing so will void your manufactures warranty. In the unlikely event your mixer may require service,
please contact American Audio

® customer support.

Do not discard the packing carton in the trash. Please recycle when ever possible.

Q-221™ Set-Up Precautions

Please make any connections before you plug the mixer in. Be sure the Power switch is in the OFF
position before connecting other devices to the mixer. All fader and volume controls should be set to
0 or minimum position, before the device is switched on. If the device has been exposed to drastic
temperature fl uctuation (e.g. after transportation), do not switch on the mixer immediately. The arising
condensation of water might damage your device. Leave the device switched off until it has reached
room temperature.

Operating Determinations:

• When installing this mixer, please make sure that the device is not exposed to extreme heat, mois­ ture or dust!

• There should not be any cables lying around. Doing so endangers you as well as others.

• Do not operate the mixer in extremely hot (more than 30° / 100°F) or extremely cold (less than 5°C
/ 40°F) surroundings.

• Keep the unit out of direct sunlight and away from heaters.

• Operate the mixer only after becoming familiar with its functions. Do not permit operation by persons

not qualifi ed for operating the mixer. Most damages are the result of unprofessional operation!

©American Audio® - www.americandj.com - Q-221™ Instruction Manual Page 2

Q-221™ Safety Precautions

• Do not spill water or other liquids into or on to your mixer.

• For adult use only - Keep out of the reach of children.

• Always use a power supply that meets the manufactures exact power specifi cations

• Be sure that the local power outlet match that of the required voltage for your power supply.

• Disconnect from main power before making any type of connection.

• Do not remove the mixer covers under any conditions. There are no user serviceable parts inside.

• Never plug this mixer in to a dimmer pack

• Always be sure to mount this mixer in an area that will allow proper ventilation.

• Do not attempt to operate this mixer, if it becomes damaged in any way.

• Never operate this mixer when it’s covers are removed

• To reduce the risk of electrical shock or fi re, do not expose this mixer rain or moisture

• This mixer is intended for indoor use only, use of this product outdoors voids all warranties.

• During long periods of non-use, disconnect the mixer’s main power.

• Always mount this mixer in safe and stable matter.

• Power Cord Protection - Power supply cords should be routed so that they are not likely to be

walked on or pinched by items placed upon or against them, paying particular attention to cords
at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the mixer.

• Cleaning -The mixer should be cleaned only as recommended by the manufacturer.

• Heat -The mixer should be situated away from heat sources such as radiators, heat registers,

stoves, or other mixers (including amplifiers) that produce heat.

• Be sure to save the packing carton in case you may ever have to return the mixer for service.

• Read all documentation before attempting to operate your new mixer. Please save all your docu-

mentation for future reference.

• Do not spill water or other liquids in to or on to your mixer.

• Be sure that the local power outlet matches that of the required voltage for your mixer.

• Do not attempt to operate this mixer if the power cord has been frayed or broken. Please route your
power cord out of the way of foot traffi c .

• Always have the front gain controls set to their lowest level during initial power-up to prevent speaker

damage.

• The mixer should be serviced by qualified service personnel when:
A. Objects have fallen, or liquid has been spilled into the mixer.
B. The mixer has been exposed to rain or water.
C. The mixer does not appear to operate normally or exhibits a marked change in
performance.

Q-221™ Main Features

• Equipped with high quality Crossfader • Low Residue Resistance Crossfader
(Replaceable) • 2 Band EQ per channel

• High output to headphones • 2 Phono, & 2 Line Level Inputs

• Cue Mixing • Split Cue Monitoring

• Extremely clean signal to noise ratio • Selectable Voltage 115v~230v

• Two turntable Ground Prongs • Light Control Signal Output Jack

• Soft-touch rubber knobs for better control • Q-Start Control

©American Audio® - www.americandj.com - Q-221™ Instruction Manual Page 3

Q-221™ QUICK START INSTRUCTIONS

American DJ would like to thank for your purchase of this great
product. For those of you that are to impatient to read the entire
user manual we have compiled these quick start instructions. We
hope that you will at least read through these instructions to famil­iarize yourself with the basic understanding of the unit. The Q-221
is part of American DJ’s continuing evolution in audio technology.
This unit has been built and designed with the typical DJ in mind,
by DJ’s. We have attempted to provide you with the most reliable
product on the market by using only components made from qual­ity products.

MASTER LEVEL - Use this level control to set your volume

output. Try never to send an output of more than +4dB to your
system. Signal at levels higher than this will start to distort and may
cause damage to your system and speakers. Remember that a
distorted signal from you mixer will only be multiplied throughout
your system.

CHANNEL TRIM LEVEL - The channel trim levels are not to be used as volume controls, never

use the channel trim to set the output volume. These controls are used to aid in distortion control. Use
these control to preset your signal level before the crossfader. With your channel faders in the maximum
position, use the channel trim level to set an average output level of about +4dB on you master level
meter.

HEADPHONES - To avoid sever hearing damage , always be sure the headphone level is set to

minimum before plugging them in. Never put the headphone on without making sure the headphone
level is turned down.

DJ MIC - The main mic connector uses a 1/4” jack unbalanced connector.The DJ mic has an indepen-

dent volume control. When feedback occurs when using the mic, try lowering the “low” level this may
reduce the feedback. Always leave the mic level to it’s minimum level when not in use.

PHONO/AUX SWITCH (24) - This switch is used to change the selected input from phono level to

line level and vice versa. Channels 1 and 2 may be switched PHONO/AUX or LINE. The selectors for
AUX1/PHONO1 and AUX2/PHONO2 are on the rear panel (24).

Q-START FEATURE - This function works in conjunction with a compatible American DJ “Q”Start

CD player. When used with a compatible CD player, you can use the crossfader to start and stop the
CD Player with the slide of the fader. The ON/OFF “Q ”START switch activates this FADER “Q ”START
feature.

©American Audio® - www.americandj.com - Q-221™ Instruction Manual Page 4

Q-221™ Controls and Features

Top Panel

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

9

10

11

12

13

14

8

1. LEVEL INDICATORS - The dual LED’s indicators are used to indicate the master output volume level.
To avoid signal distortion maintain an average signal output of +4dB.

2. DJ MIC LEVEL - This rotary knob is used to control the microphone volume output level. Turning the
knob in a clockwise direction will increase volume output.

3. CHANNEL TREBLE EQUALIZER/ “ROTARY KILLS” - Both of the channels include a signal output
EQ. The Q-221 features “Rotary Kills” with a -30dB to +20dB gain control. Turning this knob counter­clockwise will decrease a the amount of treble applied to the source signal, turning a knob clockwise
will increase the amount of treble applied to the source signal.

4. CHANNEL BASS EQUALIZER/“ROTARY KILLS” - This control is used to increase (+20dB) or
decrease (-30dB) the amount of low frequency applied to the source signal. Turn the knob counter­clockwise to decrease a value or clockwise to increase a value.

5. CHANNEL TRANSFORMER SWITCH - These switches are used to select the input source assigned
to each channel. Each channel may only be assigned one input source at a time.

©American Audio® - www.americandj.com - Q-221™ Instruction Manual Page 5