Mackie Chromium Users Manual

GAIN

CHROMIUM

Premium USB Condenser Mic w/built-in 2-channel Mixer

OWNER’S MANUAL

PATTERN

PHONES

BLEND

USB MIC

L R

INST

AUX

OL 6 12 18

INST

AUX

www.mackie.com

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

. Read, follow, and keep these instructions. Heed all warnings.

2. Do not expose the microphone to extreme cold or heat.

3. Do not expose the microphone to rain, use it in water, or in damp or wet conditions.

4. Do not expose the microphone to any excessive dust and other foreign particles.

5. Keep the microphone clean by washing outside with a dry cloth.

6. Keep the microphone in the case when not in use.

7. Never attempt to disassemble the microphone.

8. Mackie cannot be held responsible for any damage caused by improper use or modifications of the microphone.

9. 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 chart. According to OSHA, any exposure in excess of these permissible limits could result in some hearing loss:

0. This device complies with part 5 of the FCC rules for the U.S.

and the ICES-003 for Canada. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: () this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Correct disposal of this product: This symbol indicates that this product should not be disposed of with your household waste, according to the WEEE directive (202/9/EU) and your national law. This product should be handed over to an authorized collection site for recycling waste electrical and electronic equipment

(EEE). Improper handling of this type of waste could have a possible negative impact on the environment and human health due to potentially hazardous substances that are generally associated with EEE. At the same time, your cooperation in the correct disposal of this product will contribute to the effective usage of natural resources. For more information about where you can drop off your waste equipment for recycling, please contact your local city office, waste authority, or your household waste disposal service.

Duration, per day in

hours

8 90 dB 6 92 dB 4 95 dB 3 97 dB 2 00 dB

.5 02 dB

 05 dB

0.5 0 dB

0.25 or less 5 dB

Sound

Level

LIMITED WARRANTY

Please keep your sales receipt in a safe place.

This Limited Product Warranty (“Product Warranty”) is provided by LOUD Audio, LLC. (“LOUD”) and is applicable to products purchased in the United States or Canada through a LOUD-authorized reseller or dealer. The Product Warranty will not extend to anyone other than the original purchaser of the product (hereinafer, “Customer,” “you” or “your”).

For products purchased outside the U.S. or Canada, please visit www.mackie.com to find contact information for your local distributor, and information on any warranty coverage provided by the distributor in your local market.

LOUD warrants to Customer that the product will be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use during the Warranty Period. If the product fails to conform to the warranty then LOUD or its authorized service representative will at its option, either repair or replace any such nonconforming product, provided that Customer gives notice of the noncompliance within the Warranty Period to the Company at: www.mackie.com or by calling LOUD technical support at .800.898.32 (toll-free in the U.S. and Canada) during normal business hours Pacific Time, excluding weekends or LOUD holidays. Please retain the original dated sales receipt as evidence of the date of purchase. You will need it to obtain any warranty service.

For full terms and conditions, as well as the specific duration of the Warranty for this product, please visit www.mackie.com.

The Product Warranty, together with your invoice or receipt, and the terms and conditions located at www.mackie.com constitutes the entire agreement, and supersedes any and all prior agreements between LOUD and Customer related to the subject matter hereof. No amendment, modification or waiver of any of the provisions of this Product Warranty will be valid unless set forth in a written instrument signed by the party to be bound thereby.

FEATURES

PROFESSIONAL QUALITY

• Engineered for recording music, podcasts,

live streams, and online content creation

• Legendary Onyx mic preamp circuitry provides

crystal clear sound and ultra-low noise

• Professional metering shows your levels

at a glance

4 SELECTABLE POLAR PATTERNS

• Stereo

• Cardioid

• Bi-directional (Figure 8)

• Omni

USB-C CONNECTIVITY

• Onboard USB interface plugs directly

into your computer for fast, easy recording

• Class compliant, no driver required

INSTRUMENT INPUT

• Connect a guitar directly and record along

with your vocals

• Mix with your mic and Aux In signal

STEREO 1/8" INPUT

• Connect your phone directly with a stereo

/8" cable

• Perfect for singing along with or auditioning

backing tracks

ONBOARD HEADPHONE MONITORING

• Headphone output with independent volume control offers a convenient monitoring solution

• Blend between the direct signal and USB

ONBOARD GAIN CONTROL AND MUTE

• Optimize the microphone’s output for your computer and/or DAW

• Mute button allows you to switch off the mic while still hearing your computer’s output

RUGGED CONSTRUCTION

• Built-like-a-tank™ reliability ensures consistent performance for years to come

INCLUDED SOFTWARE

• Pro Tools® | First and Waveform™ OEM professional sofware and plugin packages included

• The Musician Collection for ProTools | First includes 23 plugins like BBD Delay, Eleven Lite, 304E EQ, and 304C Compressor

• The DAW Essentials™ Bundle for Waveform OEM includes 6 powerful plugins like Equaliser, Compressor, Reverber8, and Limiter

BIT DEPTH / SAMPLE RATE: 16-BIT / 48 KHZ

INCLUDED ACCESSORIES

• Mixer stand (Built-in)

• USB-C cable

INTRODUCTION

The EleMent Series Chromium Premium USB Condenser Microphone delivers professional quality and incredible versatility in an all-in-one design for modern musicians, content creators, singer-songwriters, and beyond.

Built right into the stand, the 2-channel mixer includes Instrument and stereo /8" inputs and has controls for gain, mute, and headphone monitoring plus professional metering and Blend control.

Featuring 4 selectable polar patterns, Chromium can be optimized for vocals, rooms, stereo, two person interviews, and more.

Legendary Onyx mic preamp circuitry provides crystal clear sound and ultra-low noise.

Get recording fast with included Pro Tools® | First and Waveform™ professional sofware.

Get out there and be heard with the Chromium Premium USB Condenser Microphone.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

PC WINDOWS XP PRO, XP HOME, VISTA, 7, 8, 10 USB 1.1 / 2.0 (64 MB RAM MINIMUM)

MAC MAC OSX (10.1.11 OR HIGHER) USB 1.1 / 2.0 (64 MB RAM MINIMUM)

GAIN

PATTERN

INST

AUX

L R

BLEND

USB MIC

12 18

INST

AUX

7 3

PHONES

8 5

1. USB-C Port Connect the USB-C

side of the included USB cable to the microphone and the USB-A side to the computer’s USB port.

8. Blend Knob This knob adjusts the mix

of the incoming computer (USB) level (lef) and the mic level (right) to the headphones at zero-latency!

Knob position (L, C, R):

2. Instrument / Line Input Connect a

balanced or unbalanced instrument or line-level signal using a /4" connector.

• Full Lef USB Input = Full Volume Mic = No Volume

• Center

3. Instrument Knob This knob adjusts

the input sensitivity of the instrument input, allowing the signal to be adjusted at an optimal level before it’s delivered

USB In and Mic = Equal Volume

• Full Right USB Input = No Volume Mic = Full Volume

to the headphones.

9. Main Meters Used to gauge the input

4. Aux Input Connect an /8" line-level

signal from a smartphone, MP3 player,

(lef) and output (right) levels to ensure that the signals are not clipping.

or other signal source.

10. Pattern Knob

5. Aux Knob This knob adjusts the input

sensitivity of the aux input, allowing the signal to be adjusted at an optimal level before it’s delivered to the headphones.

Polar patterns illustrate how sensitive a microphone is to sound received via different angles from the central axis. Rotate the knob to the desired polar pattern.

6. Phones Jack

This /8" connector supplies the output to stereo headphones.

Bi-directional (figure 8): Sound

is picked up from the front and rear of the microphone, but not the sides.

Omni-directional: Sound is picked up

equally from every direction, not needing to be aimed directly at the sound source.

Applications – Conference calls /

meetings, field recordings, symphonies.

Stereo: Sound is picked up from the lef

and right sides of the microphone.

Applications – Field recordings, filming,

instruments.

11. Gain Knob

The gain knob adjusts the input sensitivity of the microphone, allowing signals from the outside world to be adjusted at optimal levels.

12. Mute Switch

The mute switch does just what it sounds like it might do. It mutes the mic signal! The button illuminates if the mute switch is engaged.

NOTE: The mute switch mutes only

the mic input. Any signal coming IN from the computer will still be heard through the headphones regardless of the state of the mute switch.

Applications – Interviews, vocal duets,

7. Phones Knob

This knob is used to adjust the volume at the phones output from off to max. Make sure that this knob is fully off [counter-clockwise] before beginning.

instruments.

Cardioid: The front of the microphone

is the most sensitive, while sound from the surrounding area remains isolated.

Applications – Podcasts, voiceovers,

vocals, instruments.

GETTING STARTED

. Read and understand the Important Safety

Instructions on page 3.

2. Turn down all knobs. Leave the Blend knob at center (2:00).

3. Disengage all switches.

4. Connect the USB-C side of the included USB cable to the microphone and the USB-A side to the computer’s USB port.

NOTE: Do not use a USB hub, keyboard’s

USB port, etc. Plug directly into an open USB port on the computer.

5. Connect headphones to the headphone jack.

6. Computer setup instructions [plug-and-play, no drivers required!]:

Mac: System Preferences > Sound > Input

(and Output) > USB Microphone

PC: Control Panel > Hardware and Sound >

Sound > Playback (and Recording) > USB Microphone (make default).

Make sure the input and output levels

of the computer are un-muted and up.

7. While playing music from your computer, slowly rotate the phones knob clockwise. This will confirm that playback goes through the microphone’s headphone jack.

NOTE: Your ears are important to us!

Be careful of permanent hearing damage. Lower the volume on your device. Even intermediate levels may be painfully loud. Always turn the volume all the way down before connecting the headphones or doing anything new that may affect the headphone volume. Then turn it up slowly as you listen carefully.

8. Plug signal sources into the microphone, such as:

• Instrument-level sources, such as an acoustic guitar w/active pickups into the instrument input.

• A line-level signal from an MP3 player, smartphone or other signal source into the aux input.

9. Be sure that the volume of the input is the same as it would be during normal use. Slowly rotate the instrument and aux knobs clockwise until you hear the signal(s) in the headphones.

NOTE: There may have to be some

experimentation until the perfect blend of sounds is established.

0. Open up your favorite DAW and start

a new session.

. While speaking into the mic, disengage

the mute switch and slowly rotate the gain knob clockwise until the input level meters on the DAW bounce between green and yellow.

NOTE: A safety knob is located on the right

side of the mic base. Loosen it to angle the mic into an ideal pickup position, then tighten to lock.

NOTE: The mute switch mutes only

the mic input. Any signal coming IN from the computer will still be heard through the headphones regardless of the state of the mute switch.

NOTE: This is a side address mic and works

best when speaking into the side of the mic, not the top.

2. While most DAWs work (relatively)

the same, the path to recording may be different. As such, refer to your DAW’s manual on how to open new sessions, create tracks, select the Chromium mic, arm tracks and the best part... recording! Have fun!

Technical Specifications CHROMIUM

Element 3*16 mm electrets capsule

Polar Pattern Figure-8, Cardioid, Omni, Stereo

Frequency Response 20 Hz – 20 kHz

Sensitivity –38 dB ±3 dB (0 dB = 1 V/Pa @ 1 kHz)

Dynamic Range 96 dB

Max Input SPL 110 dB (@ 1 kHz 1% THD)

Bit Depth / Sample Rate 24-bit / 96 kHz

Size (H × W )

Weight 3.6 lb • 1.6 kg

9.8" × 4.7"

249 × 120 mm

All speciﬁcations subject to change

NEED HELP WITH THE MICROPHONE?

• Visit www.mackie.com and click Support to find:

FAQs, manuals, and addendums.

• Telephone -800-898-32 to speak with one of our splendid technical support chaps (Monday through Friday, normal business hours, Pacific Time).

STEREOCARDIOIDBI-DIRECTIONAL (FIGURE 8) OMNI-DIRECTIONAL

+ 14 hidden pages