Mackie 402-VLZ3 User Manual 2

402-VLZ3

4-Channel Premium Mic/Line Mixer

O W N E R ’ S M A N U A L

Important Safety Instructions

PORTABLE CART WARNING

Carts and stands - The Component should be used only with a cart or stand that is recommended by the manufacturer. A Component and cart combination should be moved with care. Quick stops, excessive force, and uneven surfaces may cause the Component and cart combination to overturn.

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.

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 dry cloth.

402-VLZ3

7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in

accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

8. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators,

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

Do not overload wall outlets and extension cords as

this can result in a risk of ﬁre or electric shock.

10.

Protect the power cord from being walked on or

pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.

11.

Only use attachments/accessories speciﬁed by the

manufacturer.

12.

Use only with a cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table

speciﬁed by the manufacturer, or sold with the appa ratus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

13.

Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when

unused for long periods of time.

14.

Refer all servicing to qualiﬁed service personnel.

Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

15.

This apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or

splashing, and no object ﬁlled with liquids, such as vases or beer glasses, shall be placed on the apparatus.

16.

This apparatus has been equipped with a 2-pole,



rocker-style power switch. This switch is located on the rear panel and should remain readily accessible to the user.

17.

WARNING: Plug the power cord into a power outlet where access to the power cord connector is readily accessible in case power disconnection is required.

18.

ATTENTION: This device complies with Part 15 of the

FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: 1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and 2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

40-VLZ3

19. This apparatus does not exceed the Class A/Class B

(whichever is applicable) sions from digital apparatus as

limits for radio noise emis-

set out in the radio interference regulations of the Canadian Department Communications.

ATTENTION — Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant las limites applicables aux appareils numériques de class A/de class B (selon le cas) prescrites dans le réglement sur le brouillage radioélectrique édicté par les ministere des communications du Canada.

WARNING — To reduce the risk of ﬁre or

electric shock, do not expose this apparatus

to rain or moisture.

20.

Exposure to extremely high noise levels may cause

permanent hearing loss. Individuals vary considerably in susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss, but nearly everyone will lose some hearing if exposed to sufﬁciently intense noise for a period of time. The U.S. Government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has speciﬁed the permissible noise level exposures shown in the following chart.

According to OSHA, any exposure in excess of these

permissible limits could result in some hearing loss. To ensure against potentially dangerous exposure to high sound pressure levels, it is recommended that all persons exposed to equipment capable of producing high sound pressure levels use hearing protectors while the equipment is in operation. Ear plugs or protectors in the ear canals or over the ears must be worn when operating the equipment in order to prevent permanent hearing loss if exposure is in excess of the limits set forth here:

Duration

Sound Level

Per Day

dBA, Slow

in hours

Response

8 90 Duo in small club

6 92

4 95 Subway Train

3 97

2 100 Very loud classical

1.5 102

1 105 Dave screaming at

0.5

110

0.25 or

115 Loudest parts at a

less

Please write your serial number here for future reference (i.e., insurance claims, tech support, return authorization, make dad proud, etc.)

Purchased at:

Date of purchase:

Typical Example

music

Steve about deadlines

rock concert

Owner’s Manual

Contents

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS .........2

READ THIS PAGE! .....................................4

INTRODUCTION .......................................5

HOOKUP DIAGRAMS................................6

FEATURES ................................................12

1. POWER SWITCH ............................13

2. POWER CONNECTION ....................13

3. MIC INPUTS (CH.1–2) ....................13

4. LINE INPUTS (CH.1–2) ...................13

5. LOW CUT (CH.1–2) ........................13

6. INSTRUMENT SWITCH (CH.1–2) ....14

7. GAIN (CH.1–2) .............................14

8. HI EQ ............................................14

9. LOW EQ ........................................14

10. STEREO PAN SWITCH (CH.1–2).......15

11. LEVEL ............................................15

12. OL LED ..........................................15

13. MAIN OUTS ...................................15

14. STEREO LINE INPUTS (CH.3–4) .......15

15. TAPE ASSIGN TO MAIN ..................16

16. TAPE LEVEL ....................................16

17. TAPE INPUT ...................................16

18. TAPE OUTPUT ................................16

19. PHONES ........................................16

20. PHANTOM POWER SWITCH ............16

21. PHONES LEVEL ...............................17

22. MAIN MIX .....................................17

23. POWER LED ...................................17

24. METERS .........................................17

APPENDIX A: SERVICE INFORMATION .......18

APPENDIX B: CONNECTIONS.....................19

APPENDIX C: TECHNICAL INFORMATION ...20

402-VLZ3 LIMITED WARRANTY ................23

Owner’s Manual

Read This Page!

We realize that you must be anxious to try out your new 402-VLZ3. All we ask is that you read

rest can wait until you’re good and ready. But

402-VLZ3

do read it — you’ll be glad you did.

this page now, and the

Adjusting input levels

It’s not even necessary to hear what you’re doing to set optimal levels. But if you’d like to: Plug headphones into the phones jack, then set the phones knob just a little bit up.

The following steps must be performed for channel 1 and 2:

1. Turn the gain and level knobs fully down (counterclockwise).

2. Set the EQ knobs at the center.

3. Connect the signal source to the input of channel 1.

4. Play something into channel 1. This could be an instrument, a singing or speaking voice, or a line input such as from a CD player or tape recorder output. Be sure that the volume of the input is the same as it would be during normal use. If it isn’t, you might have to readjust these levels during the middle of the set.

5. Adjust the gain control so that the OL LED does not come on very often, if at all, even during the loudest parts of your program.

6. If you’d like to apply some EQ, do so now and repeat step 5.

7. Repeat for channel 2 if required.

Instant Mixing

Here’s how to get going right away, assum-

ing you have a microphone and a keyboard:

1. Plug your microphone into channel 1’s mic input.

2. Turn on the 402-VLZ3.

3. Adjust the input levels.

4. Connect cords from the main outputs to the inputs of your ampliﬁer.

5. Hook up speakers to the ampliﬁer and turn it on.

6. Turn up the channel 1 level knob to the center and the main mix knob one quarter of the way up.

7. Sing like a canary!

8. Turn down the channel 3-4 level knob.

9. Plug your keyboard into stereo channel 3-4.

10. Play the keyboards and sing a little, and adjust the channel 3-4 level knob to add the keyboard to the vocals.

11. Play like a madman and sing like a canary! It’s your ﬁrst mix!

Other Notes

For optimum sonic performance, the channel level knobs and the main mix knob should be set near the “U” (unity gain) markings.

Always turn the main mix control down before making connections to and from your mixer.

If you shut down your equipment, turn off your ampliﬁer or powered speakers ﬁrst. When powering up, turn them on last.

Save the shipping box! You may need it someday.

40-VLZ3

Introduction

Thank you for choosing a Mackie professional compact mixer. The 402-VLZ3 is equipped with our precision-engineered XDR2TM Extended Dynamic Range premium studio-grade mic preamp.

The small size of this mixer and the quality of its design make it an ideal choice for recording, sound reinforcement, multimedia use, or post-production work. Tuck it away in your home studio and use the included Tracktion software to record your wonderful talent.

The Mackie VLZ3 series of mixers consist of the 802, 1202, 1402, 1642, and 1604-VLZ3. We had a few of these high quality channels left over in engineering, so we decided to put them to good use in the 402-VLZ3. Some of the features include:

• 2 mono mic/line channels and 1 stereo line-level channel

• 2-band EQ on mono channels

• Instrument input switches on channels 1 and 2

• Stereo pan button allows mono channels to be used in either summed mono or discrete stereo operation

• Mix bus allows monitoring of any combination of main mix and tape input

• Low-cut ﬁlter and overload LED on mic channels

• Separate main mix and phones outputs with individual volume controls

• DJ Style “cueing” of the tape input using the “Assign to Main” button

• Tape input and output with analog RCA connectors

• Includes Tracktion software to allow complete recording with computers

• Solid and stylish mechanical design

• Optional mic stand adapter (see p.22)

How To Use This Manual

Since many of you folks will want to hook up your 402-VLZ3 immediately, the ﬁrst pages you will encounter after this introduc-

tion are the ever-popular hookup diagrams. These show typical mixer setups for various applications.

After this section is a detailed tour of the entire mixer, where you will ﬁnd illustrations with each feature numbered. If you’re curious about a feature, simply locate it on the appropriate illustration, notice the number attached to it, and ﬁnd that number in the nearby paragraphs.

This icon marks information that is critically important or unique to the 402-VLZ3.

This icon will lead you to in-depth

explanations of features and some practical tips.

Appendix A is a section on troubleshooting and service information.

Appendix B is a section on connectors.

Appendix C shows the technical speciﬁcations, and a block diagram.

Tracktion

Not only do you get a shiny new 402-VLZ3 mixer, you also get Tracktion 3 software added for good measure. This wonderful software is not required to run the 402-VLZ3 mixer, but once you start using it, you will just love it.

Tracktion is a powerful audio production and MIDI sequencing application, designed with simplicity and ease of use in mind. It can be easily loaded onto your PC or Mac, and conﬁgured for your system. It is capable of delivering professional results that only a few years ago would have required a signiﬁcant investment in expensive hardware. When you open Tracktion, you have at your disposal all of the tools necessary to turn your musical ideas into great sounding mixes.

You will need a computer with a highspeed internet connection to download the Tracktion Basic Bundle. The authorization code is supplied with your 402-VLZ3. See www.mackie.com for system requirements and more Tracktion details.

User's forums and entire audio civilizations have grown up around Tracktion, so we hope that you will enjoy it and your new 402-VLZ3 mixer.

Owner’s Manual



iPodTM Docking Station

Laptop

SRM150 powered personal monitor

Acoustic Guitar

Condenser

microphone

SRM350

Powered Speaker

Hookup Diagrams

402-VLZ3



This diagram shows a microphone connected to channel 1's mic input, with the phantom power switch pressed in. A guitar is attached to the instrument input of channel 2, with the instrument switch pressed in.

An iPodTM docking station is connected to the line-level inputs of channels 3 and 4, so you can play to a pre-recorded backing track, or play music during the breaks caused by drinking too many free lattés. You may need two 1/4" to RCA adapters to make these connections.

The tape outputs are connected to the line-level stereo inputs of a laptop's sound card. This allows you to record the entire performance with Tracktion software.

The mic and guitar are panned mono, so the same mix is coming out of the main left and right outputs, and each can be used for a monitor or a front-of-house loudspeaker as follows:

The left main mix output connects to an SRM150 powered personal monitor. This is pointed at the performer (the fabulous you).

The right main mix output feeds the input of an SRM350 powered loudspeaker playing to your appreciative, jittery, hepped-up-on-the-bean audience. Jump quickly from one song to another, and keep the poetry about the Washington State Rain Festival (Jan 1st–Dec 31st) to a minimum.

Seattle Coffeehouse Gig

40-VLZ3

Analog Synth

Headphones

Laptop running Tracktion

Amplifier

modeler

Condenser

microphone

Electric

Guitar

HR624mkII

Studio Monitors

Main Mix

Level

Meters

Tape out

Main out

Tape input Tape Level

Assign to Main

Phones

Level

Phones

output

This diagram shows a condenser microphone connected to channel 1's mic input, with the phantom power switch pressed in.

The line-level output from a popular guitar ampliﬁer modeler feeds the line input of channel 2.

A stereo synth connects to the line inputs of channels 3 and 4.

A laptop computer running Tracktion is connected to the tape input and output.

A pair of headphones allows you to hear the main mix as you play.

A pair of studio reference monitors is connected to the main mix outputs.

For a recording session example, you can record the vocals, guitar and keyboards using Tracktion. These can be recorded as individual tracks, and you can listen directly through the headphones. Tracktion can be set so there is no playback of the track as you record. If you are recording through the mic, listen through the headphones only, and turn off power to your loudspeakers. (The main mix level still needs to be up, so you can record the tape out.)

For overdubbing, you will be playing live, and recording a new track onto the computer through the tape outputs. You can listen to the pre-recorded tracks and your live playing at the same time in the headphones. Adjust the tape level to ﬁnd a nice mix of the playback compared to your playing. If the "assign to main" is out, then the pre-recorded tracks will not appear in the tape out or main mix, so only your new playing is recorded.

To playback the recording, adjust the tape level control to hear it in the headphones. Press "assign to main" in, and slowly bring up the main mix level to hear the results of all your efforts in the studio monitors.

Owner’s Manual

Recording with a Computer

Owner’s Manual



402-VLZ3

Headphones

Stereo microphone

Location

recorder

This diagram shows the outputs of a stereo microphone connected to the mic inputs of channels 1 and 2. The stereo pan switch is pressed in, so channel 1 goes only to the left of the main mix, and channel 2 goes to the right.

The tape output is connected to a location recording device, with a set of headphones attached. It is best to keep the headphones on the last device in your recording chain (the recording device). Many ﬂash-based digital devices are available.

Set the main mix output level control to unity (U) and use the recorder's own level control to adjust the levels going to the recorder. Each channel from your microphone can be adjusted with the channel level controls. Keep them at the same level to retain the true balance from your microphone.

Location Sound



40-VLZ3

+ 16 hidden pages