Australian Monitor MX883 User Manual

MX883

8 CHANNEL STEREO MIC/LINE MIXER

INSTALLATION AND OPERATION MANUAL

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

1. Save the carton and packing material even if the equipment has
arrived in good condition. Should you ever need to ship the unit, use
only the original factory packing.

2. Read all documentation before operating your equipment. Retain
all documentation for future reference.

3. Follow all instructions printed on unit chassis for proper operation.

4. Do not spill water or other liquids into or on the unit, or operate
the unit while standing in liquid.

5. Make sure power outlets conform to the power requirements listed
on the back of the unit.

6. Do not use the unit if the electrical power cord is frayed or broken.
The 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 and plugs, convenience
receptacles, and the point where they exit from the appliance.

7. Always operate the unit with the AC ground wire connected to the
electrical system ground. Precautions should be taken so that the
means of grounding of a piece of equipment is not defeated.

8. Mains voltage must be correct and the same as that printed on the
rear of the unit. Damage caused by connection to improper AC voltage
is not covered by any warranty.

13. Do not block fan intake or exhaust ports. Do not operate equipment
on a surface or in an environment which may impede the normal fl ow
of air around the unit, such as a bed, rug, weathersheet, carpet,
or completely enclosed rack. If the unit is used in an extremely dusty
or smoky environment, the unit should be periodically “blown free”
of foreign matter.

14. Do not remove the cover. Removing the cover will expose you
to potentially dangerous voltages. There are no user serviceable
parts inside.

15. Do not drive the inputs with a signal level greater than that required
to drive equipment to full output.

16. Do not connect the inputs / outputs of amplifi ers or consoles to any
other voltage source, such as a battery, mains source, or power supply,
regardless of whether the amplifi er or console is turned on or off.

17. Do not run the output of any amplifi er channel back into another
channel’s input. Do not parallel- or series-connect an amplifi er output
with any other amplifi er output. Australian Monitor Inc is not
responsible for damage to loudspeakers for any reason.

18. Do not ground any red (“hot”) terminal. Never connect a “hot” (red)
output to ground or to another “hot” (red) output!

19. Non-use periods. The power cord of equipment should be unplugged
from the outlet when left unused for a long period of time.

9. Have gain controls on amplifi ers turned down during power-up
to prevent speaker damage if there are high signal levels at the inputs.

10 Power down & disconnect units from mains voltage before making
connections.

11. Never hold a power switch in the “ON” position if it won’t stay
there itself!

12. Do not use the unit near stoves, heat registers, radiators, or other heat
producing devices.

THIS SAFETY INFORMATION IS OF A GENERAL NATURE AND MAY BE SUPERSEDED BY INSTRUCTIONS CONTAINED WITHIN THIS MANUAL

20. Service Information Equipment should be serviced by qualifi ed service
personnel when:

A. The power supply cord or the plug has been damaged.

B. Objects have fallen, or liquid has been spilled into the equipment

C. The equipment has been exposed to rain

D. The equipment does not appear to operate normally, or exhibits a marked
change in performance

E. The equipment has been dropped, or the enclosure damaged.

INTRODUCTION AND CONTENTS

The MX883 is a stereo 8 channel audio mixer that operates from
110/230-240 VAC @ 50/60 Hz. The MX883 offers high quality audio
performance & a wide array of features in a standard 2 RU size.
For table mounting, rubber feet are supplied but these can be removed
if rack mounting is intended. There are eight dual purpose inputs
consisting of balanced XLR inputs switchable between mic & line level
and stereo RCA line level inputs. Each channel also features a line
level direct output which can be used to feed additional amplifi ers,
mixers or recording devices. An internal jumper allows each input to be
routed to the direct output either pre or post fader. Each input has front
panel trim control, status LED and bass & treble controls. Each input
channel can be routed to the left, right or aux output. The left and right
outputs have a constant Q 5 band graphic EQ stage. Priority muting is
available as an optional addition as is remote VCA master control and
tone generation.

The MX883 also features 4 segment LED output metering & the ability
to internally switch input 1 to be either pre or post master. With both
Headphone out & Record out also available the MX883 is extremely
versatile. The MX883 has taken the AMIS heritage of contractor
friendly installation product & has added the audio fi delity needed in
today’s AV contracting market.

INTRODUCTION 3

FRONT PANEL 4

REAR PANEL 5

INTERNAL ADJUSTMENTS 6

INSTALLATION & TROUBLESHOOTING 7

BASIC SETUP AND OPERATION 8

DIMENSIONS 9

BLOCK DIAGRAM 10

SPECIFICATIONS 11

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK,

DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK),

NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE,

REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONAL.

WARNING!

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC HOCK
DO NOT EXPOSE THIS EQUIPMENT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

Caution:

AUS, EUR, USA

Copyright 9th Feb 2006

Rev A 13/02/07

Rev B 19/03/08

This symbol is intended to alert the user to the presence
of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the products
enclosure that may be of suffi cient magnitude to constitute
a risk of electric shock to persons.

This symbol is intended to alert the user to the presence
of important operational and maintenance (servicing)
instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance.

To prevent electric shock do not use this (polarised) plug
with an extension cord, receptacle or other outlet unless
the blades can be fully inserted to prevent blade exposure.
To prevent electric shock, match wide blade of plug to wide
slot, fully insert.

PAGE 3MX883 INSTALLATION & OPERATION MANUAL

FRONT PANEL

4

5

1

GAIN TRIM

1

This control is used to adjust the input gain and affects both the XLR and

the RCA inputs. The input gain can be adjusted by +/- 15dB. This allows

a wide rage of program sources to be set up with optimum gain structure.

With the gain trim in the centre position, the boost/cut is set to 0dB. See

the block diagram on page 10 for details of the gain structure.

LEVEL

2

2

3

8

1

LEFT, RIGHT AND AUX MASTER

6

These pots control the overall mixed output level for the left, right and aux

channels respectively.

LEFT, RIGHT AND AUX VU DISPLAY

7

These VU displays indicate output level for the left, right and aux

channels respectively.

7 10

6

119

Controls the level of the input signal.

INPUT STATUS LEDS

3

Each input has an LED status indicator. The LED is green when there is

signal present and red if the signal is approaching clip. If the LED begins

to light red this would indicate the internal signal level is 6dB before clip.

Note that the front panel level control is post status LED and as such, the

status LED is NOT affected by the level control. If an input channel is clip-

ping use the gain control to adjust the correct amount of input level.

CHANNEL TONE CONTROLS

4

Each input has a 2 band EQ.

Bass – +/-12dB 100Hz shelving

Treble – +/-9dB 10kHz shelving

BUS SELECT SWITCHES

5

These switches connect each input to the left, right or aux outputs. The

LED above the switch indicates when the channel is being routed to the

respective output.

For stereo inputs the left signal only is routed to the left bus, the right

signal only is routed to the right bus, and a mono summed signal is sent to

the aux bus.

8

LEFT AND RIGHT GRAPHIC EQ

These 5 band EQ sections are constant Q fi lters with centers at 100Hz,

300Hz, 1kHz, 3kHz and 10kHz. Each fi lter has a range of 12dB cut and boost.

HEADPHONE

9

This 1/4” jack socket allows headphones to be used for monitoring. It can

be set as pre or post master volume control. It can also be set to listen to

the aux output, pre or post aux fader. See “Internal Settings” on page 6.

Default factory setting is pre master volume control.

10

POWER SWITCH

This switch switches power from the mains. The up position is on.

11

POWER ON LED

This indicates there is power to the unit.

PAGE 4 MX883 INSTALLATION & OPERATION MANUAL

REAR PANEL

7 89 10

5

6

CHANNEL INPUTS

1

Each channel has two inputs:
XLR input - This is a balanced input. It accepts mic or line level signals
depending on the adjacent gain switch position. The XLR will also have
+15V phantom power if selected on the adjacent switch.
RCA input - This is an unbalanced line level input. The two RCA sockets are
stereo, left and right.

2

P/P – PHANTOM POWER

15V phantom power is available for condenser or electret microphones on
the XLR input when this switch is in the “ON” position.

MIC / LINE

3

These two switches control the sensitivity of the XLR input. In the “MIC”
position the XLR input is suitable for use with microphones; in the “LINE”
position the XLR input is suitable for use with a balanced line level signal.

NOTE: Both MIC/LINE switches must be in the same

position for correct operation of the balanced input.

NOTE: The MIC/LINE switches only affect the XLR input.

234

LEFT, RIGHT AND AUX OUTPUT

6

The OUTPUT XLR’s provides balanced line level signal of the left, right and
aux channels respectively.

NOTE: When wiring the LINE output as unbalanced, Pin2
should be wired as hot and Pin1 should be wired as ground/shield.
Do not wire Pin3.

7

LINK BUS

This connector is used for linking two MX883’s together. A short cable
(<300mm) connecting pin for pin should be used. When linked all
16 channels will sum together and both master and slave outputs will work
independantly.
The buses sum pre master level controls, alowing the outputs on either the
master or slave unit to be used.

8

MASTER/SLAVE SWITCH

When linking two MX883’s only one mixer should be set to master. The
other should be set to slave. When an MX883 is used on its own, this
switch should be set to master.

1

DIRECT OUT

4

A unique feature of the MX883 is the individual direct output available for
all 8 channels. The direct outputs are a mono sum of the stereo inputs and
XLR input and are accessed via balanced TRS 1/4” sockets for each
channel. The level of each output is 0dBu (nominal). The direct outputs
are adjustable to be pre or post the channel level control, see the Internal
Adjustments.

5

REC OUT & AUX REC OUT

The REC OUT output is on unbalanced RCA connectors. The output is not
affected by the MASTER volume control.

IEC MAINS INPUT SOCKET

9

This is a standard IEC 3 pin socket. It accepts a standard IEC mains cable,
provided. The fuse draw contains the mains fuse and a spare. The mains
fuse is a time lag (slow blow) HRC 20mm x 5mm ceramic type fuse.
The ratings are:
230V/240V model 100mA
115V model 200mA

IMPORTANT: Always replace the fuse with one of the same value

and type.

NOTE: Always disconnect power to the amplifi er before
replacing fuses.

10

OPTIONAL MODULE INPUTS

This socket is used with a tone module and/or VCA module.

PAGE 5MX883 INSTALLATION & OPERATION MANUAL

INTERNAL ADJUSTMENTS

2 5

1

55

4

CHANNEL DIRECT OUT PRE/POST FADER

1

The pre or post assignment of the direct output is set via this jumper. This

is used to make the Direct Outputs either pre or post channel fader volume.

Set to the Channel 1 side the Direct Output is post fader (i.e. the channel

fader volume affects the Direct Output). Set to the Channel 8 side the Direct

Output is pre fader. The default factory setting is pre fader.

2

CHANNEL 1 AND 2 HPF

Channels 1 and 2 have a 120Hz 24dB/octave high pass fi lter to remove

handling noise and fl oor rumble. The fi lter is active by default. The jumpers

are located at the back of the unit on the upper board near channels 1 and

2. Move the jumper toward channel 8 to bypass the fi lter.

3

CHANNEL 1 ROUTING

If channel 1 is being used as a priority input it can be routed so that the

master volume does not affect channel 1. The default factory setting is pre

master fader meaning the master volume affects channel 1 in the mix. The

switch is located near the master pots. Move the switch toward channel 1

to set channel 1 to post master fader.

3

HEADPHONE ROUTING

4

The headphone level can be routed so that it is affected by the master

volume. The default factory setting is pre master fader meaning the master

volume does not affect the headphone volume. The switch is located just

behind the front panel near the master pot. Move the switch toward the

front to set the headphone to post master fader. The headphone can also

listen to the aux output. The headphone source switch is below the pre/

post switch. Move the switch toward the front to set it to aux. When set to

aux the headphone is always post fader.

OPTIONAL MODULES

5

The MX883 can have installed:

- 2 VCA modules for left and right outputs

- Tone Generator module

- 2 Priority Muting modules for left and right outputs

See your local Australian Monitor dealer for more information.

PAGE 6 MX883 INSTALLATION & OPERATION MANUAL

INSTALLATION AND TROUBLESHOOTING

INPUT CONNECTIONS

For wiring balanced in, pin 2 is hot. Unbalanced wiring on the microphone

inputs is not recommended. Balanced input wiring (shielded pair cable) is

recommended.

Unbalanced RCA wiring should be keep as short as possible. Typically less

than 3m.

LINE OUTPUT

The LINE output XLR can be used to connect up to 6 booster amplifi ers.

Balanced wiring (shielded pair cable) is recommended.

NOTE: When wiring the LINE output as unbalanced, Pin2 should

be wired as hot and Pin1 should be wired as ground/shield.

Do not wire Pin3.

RECORD OUTPUT

The Record output wiring should be kept as short as possible. Typically less

than 3m.

DIRECT OUTPUT

The direct outputs are balance and should be wired tip hot. When wiring the

direct outputs as unbalanced or when using a mono jack the ring and sleeve

should be connected together and to the shield.

TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE

TROUBLE LIKELY CAUSE REMEDY

Power LED not on Power not reaching unit Check mains connection
Check mains fuse
Check power switch is on

Noisy output Incorrect gain structure See setup guide

Distorted sound Input is overloaded Check MIC/LINE switch
Reduce input level at source

Output is being over driven Reduce output volume

Bass control is turned up Reduce Bass control level

No sound but unit is on Volume turned down Check volume controls

Tones and/or VCA control does not work Module not installed Purchase optional modules

Condenser microphone does not work Phantom power not switched on Switch on phantom power

PAGE 7MX883 INSTALLATION & OPERATION MANUAL

BASIC SETUP AND OPERATION

The inputs of the MX883 can accommodate a wide range of sources

including dynamic microphones, DVD and CD players. The output may be

used to drive power (booster) amplifi ers, other mixers or mixer amplifi ers.

Each installation will require setting the appropriate relative mix of levels

between microphones and program. Also consider what the output is

driving.

Setting up correct gain structure through the whole system is important

to achieve optimal results. The following step by step procedure has been

devised to assist during the setup process. When the MX883 was shipped

to you from the factory, it was set up in a particular way. In the following

procedure it is essential that you are starting from these initial settings.

+ Program Input Gain Controls – half (12 o’clock)

+ XLR Mic/Line switch – MIC

+ XLR Phantom power - on

+ Input Level Controls – off

+ Output Level Control – off

CONNECT THE SOURCES

CONNECT THE OUTPUTS

Turn the amplifi ers off. Connect the MX883 output to the amplifi ers’ line

level input. Check that the MX883 is on, and then turn on the amplifi ers.

If the amplifi ers have a level control, set them it to a sensitivity of 0dBu.

If in doubt, set it to maximum.

SET THE LEVELS

Turn the input levels up to 5. Turn up the output level until it is at an

appropriate level for the listening environment. You will now have to adjust

the relative levels of the inputs to achieve a good balance. The aim of these

adjustments is to have all level controls at between 3 and 7. This may

not be possible however. A good rule of thumb is that input level controls

should be higher than the output level controls.

First connect all the required sources to the appropriate input connectors.

If the source is a microphone, set the MIC/LINE switches to the “MIC”

position. If the source is an electret or condenser microphone, set the

phantom switch to the “P/P on” position.

PAGE 8 MX883 INSTALLATION & OPERATION MANUAL

DIMENSIONS

PAGE 9MX883 INSTALLATION & OPERATION MANUAL

BLOCK DIAGRAM

PAGE 10 MX883 INSTALLATION & OPERATION MANUAL

SPECIFICATIONS

FREQUENCY RESPONSE 20Hz - 20kHz (+0,-3dB)

TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION < 0.1% @ 1kHz

SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO > 90dB (all pots at centre position)

CROSSTALK >70dB

TONE CONTROLS BASS @ 100HZ +/- 12dB

TREBLE @ 10KHZ +/- 9dB

SENSITIVITY (TRIM IN CENTRE 0dB) Mic Sens 4.36mV, -45dBu Imp 1k3ohm

Line Sens 0.775V, 0dBu Imp >100k
RCA 200mV, -12dBu Imp 30kohm

MAX LEVEL IN XLR mic -9dBu

XLR line >30dBu
RCA >30dBu

MAX LEVEL OUT +21dBu

PHANTOM POWER 15V DC

OUTPUTS MASTER OUT Nominal Level 0dBu into 1kohm

Imp 100ohm
MONO HEADPHONE OUT Nom -6dB into 200ohm
Imp 10ohm
MONO REC OUT Nom -12dB into 10kohm
Imp 10kohm
CHANNEL DIRECT OUT Nom 0dB into 1kohm
Imp 100 ohm

POWER INPUT AC: 230V/50Hz or 115V/60Hz, 3 pin IEC320-C14 connector

POWER CONSUMPTION (MAX) 30 VA

FUSES MAINS (115V) 200mA

MAINS (230V) 100mA

DIMENSIONS H X W X D 88mm x 482mm x 270mm (3.5“x19”x10.6”)

SHIPPING DIMENSIONS 170mm x 505mm x 350mm (6.7“x19.9”x13.8”)

WEIGHT Net 4.0kg (8.8lb)

Shipping 4.5kg (9.9lb)

PAGE 11MX883 INSTALLATION & OPERATION MANUAL

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