Soundcraft SPIRIT 328 USER GUIDE

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Spirit Digital 328 Users Guide Version 2

SOFTWARE v 2

UUSSEERR

GGUUIIDDEE

ZM0219 - Issue 3

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ii

SSAAFFEETTYY
GGUUIIDDEE

Safety Symbol Guide II

Approvals and Notice III

Warranty IV

Important Safety Instructions V

Cautions V

Warnings VI

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SAFETY SYMBOL GUIDE

For your own safety and to avoid invalidation of the
warranty all text marked with these Symbols should
be read carefully.

CAUTIONS

Must be followed carefully to avoid bodily injury.

WARNINGS

Must be observed to avoid damage to your equipment.

NOTES

Contain important information and useful tips on the

operation of your equipment.

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© Harman International Industries Ltd. 2000
All rights reserved

Parts of the design of this product may be protected by worldwide patents.

Part No. ZM0219
Issue 3

Soundcraft is a trading division of Harman International Industries Ltd. Information
in this manual is subject to change without notice and does not represent a
commitment on the part of the vendor. Soundcraft shall not be liable for loss or
damage whatsoever arising from the use of information or any error contained in
this manual.

No part of this manual may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, electrical, mechanical,
optical, chemical, including photocopying and recording, for any purpose without
the express written permission of Soundcraft.

Harman International Industries Limited.
Cranborne House,
Cranborne Road,
Potters Bar,
Herts.,
EN6 3JN
UK

Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

IMPORTANT

Please read this manual carefully before connecting your

Interface to the mains for the first time.

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WARRANTY

1 Spirit and Soundcraft use trading divisions of Harman International

Industries Ltd .

End User means the person who first puts the equipment into regular
operation.

Dealer means the person other than Soundcraft (if any) from whom the End
User purchased the Equipment, provided such a person is authorised for this
purpose by Soundcraft or its accredited Distributor.
Equipment means the equipment supplied with this manual.

2 If within the period of twelve months from the date of delivery of the

Equipment to the End User it shall prove defective by reason only of faulty
materials and/or workmanship to such an extent that the effectiveness and/or
usability thereof is materially affected the Equipment or the defective
component should be returned to the Dealer or to Soundcraft and subject to
the following conditions the Dealer or Soundcraft will repair or replace the
defective components. Any components replaced will become the property
of Soundcraft.

3 Any Equipment or component returned will be at the risk of the End User

whilst in transit (both to and from the Dealer or Soundcraft) and postage
must be prepaid.

4 This warranty shall only be valid if:

a) the Equipment has been properly installed in accordance with instructions

contained in Soundcrafts manual; and

b) the End User has notified Soundcraft or the Dealer within 14 days of the

defect appearing; and

c) no persons other than authorised representatives of Soundcraft or the

Dealer have effected any replacement of parts maintenance adjustments
or repairs to the Equipment; and

d) the End User has used the Equipment only for such purposes as

Soundcraft recommends, with only such operating supplies as meet
Soundcrafts specifications and otherwise in all respects in accordance
Soundcrafts recommendations.

5 Defects arising as a result of the following are not covered by this Warranty:

faulty or negligent handling, chemical or electro-chemical or electrical
influences, accidental damage, Acts of God, neglect, deficiency in electrical
power, air-conditioning or humidity control.

6 The benefit of this Warranty may not be assigned by the End User.

7 End Users who are consumers should note their rights under this Warranty

are in addition to and do not affect any other rights to which they may be
entitled against the seller of the Equipment.

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IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

CAUTIONS

 To avoid the risk of fire, replace the mains fuse only with the correct

type and value fuse, as marked on the rear panel.

 ATTENTION:- Afin de réduire le risque de feu remplacer seulement avec

fusible de même type.

 REPLACING MAINS FUSE

Switch the ON/OFF switch to the OFF position. Remove the mains lead from
the connector. Use a small screwdriver to prise the fuse carrier from its
location in the connector. Check the fuse and replace if necessary; also check
that the voltage selection is correct for the mains supply level before
switching the unit ON again.

If the mains fuse fails repeatedly this may be because an electrical safety
hazard exists. The unit must be taken out of service and referred to the
Soundcraft/Spirit dealer from where the equipment was purchased.

 THIS UNIT MUST BE EARTHED

Under no circumstances should the mains earth be disconnected from
the mains lead.

 ATTENTION:-Cet appareil doit être branché à la terre.

 The wires in the mains lead are coloured in accordance with the following

code:

Earth: Green and Yellow (Green/Yellow - US)
Neutral: Blue (White - US)
Live: Brown (Black - US)

As the colours of the wires in the mains lead may not correspond with the
coloured markings identifying the terminals in your plug, proceed as follows:

The wire which is coloured Green and Yellow must be connected to
the terminal in the plug which is marked with the letter E or by the
earth symbol.

The wire which is coloured Blue must be connected to the terminal in
the plug which is marked with the letter N.

The wire which is coloured Brown must be connected to the terminal
in the plug which is marked with the letter L.

Ensure that these colour codings are followed carefully in the event of the
plug being changed.



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 This unit is capable of operating over a range of mains voltages as marked on

the rear panel. It is important to ensure that the correct mains fuse is fitted

before switching on the unit.

WARNINGS

 Read these instructions.

 Keep these instructions.

 Heed all warnings.

 Follow all instructions.

 This unit contains no user serviceable parts. Refer all servicing to a qualified

service engineer, through the appropriate Soundcraft dealer.

 Do not use this apparatus near water.

 Clean only with a damp cloth.

 Do not block any of the ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the

manufacturers instructions.

 Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat resistors, stoves,

or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.

 Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A

polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding
type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the
third prong are provided for your safety. when the provided plug does not fit
into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

 Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at

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

 Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.

 Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long

periods of time.

 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.

 It is recommended that all maintenance and service on the product should be

carried out by Soundcraft or its authorised agents. Soundcraft cannot accept
any liability whatsoever for any loss or damage caused by service,
maintenance or repair by unauthorised personnel.

 Use only with a cart, stand, hood, bracket or table specified by the

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

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

The User Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Section 1

Introducing the Spirit Digital 328 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

The Spirit Digital 328 Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Introducing the Spirit Digital 328 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The Ins and Outs of the 328 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Section 2

Getting started straight out of the box . . . . . . . . .11

Lets get started! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Audio hook-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Okay lets make some noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Using the E-strip for Equalisation, Panning, Aux sends and

adding Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Lets add some reverb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Okay now for some Compression. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Storing the settings in the SNAPSHOT memory locations . . 16

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Section 3

Reference Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

3A The Inputs and Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

3B The E-strip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

3C The SELECT panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

3D Stereo Inputs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

3E FX Returns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

3F Solo Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

3G Snapshots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

3H Group/Aux/FX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

3I Transport Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

3J Master Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Section 4

Automation Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

Part 1 - Digital 328 Snapshot and Dynamic Automation . . 134

Part 2 - Quick Start Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Section 5

Linked Consoles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151

Using Two Linked Digital 328 Consoles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Section 6

Software Upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161

Upgrading Digital 328 Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

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Section 7

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Section 8

Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171

A MIDI Implementaion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

B Connection Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

C Signal Flow Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

D Digital 328 Expanded Surface Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

E Cable Connection Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

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Spirit Digital 328 Users Guide Version 2

SPIRIT DIGITAL 328 USER GUIDE

NB Before you go any further, please read this first page as it will tell you all

you need to know about starting off with the Spirit Digital 328

From all of us to you

Thank you for purchasing the Spirit Digital 328 mixer, which is brought to you
with much pride by Soundcraft. Your Spirit Digital 328 mixer has been
manufactured exclusively by Soundcraft in the UK, combining state of the art
technology with 25 years experience in professional console design. The Spirit
range gives you premier audio quality and features whatever your mixing needs.
We hope you enjoy using your Spirit Digital 328 mixer as much as we have
enjoyed designing it!

The User Guide

This manual has been designed to make the time needed to get to know the
Digital 328 as short as possible!

Every function of the 328's operation is covered in the manual. Please also refer
to the two supplied booklets namely 'The Spirit Guide to Digital Mixing' and
'The Spirit Guide to Mixing' which cover most of the other questions you may
have about mixing in both Live and Studio Recording applications.

Section 1 Introducing the Spirit Digital 328 - Key features and

specifications

Section 2 Getting started straight out of the box

Section 3 Reference Section

Section 4 Automation Techniques

Section 5 Linked Consoles

Section 6 Software Upgrade

Section 7 Troubleshooting

Quick Start!

If you want to jump
straight in, then flip

forward to Section 2 '

Getting started straight

out of the box' but

please skim through

Section 1 first to get an

idea of what features the

Digital 328 offers!

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In this Section:

The Spirit Digital 328 Console 4

Introducing the Spirit Digital 328 7

The Ins and Outs of the 328 7

11

33

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THE SPIRIT DIGITAL 328 CONSOLE

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1

Microphone Input

2

Line Input

3

Insert Point

4

Analogue Trim Pot

5

100Hz Highpass Filter

6

Meter Bridge for Mic/Line Channels 1-16, Tape Channels 17-32,
Group Outputs 1-8, Auxiliary Sends 1-4 and Internal FX Sends 1 and 2

7

Record Arm LED

8

Fader Bank Select Switches

9

Meter Bank Select Switches

0

E-Strip Rotary Encoders

q

Mic/Line Channels 1-16 and Tape Channels 17-32 Select Switches

w

Mute Switches for Mic/Line Channels 1-16 and Tape Channels 17-32

e

Solo Switches for Mic/Line Channels 1-16 and Tape Channels 17-32

r

Faders 1-16

t

Rotary Encoder Mode Switches

y

Control Room Outputs; Control Room Output Level Control and
Phones Level

u

Global 48V Phantom Power Switch

i

Analogue 2 Track Inputs A and B; 2 Track Level Controls

o

Auxiliary Outputs 1-4

p

Balanced Mix Outputs (XLR)

a

Unbalanced Mix Outputs (RCA)

s

Phones Output

d

Stereo Input 1A - 1D and Stereo Input 2

f

Monitor Path Controls

g

Dynamics Switch

h

Main Output / Dynamics Gain Reduction Meters

j

LCD Panel and LCD Mode Switches

k

PARAM Encoder, Cursor Keys, EXIT/NO, ENTER/YES,
UNDO and REDO Switches

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l

Stereo Input 1 and 2 Control

;

Timecode Display and Transport Controls

z

FX Return 1 and 2 Control

x

AUX/FX Pre/Post and Group/Channel Link Switches

c

Solo Control Panel

v

Snapshot Control Panel

b

Select Panel for Channel Parameters

n

Mix Fader

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INTRODUCING THE SPIRIT
DIGITAL 328

Okay so what should a digital mixing console be? Should it be something that
basically requires you to relearn the way you work on a mixer, with pages and
pages of menus offering a lot of great features, but many that you will never really
use? Perhaps it should have a combination of buttons and a data wheel where
previously you found a simple pan control, or maybe it should have faders that can
become auxiliary sends instead of good old auxiliary pots as before! No, we must
disagree, we don't think this is the way to design a digital mixer at all.

Like you, we believed in a mixer that firstly, looked like a normal mixer, and
secondly did not require hours of diligent study to get a signal in at one end, and
out at the other! Speed is so important, both in the studio and at live
performances/broadcasts, that we focused on this as our prime aim.

Like you we wanted dedicated pan controls on each channel plus simple and
familiar functions like EQ In/Out, Phase In/Out, Channel Mute, dedicated Aux and
FX send pots full metering and silky smooth 100mm long throw faders! Add to
this fully parametric EQ - with real knobs - on every channel, two warm sounding
Lexicon FX processors and two great assignable stereo dynamics processors, plus
a few extras like 24 bit 128 x oversampling A/Ds and D/As, machine control, built
in ADAT and TDIF 16 channel interfaces and more! Well, we had to do it! So we
designed and built you the Spirit digital 328 mixer - enjoy it!

THE INS AND OUTS OF THE 328

Analogue Inputs

The Spirit Digital 328 offers 16 Mic/Line inputs, using Spirit's highly acclaimed Ultra
Mic Pre-amps. A Global Phantom Power, applying 48V to all 16 Microphone
inputs, is accessed by pressing the PHANTOM POWER switch.

All Mic/Line Inputs have an Insert point, Gain control and High Pass Filter. A
further 5 Stereo Inputs are also available, and all of the above inputs feature 24 bit
128 x oversampling A/D converters. All have full access to the revolutionary
E-Strip which offers 3 band fully Parametric Equalisation, 4 Auxiliary Sends, 2
Effects Sends (routed to 2 x internal Lexicon FX Processors) and a Pan control.

There are also two additional pairs of Stereo 2 Track Inputs for connecting
playback machines such as cassette decks and analogue 2 track recorders.

The 2 TDIF inputs can
also be converted to
function as 8 additional
analogue or 4 digital
stereo AES/EBU inputs
with the addition of Spirit's
external rack mount
converter boxes.

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Digital Inputs

The 16 digital input channels on the rear of the 328 are accessed by two 8
Channel TDIF or ADAT Optical input connectors. There is also a dedicated
AES/EBU Input, and S/PDIF Input for connecting CD, Minidisc and DAT Machines.
All of these inputs have full access to the E-Strip which offers 3 band fully
Parametric Equalisation, 4 Auxiliary Sends, 2 Effects Sends (routed to 2 x internal
Lexicon FX Processors) and a pan control.

Analogue Outputs

The 328 offers an array of Analogue Outputs including MIX Outputs on balanced
male XLR and unbalanced RCA phono plugs, 4 Auxiliary Outputs, Control Room
Outputs on balanced jacks and a Headphone Output with it's own level control.

Digital Outputs

There are 16 digital output channels available via the 8 TRK A and 8 TRK B
Outputs in the form of 2 TDIF ports and 2 ADAT output ports. Both TDIF
outputs and both ADAT outputs are continually and simultaneously active. Either
these can be configured as 16 Direct Outputs - sourced from Mic/Line Input
Channels 1-16 - or alternatively as two paralleled 8 Bus Outputs sourced from the
ROUTE TO GROUP buttons.

The AES/EBU and S/PDIF Stereo Digital Outputs can output signals from any of
the following sources:

MIX Out,
AUX 1&2,
AUX 3&4,
FX 1&2 sends,
Groups 1&2,
Groups 3&4,
Groups 5&6,
Groups 7&8,
Control Room output.

The AUX OPTICAL OUT can source its output signal from either the Group
Outputs or the MIX bus, AUX 1, 2, 3 and 4 sends and FX 1 & 2 sends.

8 Analogue Group
Outputs or 16 Analogue
Direct Outputs can be
achieved by the addition
of Spirit's external rack
mount converter boxes.

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Metering

The 328 has full metering of every input and output signal as standard - no need
for an extra meter bridge here! The 10 segment bar graph meters have 3 easily
selected modes that show either

MIC/LINE Inputs 1-16,
TAPE Inputs 17-32
GROUP Outputs 1-8, AUX Outputs 1-4 and FX Sends 1 and 2.

Under normal operation, the Stereo Output Meters will display the stereo mix bus

- in mono when the MONO switch is pressed. When the 2 TRK switch is
illuminated the Stereo Output Meters will display the 2-Track return inputs. When
any channels are soloed the solo bus will be displayed and the Gain Reduction
Level and Gate Open/Closed will be displayed when the DYNAMICS switch is
illuminated.

Faders

The 100mm long throw faders found on the 328 work just as you would expect
on an analogue console. There are 4 modes of operation for the channel faders
according to the FADER BANK selection:

 MIC/LINE 1-16 - Faders control the level of the MIC/LINE Inputs 1-16

 TAPE 17-32 - Faders control the level of the TAPE Inputs 17-32.

 MASTERS - Faders control output level of GROUP 1-8, Master output level

for AUX 1, 2, 3 or 4 and Master output level for FX 1 and 2.

 MIDI controller mode - When none of the FADER BANK buttons are

selected the 16 channel faders and 16 ROTARY CONTROLS function as
programmable MIDI controllers.

E-Strip

The E-Strip is a feature unique to the Digital 328 and works just like a
conventional analogue channel strip rotated through 90°. The E-Strip has 3-band
fully Parametric Equalisation, 4 AUX Sends, 2 internal FX Sends and a PAN
control which are available for use on the MIC/LINE and TAPE channels, Stereo
Input 1&2 and FX Return 1&2.

The E-Strip can also be configured to work as 16 dedicated Level controls for
MIC/LINE Inputs 1-16 or TAPE Inputs 17-32, or as dedicated controllers for AUX
Send level 1, 2, 3 and 4, FX Send level 1 and 2 or PAN controls.

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Lexicon Effects Processors

The Digital 328 features two built in Lexicon Stereo FX Processors that include
Reverb, Delay, Chorus and Flange effects and are accessed from FX Sends 1&2.
The two dedicated Effects Returns - FX 1 and FX 2 - control the amount of effect
sent to the Mix Outputs.

Stereo Dynamics Processors

There are two Dynamics Processors that can be configured for either Mono or
Stereo operation, and can be applied to the Mic/Line and Tape Channels, the
Stereo Inputs 1&2, the FX Returns 1&2 and the Mix Outputs.

Snapshot and Dynamic Automation

The Digital 328 has two different types of automation namely 'SNAPSHOT' and
'DYNAMIC AUTOMATION' which give maximum flexibility to the user.
Complete recall of all console settings can be stored in up to 100 'SNAPSHOT'
memory locations for recall either manually or against incoming SMPTE or MIDI
Timecode.

Recording via MIDI to a MIDI Recording device, such as a sequencer, allows
complete DYNAMIC AUTOMATION of all the functions found on the 328 except
for the input gain controls and 100Hz Highpass Filters.

Machine Control

The Machine Control section of the 328 can be used to control various recording
devices including Hard Disk Editors, Sequencer Packages, Audio Tape Machines
and Video Tape Machines. This is achieved using MMC (MIDI Machine Control),
RS422 or MIDI Note On/Note Off.

Audio quality

All analogue inputs and outputs on the 328 have the same crystal clear 24 bit 128
oversampling Analogue to Digital and Digital to Analogue (A/D and D/A)
converters, ensuring wide dynamic range and superb sonic performance.

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22

1111

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In this Section:

Let's get started! 13

Audio hook-up 13

Okay let's make some noise! 13

Using the 'E-strip' for Equalisation, Panning, Aux sends
and adding Effects 14

Let's add some reverb 14

Okay now for some Compression 15

Storing the settings in the 'SNAPSHOT' memory
locations 16

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GETTING STARTED STRAIGHT

OUT OF THE BOX!

If you are one of those people who just has to 'get your hands dirty' before you
read through the Reference Manual then this section is for you!

The goal of this short section is to take you quickly through the basic features of
the Digital 328.

We will get a signal in on Channel 1, route it to the Mix outputs, add some EQ,
and then add some Reverb and a Compressor, and finally store all the settings we
have made as a 'Snapshot'

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LET'S GET STARTED!

Right, so you've managed of get the 328 out of the box! Congratulations, you've
passed the first test and can move on from here!

Plug the power cable into the nearest plug socket (you'd be amazed how many
people get this bit wrong!) and switch the 328 on. You will see very quickly that
every light on the mixer lights up briefly. Don't worry this is perfectly normal, and
is all part of the boot up procedure which should take about 30 seconds to
complete. Once the boot up is complete and Mr Munch has reached the end of
the screen, the 328 is ready to go!

AUDIO HOOK-UP

For the purpose of this section we will assume that there is a microphone plugged
into MIC Input 1 and an amplifier with some speakers connected to the Left and
Right Control Room (C/RM) outputs .

OKAY LET'S MAKE SOME NOISE!

Before starting, make sure that the Control Room Out (C/RM) level control
is fully down (anti-clockwise!), and the MIX fader set at 10. You should also
check that the C/RM CUT switch is not activated. If the CLEAR switch in the
SOLO panel is illuminated, press it to ensure that no channels are soloed.

 Press the 'SELECT' button for MIC/LINE Channel 1 (It should illuminate

with a cool shade of green!) to put the channel into 'SELECT' mode. Make
sure that the 'ROUTE TO MIX' button in the 'SELECT' panel is selected.

 Pull the Channel 1 Fader fully down, and press the MUTE switch

(This should prevent any chance of a sudden feedback howl, if your
microphone happens to be to close to your speakers!)

 Plug in a Microphone, and if it requires 48v Phantom Power, press the 48V

button .

 Make sure that both the FADER BANK and METER BANK

selector switches are set to MIC/LINE 1-16. (This ensures that the faders are
controlling level from MIC/LINE inputs 1-16 and the meters are showing
input level for MIC/LINE inputs 1-16)

 Turn the TRIM control slowly until a good level is seen on the Channel 1

Input Meter . (As a guide your loudest peaks should occasionally light the
last Red LED. This will ensure good signal to noise ratio)

If you have bought this
mixer second hand (and
are lucky enough to still
have the user manuals)
then you might want to
re-initialise the 328. This
will return the console to
the original factory settings
it had when it left the
factory, DELETING ALL
STORED DATA.
To do this:

· Switch off the mixer

· Hold down the left and
right cursor keys
simultaneously

· Now switch on the
mixer again whilst
holding down the two
cursor keys.

· Keep holding down the
arrow keys until the LCD
display reads 'Hard reset
to factory defaults' then
you can let go of the
arrow keys and allow the
boot up procedure to
finish.

· The mixer is now reset
to where it was when it
left the factory. The
User libraries for the FX,
Dynamics, Snapshots
and MIDI Controllers
have been deleted.

NOTE:

If you wish to recall the
Factory Default state
without deleting all stored
data, you must hold all
four cursor keys on boot
up. The LCD will display
'Soft reset to Factory
Defaults'.

y

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 Now de-select the Channel 1 MUTE button and bring up the Channel 1

fader level. You should now see level showing in the LEFT/RIGHT output
meters . (If there is no level check that the 'DYNAMICS' button is
de-selected.)

The reason for this is simply that the Stereo Output meters can show the
stereo output level, or Gain Reduction and Gate Open/Close for the
Dynamics Processors if the Dynamics button is selected.

 Once you have a good amount of level on the LEFT/RIGHT output meters,

turn up the C/RM level control to hear the signal in your speaker system.

Great! Let's get a little more creative!

USING THE E-STRIP FOR
EQUALIZATION, PANNING, AUX
SENDS AND ADDING EFFECTS

Now that you have some audio running through the console, let's check out the
E-Strip

(See Section 3.B - for an in depth look at this unique 328 feature)

 When you press the 'SELECT' button on Channel 1 the E-Strip instantly

becomes active for that channel. You now have access to 3 band EQ, 4
AUX sends, 2 FX sends and a PAN control. These functions operate just as
you would find on an analogue console and will remain at their current setting
even if you select another channel.

 Pressing the 'SELECT' button in the MASTER section will set the LCD

to display precise value adjustments for any of the controls found on the E­Strip. The LCD will automatically follow to display whichever control you
adjust. With the LCD in this mode, the PARAM encoder will also be
automatically active for the control being adjusted on the E-Strip.

LET'S ADD SOME REVERB TO
THE SIGNAL

Adding a reverb effect to a signal is just like working with an external effect
processor, but without the need for cables! There is also the added bonus of
keeping the signal in the digital domain at all times. As you would expect we will
need to send a signal into the effects processor and blend the return signal into the
mix. Let's do it!

It is always good practice
to send as much signal as
possible into the effects
processors from the
individual FX Sends on
the channels, and have
the level of the FX
Return at a lower level.
This way a good Signal to
Noise Ratio (SNR) is
achieved.

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 Firstly press the DYN/FX button .

 Use the PARAM encoder or the st arrow keys to select the FX 1

Presets menu - it will flash when selected.

 Press the ENTER/YES button and the < FX Presets > Factory/User menu

comes up.

 Press the ENTER/YES button again to bring up the library of preset effects

and choose Hall Reverb using either the PARAM encoder or the st arrow
keys, then press the ENTER/YES button to load your chosen effect.

 Press the MASTERS button on the METER BANK panel. This will switch the

bar graph meters to display the output levels of Groups 1 - 8, FX 1&2 and
Auxes 1 - 4 so that we can see the level of signal being sent to FX Processor
1 from the FX 1 Send of Channel 1. Ensure that the FX 1 master send fader
(fader 14) is at 0dB.

 Turn the FX RET 1 control fully down.

 Make sure that MIC/LINE Channel 1 is still selected, and using the FX 1

control slowly raise the FX 1 control until you see a good amount of signal
showing on the Bargraph meter labeled FX 1.

 Now turn up the level of FX RET 1 to blend the amount of Reverb you want

routed to the mix bus.

OKAY NOW FOR SOME
COMPRESSION

The two high quality Dynamics Processors built into the 328 can be applied to the
signal in the usual way i.e. by feeding the full signal to the input of the processor
and returning the output back to the same channel. Let's do it!

 Press the DYN/FX button and use the PARAM encoder or the

st

arrow
keys to select the DYN 1 menu - it will flash. It will also show the currently
active Dynamics Processor type.

 Press the ENTER/YES button. The LCD display will show either

<DP * Bypass *> or <DP 1ALGORITHM>.

Below this line the currently active Dynamics Processor will be shown.

Pressing the arrow keys together will toggle the Bypass function
on and off. This determines whether or not the currently selected Dynamics

Processor is active or bypassed.

 Use the

st

arrow keys or the PARAM encoder to select the Compressor

and press the ENTER/YES button.

 Use the

st

arrow keys to select the SCH : Channel #XX menu page.

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 Now use the PARAM encoder to select Channel #1(MIC/LINE Input 1) and

then press the ENTER/YES button to select it.

 You may now use the st arrow keys to step through the different parameters

for the Compressor, and the PARAM encoder to adjust settings such as Knee,
Threshold, Ratio, Attack, Release, Makeup.

 If you want to look at the Gain Reduction level of the Compressor, press the

DYNAMICS button next to the Stereo Output meters and the meters will
now show Gain Reduction. Press the DYNAMICS switch again to meter the
mix bus.

STORING THE SETTINGS IN THE
SNAPSHOT' MEMORY LOCATIONS

All of the adjustments we have just made can be stored in the SNAPSHOT library
for later recall. Let's do it!

 Press the SNAPSHOT button in the Master section. This will bring up the

SNAPSHOT menu.

 Use the st arrow keys or the PARAM encoder to select SNAPSHOT memory

location # 01. It will flash when selected.

Note: If you have a used mixer with previously stored SNAPSHOTS then

press the EXIT/NO button to delete the existing SNAPSHOT. The LCD
display will read 'Confirm Delete?' And the currently selected SNAP
SHOT number. Press the ENTER/YES button to delete the SNAPSHOT.

 Now in the SNAPSHOTS section press the STORE button.

 The LCD display will read SAVED SNAPSHOT and then revert to showing

SNAPSHOT #001

 To give the SNAPSHOT a name press the ENTER/YES button and use the

arrow keys to select the character you want to change, and the

PARAM encoder to select the desired letter or number. Characters can be
deleted from left to right by pressing and holding the left cursor key and then
pressing the right cursor key once for each letter to be deleted. Similarly,
characters can be deleted from right to left by pressing and holding the right
cursor key and then pressing the left cursor key once for each letter to be
deleted.

 Press the ENTER/YES button to store the new name.

For more information on Snapshot parameters, refer to Sections 3G and 3J Part

5.15.

Well that's it! You have now successfully completed a basic overview of how the
Digital 328 operates!

Section 3 of this manual gives an in depth view of all of the functions available on
the 328. Be prepared for a new audio experience.

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RReeffeerreennccee
SSeeccttiioonn

In this Section

3A - The Inputs and Outputs 19

3B - The 'E-strip' 31

3C - The SELECT panels 43

3D - Stereo Inputs 49

3E - FX Returns 53

3F - Solo Control 55

3G - Snapshots 57

3H - Group/Aux/FX 59

3I - Transport Controls 63

3J - Master section 67

33

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TThhee IInnppuuttss
aanndd
OOuuttppuuttss

In this Section:

Part 1 - The Front Panel Inputs and Outputs 20

Part 2 - The Rear panel Inputs and Outputs 26

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PART 1 ­THE FRONT PANEL INPUTS AND
OUTPUTS

Mic/Line Inputs 1-16

The 16 analogue inputs on the 328 comprise of a Microphone input, Line input,
Insert point, Trim control and High Pass Filter (HPF)

After the High Pass Filter, 24 bit A/D conversion takes place and from here on the
signal is handled entirely in the digital domain until it reaches one of the analogue
output stages.

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1

MIC INPUT

The microphone input accepts XLR type connectors and is designed to accept a
wide range of BALANCED or UNBALANCED signals up to +28dBu (66dB of
Gain range). For optimum performance use professional balanced microphones,
such as Condenser, Dynamic or Ribbon types with balanced cables. The 48V
Phantom Power switch can be used to power Condenser microphones or Direct
Injection (DI) boxes if required.

2

LINE INPUT

The Line Input is BALANCED and accepts 3 pole ¼" (TRS) jack plugs.

Use this input for Keyboards, Drum Machines, Synthesisers, Samplers or Guitars.

Although the Line input is BALANCED it will accept UNBALANCED sources as
well.

3

INSERT POINT

The insert point is UNBALANCED and is derived Pre-fade and Pre-EQ/pre­Dynamics. It allows for the connection of outboard equipment such as
Compressors, Gates or Equalisers for additional signal processing. For the correct
method of making up insert cables for use with the 328 please consult Appendix E
of this manual.

4

TRIM (PRE-AMP SENSITIVITY)

This knob sets how much of the source signal is sent to the rest of the console.
Aim to get a good, strong signal into the 328 without clipping (distorting) the
signal. Setting the TRIM to '0' will give unity gain for use with Line level signal
sources. Because the TRIM control is analogue, its position is not stored with
Snapshot data.

5

100HZ HIGH PASS FILTER (HPF)

Pressing this button activates a 100Hz High Pass Filter (HPF) which has a steep
18dB per octave bass roll off characteristic. When selected the HPF will cause
low frequencies below 100Hz to be reduced rapidly, and is very useful for
reducing rumble on stage or popping on microphones. This function is analogue
and will not be stored with Snapshot data

DO NOT plug
microphones into the
XLR 'MIC' inputs when
the 48V Phantom Power
button is switched in.
DO NOT connect unbal­anced microphones to
the XLR 'MIC' inputs
whilst the 48V Phantom
Power is switched on.
To avoid damage to the
mixer or external devices
DO NOT switch the 48V
Phantom Power switch
on or off unless the
Mic/Line faders are
DOWN. Microphones
that do not require
Phantom Power may be
used with Phantom
Power switched on if
correctly balanced cables
are used. Ensure that
the microphone is con­nected before switching
on the Phantom Power.

A Pre-fade, Pre-EQ send
of a Mic or Line source
can be output from the
Insert point by using a
lead with the Tip and
Ring shorted together so
as not to interrupt the
signal path.

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6

BARGRAPH METERS

Each input stage has a tri-colour, 10 segment, peak reading Bargraph meter.
These meters can be switched globally using the 3 buttons found in the Meter
Bank section to represent any of the following signals.

 Mic/Line Inputs 1-16 (Pre-fade, Post-EQ) by pressing the METER BANK

button MIC/LINE 1-16

 Tape Inputs 17-32 (Pre-fade, Post-EQ) by pressing the METER BANK button

TAPE 17-32

 Group Out 1-8, Aux Send 1-4 and FX Send 1-2 by pressing the METER

BANK button MASTERS

7

REC (RECORD INDICATOR)

The red 'REC' LED is used in conjunction with recording devices that support
MIDI MACHINE CONTROL (MMC). External recording devices can be put into
record from the front panel of the 328. The current status of the recording
devices tracks (1-16) can be monitored using these LED as follows:

 When the LED is OFF the track is not in record mode

 When the LED is FLASHING the track is ready to record

 When the LED is ON the track is in record mode

(See 'Section 3C - The SELECT Panel' for more information)

The TRIM control has a
wide sensitivity range to
cope with both Mic and
Line inputs. With either
a MIC or Line input
connected start with the
TRIM control fully
anti -clockwise (+6) and
adjust the level until the
red '0' LED on the Input
meter lights up
occasionally during the
loudest sections of the
music. NB - If you are
unfamiliar with how to
set the input level on a
mixing console, read
through Section 2
'Getting Started Out Of
The Box' in this manual
for an explanation.

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Monitor Section

The Monitor section of the 328 is where you will connect your studio monitor
speakers, headphones and mix down machines.

You can also select in the Monitor section what source signal you will be listening
to in your studio monitor speakers.

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8

2TRK

Press 2TRK to feed the selected 2-track input (analogue A or B or digital 2-Track
(see Section 3 Part 5.9 and Section 3 Part 5.10 ) to the C/RM and/or
PHONES outputs.

9

MIX

Press MIX to feed the MIX L/R signal to the C/RM and/or PHONES outputs.

0

AFL/PFL LED

Whenever a SOLO button is active, the AFL/PFL LED illuminates to warn that the
C/RM and PHONES outputs will be carrying the AFL or PFL signal instead of the
normal source. (To clear all SOLOed channels, press the CLEAR button in the
SOLO CONTROL section)

q

MONO

Pressing MONO sums the C/RM and PHONES outputs to MONO. This is useful
for checking the mono compatibility of your mixes or for phase checking etc.

w

DIM

Pressing this button dims the C/RM and PHONES outputs by 30dB

e

C/RM CUT

When this button is pressed the control room output is muted. The PHONES
output is unaffected.

r

PHONES

This control adjusts the level sent to the stereo PHONES output.

t

C/RM

This control adjusts the level sent to the C/RM (Control Room) output.

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y

48V (PHANTOM POWER)

When this button is pressed 48V 'Phantom Power' is provided to the Microphone
inputs, for powering professional condenser microphones or Direct Injection (DI)
boxes. The 48V LED will illuminate to indicate that Phantom Power is on.

NOTE: To prevent damage to the mixer or external devices, do not connect

microphones to the Mic inputs with the 48V power switched on, and
only switch the 48V Power on or off when the output faders are
DOWN! Microphones that do not require Phantom Power may be used
with Phantom Power switched on if correctly balanced cables are used.
Ensure that the microphone is connected before switching on the
Phantom Power.

u

PSU INDICATORS

There are three green LEDs to monitor the status of the +/- 15V, 5V Analogue
and 5V Digital power supplies. In normal operation all three LEDs should be
illuminated.

i

BARGRAPH METERS

Two 16 segment Peak reading Bargraph Meters normally display the Mix L/R
output level.

Pressing the DYNAMICS button on the left of the meters switches the meters to
read either Gain Reduction (Compressor/Limiters) or Gate Open/Close
(Gates /Expanders).

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PART 2 ­THE REAR PANEL INPUTS AND
OUTPUTS

1

8 TRK A (17-24)

The 8 TRK A section on the rear of the 328 is an 8-channel bi-directional Digital
I/O interface for connecting to recording devices or expansion boxes. There are
two types of Digital I/O formats supported namely Tascam TDIF and ADAT
Optical. Only one of the ADAT or TDIF inputs can be active at any one time for
each port (see Section 3J - Part 5.8 'Tape Port Select' for set-up information).
Both TDIF and both ADAT output ports are continually and simultaneously active.
Signals connected to either the Tascam TDIF or ADAT Optical ports will be
controlled by Tape faders 17-24.

 TDIF (Tascam Digital Interface)

This 8-channel connector connects to machines fitted with a Tascam TDIF
port. A TEAC specification TDIF cable is required. The cable is
bi-directional and therefore carries the signal to and from the 328 TDIF ports.

 ADAT Optical In (Alesis Digital Audio Technology)

This 8-channel connector connects to the Optical Out of machines fitted with
ADAT Optical ports. An ADAT optical cable must be connected from the
external ADAT device to the 328 ADAT input.

 ADAT Optical Out

This 8-channel connector connects to the Optical In of machines fitted with
ADAT Optical ports. An ADAT optical cable must be connected from the
external ADAT device to the 328 ADAT input.

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2

8 TRK B (25-32)

The 8 TRK B section on the rear of the 328 is an 8-channel bi-directional Digital
I/O interface for connecting to recording devices or expansion boxes. There are
two types of Digital I/O formats supported namely Tascam TDIF and ADAT
Optical. Only one of the ADAT or TDIF inputs can be active at any one time for
each port (see Section 3J - Part 5.8 'Tape Port Select' for set-up information).
Both TDIF and both ADAT output ports are continually and simultaneously active.
Signals connected to either the Tascam TDIF or ADAT Optical ports will be con­trolled by Tape faders 25-32.

 TDIF

This 8-channel connector connects to machines fitted with a Tascam TDIF
port. A TEAC specification TDIF cable is required. The cable is bi-directional
and therefore carries the signal to and from the 328 TDIF ports.

 ADAT Optical In

This 8-channel connector connects to the Optical Out of machines fitted with
ADAT Optical ports. An ADAT optical cable must be connected from the
external ADAT device to the 328 ADAT input.

 ADAT Optical Out

This 8-channel connector connects to the Optical In of machines fitted with
ADAT Optical ports. An ADAT optical cable must be connected from the
external ADAT device to the 328 ADAT input.

3

LINK

Allows you to cascade two 328s together by using the Link cable available from
Spirit. All Group and Mix bussing is summed together but the console Dynamics
and FX 1/FX 2 remain separate.

See Section 5 on linked consoles.

4

SOFTWARE DOWNLOAD SWITCH

This hidden switch is accessed using a small implement such as a small plastic
pointer (never push any conductive material into the hole to activate the switch),
and is used during the process of updating software into the 328. (For more
information see Section 6)

5

AUX OPTICAL OUT

The third ADAT Optical output may be configured as a digital auxiliary output for
effects units that use ADAT optical I/O, or alternatively it can be configured as 8
extra digital Group outputs.

(See Section 3J - Part 5.8 'Tape Port Select' for set-up information)

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6

AES/EBU DIGITAL IN AND OUT

 AES/EBU IN

Stereo AES/EBU signals from external devices such as DAT, CD or MD players
should be connected here. The destination of this input can be selected via
the MENU to any of the following: -

STE 1,
STE 2,
FX return 1,
FX return 2,
2TRK.

(See Section 3 - Part 5.10 'AES/EBU Input Setup' for setup information)

 AES/EBU OUT

This Stereo AES/EBU output can be selected via the MENU to derive its signal
from any of the following sources: -

MIX output,
AUX send 1 and 2,
AUX send 3 and 4,
Internal FX send 1 and 2,
Groups 1 and 2,
Groups 3 and 4,
Groups 5 and 6,
Groups 7 and 8,
Control Room output.

(See Section 3 - Part 5.12 'AES/EBU Output Setup' for setup information)

7

S/PDIF DIGITAL IN AND OUT

 S/PDIF IN

Stereo S/PDIF signals from external devices such as DAT, CD or MD players
should be connected here. The destination of this input can be selected via
the MENU to any of the following: -

STE 1,
STE 2,
FX return 1,
FX return 2,
2TRK.

(See Section 3J - Part 5.9 'SPDIF Input Setup' for setup information)

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 S/PDIF OUT

This Stereo S/PDIF output can be selected via the MENU to derive its signal
from any of the following sources: -

MIX output,
AUX send 1 and 2,
AUX send 3 and 4,
Internal FX send 1 and 2,
Groups 1 and 2,
Groups 3 and 4,
Groups 5 and 6,
Groups 7 and 8,
Control Room output.

(See Section 3J - Part 5.11 'SPDIF Output Setup' for setup information)

8

WORDCLOCK IN/OUT

These BNC connectors are for synchronizing external devices to the 328's own
internal Wordclock, or for synchronizing the 328 to an external Wordclock source.
The 328 can be selected via the MENU to be either the Wordclock Master or
Slave.

(See Section 3J - Part 5.14 'Clock Source Select' for setup information)

9

MIDI IN, OUT AND THRU

The MIDI IN, OUT and THRU connectors are used for the following applications:

 Synchronizing recall of SNAPSHOTS to incoming MTC (MIDI Timecode)

 Transmitting and receiving MIDI Program Changes for Snapshot and User

Setup recall

 Transmitting and receiving Dynamic Automation data to and from a MIDI

recording device

 Sending MMC (MIDI Machine Control) messages to recording/playback

machines

 Saving and Loading SNAPSHOTS, FX, Dynamics and Library data to and from

a MIDI recording device

 Sending and receiving MIDI Control information from the 328's MIDI

Controllers

(See Section 3J - Part 5.2 User Options / Part 5.4 - MIDI Controllers / Part

5.4 MIDI Dump Out / Part 5.6 MIDI Dump In / Section 4 - Automation
Techniques for more information on MIDI functions)

If you would like to know
more about Wordclock
and other digital
information, please read
through 'The Spirit Guide
To Digital Mixing'
booklet.

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0

RS 422

The RS422 port is used for machine control of machines that support the Sony
9-Pin protocol and for downloading software upgrades using a PC or Apple
Macintosh.

q

TIMECODE IN

This connector is for connecting external SMPTE Timecode sources. The 328's
SNAPSHOT memories can be programmed to respond to incoming SMPTE
Timecode, and the Timecode can be displayed on the 328's own Timecode display
window.

w

MAINS SUPPLY CONNECTOR

e

MAINS FUSE GROUND

r

POWER ON/OFF SWITCH

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33BB

TThhee EE-SSttrriipp

In this Section:

Overview 32

Part 1 - The E-Strip as a Channel strip 33

Part 2 - The E-Strip as a Row of Controllers 36

Part 3 - The FADER and METER BANKS 40

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OVERVIEW

The E-Strip is the heart of 328 operation. The E-Strip will make the 328 feel very
like an analogue console when you use it, and we are sure you will come to love it
as much as we do!

Most channel strips on analogue consoles - irrespective of brand name - have
pretty much the same facilities on offer, typically - Parametric Equalisation,
Auxiliary Sends, Effects Sends and Pan controls.

Wherever you are working you are more than likely looking to find these functions
very quickly so that you can get on with the job at hand! Well the good news is,
the 328's E-Strip destroys the myth that a digital mixer has to be complicated to
use!

The E-Strip has 2 simple modes of operation that will take the sweat out of using a
digital mixer. Whether you're burning the midnight oil in the studio, or feeling the
pressure at a live gig you'll take comfort in knowing that the E-Strip will make your
life a whole lot easier!

THE CHANNEL STRIP THAT'S A REAL PUSH OVER!

Firstly the E-Strip works just like a standard 'analogue' channel lying on its side.
Pressing the 'Select' button on any Mic/Line Input, Tape Input, Stereo Input or FX
Return will instantly activate the E-Strip for that channel. You now have
immediate access to 3 Band Fully Parametric EQ, 4 Auxiliary Sends, 2 FX Sends
and a Pan control, all operated with normal rotary pots as you would expect! No
need for data wheels, multiple screen menus and a mouse here!

LINE 'EM UP! 1 CHANNEL 1 PAN POT!

Secondly the E-Strip can be set up to function as a row of dedicated Level, Aux,
FX or Pan controls for each channel. What does this mean? Well for example, on
an analogue console you take it for granted that when your are busy with a mix
you can easily find a Pan pot directly above - or pretty close by - to the fader of
the chosen channel. Often with a digital console this is not the case! Usually if
you want to perform a quick Left/Right Pan on say Channel 3, you must hit a
'Select' button on the channel, and then reach for a dedicated central Pan pot (if
you're lucky!), or even worse a data wheel and a virtual Pan pot on a screen!

Well with the 328 this is thankfully not the case! All 16 encoders found on the
E-Strip, can be switched to function as Pan pots just like on an analogue console
i.e. 1 Channel, 1 Pan pot! (Or Aux send, FX send or Tape Monitor for that mat­ter). Let's take a closer look.

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If the 'Select' button at
the top left hand side of
the LCD display is
pressed, the LCD display
will show the parameters
being adjusted by the
pots on the E-Strip. The
PARAM control pot and
left and right cursor keys
in the master section can
also be used to adjust
data.

PART 1 ­THE E-STRIP AS A CHANNEL
STRIP

1

USING THE SELECT BUTTONS

To apply the E-Strip to a channel the relevant SELECT button must be pressed to
activate the E-Strip on that channel. SELECT buttons are found on the following
Channels

 Mic/Line Inputs 1-16
 Tape Inputs 17-32
 Stereo Inputs 1& 2
 FX Returns 1 & 2

Naturally it follows then that all of the facilities found in the E-Strip can be applied
to any of the above channels. Lets look at the E-Strip functions individually.

2

EQUALISER SECTION

FREQUENCY BANDS

The equaliser is divided into three fully parametric bands namely - Low Frequency
(LF), Mid Frequency (MID) and High Frequency (HF). Each band has a Cut and
Boost control (- +) with a range of 15 dB, a Frequency Select control (FREQ) and
a Bandwidth or 'Q' control (Shape).

 Frequency Range

The Frequency ranges for each of the 3 bands are as follows:

LF 40Hz to 800Hz
MID 200Hz to 8KHz
HF 1KHz to 20KHz

Rotating the LF, MID or HF encoder knob in a clock wise direction will sweep
the frequencies from the lowest value through to the highest value in each
frequency band e.g. 40Hz to 800Hz for the LF band.

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 Bandwidth

The Bandwidth or 'Q' control (SHAPE) has the following range:

LF (SHELVING) - 0.35 to 2.8
MID 0.35 to 2.8
HF (SHELVING) - 0.35 to 2.8

Note: When rotating the SHAPE encoder knob clockwise from its extreme

counterclockwise position, the LF and HF bands will begin with a
SHELVING filter characteristic, which changes to a peak filter with a 'Q'
range of 0.35 through to 2.8 as the SHAPE encoder is gradually rotated.

The MID band has a peak filter characteristic with a 'Q' range of 0.35 through
to 2.8

The LCD can be put into SELECT mode to display precise values of any EQ
adjustment (see Section 3J Part 1).

3

AUXILIARY SENDS 1-4

The 4 Aux Sends (AUX 1-4) provide level control of the signal in the selected
channel to the Aux Outputs. The Aux sends can be switched globally to source
signals either PRE or POST fader. All Aux sends are POST EQ

PRE /POST FADE SETTING OF AUX 1, 2, 3 & 4

 Press and hold the 'AUX/FX PRE' button located at the bottom right hand

corner of the console.

 Now look at the status of the AUX 1, 2, 3 or 4 buttons in the ROTARY

CONTROLS section, whilst continuing to hold down the AUX/FX PRE
button as above.

 The AUX 1, 2, 3 or 4 buttons will either be selected to be PRE FADE

(illuminated) or POST Fade (not illuminated).

 To change the PRE/POST status of AUX 1, 2, 3 or 4, simply select or de-select

the relevant button whilst holding down the AUX/FX PRE button.

Note: When shipped the default mode is AUX 1&2 set to PRE FADE

(illuminated) and AUX 3&4 set to POST FADE (not illuminated).

When the adjacent
SELECT button is
pressed the LCD display
will show the level of the
selected AUX with a
range from -60dB to
0dB.

When the adjacent
SELECT button is
pressed the LCD display
will show the amount of
CUT and BOOST
(-15dB/+15dB), the
selected frequency
or the 'Q'.

When the adjacent
SELECT button is
pressed the LCD display
will show the level of
both FX 1 and FX 2 with
a range from -60dB
through to 0dB.

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4

FX SEND 1 & 2

The 2 encoders labelled FX 1 and FX 2 provide separate send control to the built
in Lexicon FX processors.

PRE/POST FADE SETTING OF FX SEND 1 OR 2

 Press and hold the 'AUX/FX PRE' button.

 Now look at the status of the FX 1&2 buttons in the ROTARY CONTROLS

section, whilst continuing to hold down the AUX/FX PRE button as above.

 The FX 1&2 buttons will either be selected to be PRE FADE (illuminated) or

POST Fade (not illuminated).

 To change the PRE/POST status of FX 1& 2, simply select or de-select the

relevant button whilst holding down the AUX/FX PRE button.

Note: When shipped the default setting for FX 1and FX 2 is POST FADE.

PAN CONTROL

The PAN encoder knob sets the amount of the channel feeding the left and right
MIX busses or linked (stereo) Groups allowing a signal to be moved smoothly
across the stereo image.

When the adjacent
SELECT button is
pressed the LCD display
will show the PAN
setting numerically.
Rotating the encoder
knob clockwise the
display will start by
showing 'LEFT' meaning
the signal is fully to the
left and then gradually
move through LFT 1-30,
Centre, RGT 1-30 ending
at 'RIGHT' denoting that
the signal is now fully to
the right. This is very
useful when there is a
need to match two
signals symmetrically
across the stereo image.

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PART 2 -

THE E-STRIP AS A ROW OF

CONTROLLERS

The secondary mode of the E-Strip allows the ROTARY CONTROLS to be set up
as dedicated Level controls, Aux Sends, FX Sends or Pan controls.

1

LEVEL CONTROLS

The 16 ROTARY CONTROLS can be configured for use as level controls for
either the TAPE 17-32 inputs or the MIC/LINE 1-16 inputs. This allows immediate
access to all 32 inputs on the 328 and is useful in both recording and live
applications.

 Controlling TAPE inputs 17-32

When the MIC/LINE 1-16 button in the FADER BANK is selected, the signals
present at the MIC/LINE inputs will be controlled from the 100mm long throw
faders at the bottom of the mixer.

If the LEVEL button in the ROTARY CONTROLS section is now selected, the
16 ROTARY CONTROLS will automatically be selected to control the level of
the signals present at the Tape 17-32 inputs. The red 'BANK' LED in the
ROTARY CONTROLS section will confirm that the TAPE 17-32 inputs have
been selected. The green ring of LED's surrounding the ROTARY CONTROLS
will represent the fader levels of the TAPE 17-32 fader bank.

The LCD can be put into SELECT mode to view precise values for any level
adjustments (see Section 3J Part 1).

 Controlling inputs to MIC/LINE 1-16

Alternatively the ROTARY CONTROLS can be switched to control the level of
the signals present at the MIC/LINE 1-16 inputs, when it is preferable to have
the TAPE 17-32 inputs controlled by the 100mm long throw faders at the
bottom of the mixer.

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The above method can
be used in conjunction
with the optional Spirit 8
Channel Mic/Line boxes
to give 16 additional
analogue channels for live
mixing applications, by
converting the TDIF
inputs to additional
analogue inputs

To do this select the TAPE 17-32 button in the FADER BANK section so
that it is illuminated. This will switch the signals present at the TAPE 17-32
inputs to be controlled by the 100mm long throw faders.

If the LEVEL button is selected, the ROTARY CONTROLS will now be
automatically selected as level controls (faders) for the signals present at the
MIC/LINE 1-16 inputs.

The red 'BANK' LED in the ROTARY CONTROLS section will confirm that the
MIC/LINE 1-16 inputs have been selected. The green ring of LED's
surrounding the ROTARY CONTROLS will represent the audio level.
The LCD can be put into SELECT mode to view precise values for any level
adjustments (see Section 3J Part 1).

Note: All 32 inputs still have instant access to the E-Strip functions described in

Part 1 above by pressing either the MIC/LINE or TAPE buttons in the
SELECT panel.

2

AUXILIARY SENDS

The 16 ROTARY CONTROLS can be switched to function as individual Aux Sends
for each of the signals present at the 100mm long throw faders at the bottom of
the mixer. This way each channel can be set up to have a dedicated Aux Send, as
you would find on an analogue console.

 Aux sends for MIC/LINE inputs 1-16

Press the MIC/LINE 1-16 button in the FADER BANK section so that it is
illuminated. This will assign the signals present at the inputs of MIC/LINE 1-16
to be controlled by the 100mm long throw faders at the bottom of the mixer.

By selecting any one of the AUX 1, 2, 3 or 4 buttons in the ROTARY
CONTROLS section, the ROTARY CONTROLS will now function as
AUX sends for MIC/LINE channels 1-16 according to the number of the AUX
selected.

The green ring of LEDs surrounding the ROTARY CONTROLS will represent
the audio send level.

The LCD can be put into SELECT mode to view precise values for any level
adjustments (see Section 3J Part 1).

 Aux sends for TAPE inputs 17-32

Press the TAPE 17-32 button in the FADER BANK section so that it is
illuminated. This will assign the signals present at the inputs of TAPE 17-32
to be controlled by the 100mm long throw faders at the bottom of the mixer.

By selecting any one of the AUX 1, 2, 3 or 4 buttons in the ROTARY
CONTROLS section, the ROTARY CONTROLS will now function as
AUX sends for TAPE channels 17-32 according to the number of the AUX
selected.

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The green ring of LEDs surrounding the ROTARY CONTROLS will represent
the audio send level.

The LCD can be put into SELECT mode to view precise values for any level
adjustments (see Section 3J Part 1).

Note: The AUX 1, 2, 3 or 4 sends can be switched to be PRE or POST Fade by

pressing and holding the AUX/FX PRE button in the GROUP/AUX/FX
section. Then press one of the AUX 1, 2, 3 or 4 buttons in the ROTARY
CONTROLS section. If the AUX 1, 2, 3 or 4 button is illuminated the
AUX is PRE FADE and if it is not illuminated the AUX is POST FADE.

3

FX SENDS

The 16 ROTARY CONTROLS can be switched to function as individual FX sends
for each of the signals present at the 100mm long throw faders at the bottom of
the mixer. This way each channel can be set up to have a dedicated FX send, as
you would find on an analogue console.

 FX sends for MIC/LINE inputs 1-16

Press the MIC/LINE 1-16 button in the FADER BANK section so that it is
illuminated. This will assign the signals present at the inputs of MIC/LINE 1-16
to be controlled by the 100mm long throw faders at the bottom of the mixer.

By selecting either the FX 1 or 2 button in the ROTARY CONTROLS section,
the ROTARY CONTROLS will now function as FX sends for MIC/LINE
channels 1-16 according to the number of the FX send selected.

The green ring of LEDs surrounding the ROTARY CONTROLS will represent
the audio send level.

The LCD can be put into SELECT mode to view precise values for any level
adjustments (see Section 3J Part 1).

 FX sends for TAPE inputs 17-32

Press the TAPE 17-32 button in the FADER BANK section so that it is
illuminated. This will assign the signals present at the inputs of TAPE 17-32 to
be controlled by the 100mm long throw faders at the bottom of the mixer.

By selecting either the FX 1or 2 button in the ROTARY CONTROLS section,
the ROTARY CONTROLS will now function as FX sends for TAPE channels
17-32 according to the number of the FX selected.

The green ring of LEDs surrounding the ROTARY CONTROLS will represent
the audio send level.

The LCD can be put into SELECT mode to view precise values for any level
adjustments (see Section 3J Part 1).

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Note: The FX 1 and 2 sends can be switched to be PRE or POST Fade by

pressing and holding the AUX/FX PRE button in the GROUP/AUX/FX
section. Then press either the FX 1 or 2 button in the ROTARY
CONTROLS section. If the FX 1 or 2 button is glowing red the FX
send is PRE FADE and if it is unlit the FX send is POST FADE.

4

PAN CONTROLS

The 16 ROTARY CONTROLS can be switched to function as individual PAN
controls for each of the signals present at the 100mm long throw faders at the
bottom of the mixer. This way each channel can be set up to have a dedicated FX
send, as you would find on an analogue console.

 PAN controls for MIC/LINE inputs 1-16

Press the MIC/LINE 1-16 button in the FADER BANK section so that it is
illuminated. This will assign the signals present at the inputs of MIC/LINE 1-16
to be controlled by the 100mm long throw faders at the bottom of the mixer.

By selecting the PAN button in the ROTARY CONTROLS section, the
ROTARY CONTROLS will now function as PAN controls for MIC/LINE
channels 1-16.

The green ring of LEDs surrounding the ROTARY CONTROLS will represent
the PAN position of the channel within the stereo image.

The LCD can be put into SELECT mode to view precise values for any pan
adjustments (see Section 3J Part 1).

 PAN controls for TAPE inputs 17-32

Press the TAPE 17-32 button in the FADER BANK section so that it is
illuminated. This will assign the signals present at the inputs of TAPE 17-32
to be controlled by the 100mm long throw faders at the bottom of the mixer.

By selecting the PAN button in the ROTARY CONTROLS section, the
ROTARY CONTROLS will now function as PAN controls for TAPE channels
17-32.

The green ring of LEDs surrounding the ROTARY CONTROLS will represent
the PAN position of the channel within the stereo image.

The LCD can be put into SELECT mode to view precise values for any pan
adjustments (see Section 3J Part 1).

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PART 3 ­THE FADER AND METER BANKS

1

THE FADER BANKS

The three square FADER BANK buttons assign the 16 long throw motorised
faders to control any one of the following four functions:

 MIC/LINE 1-16

When selected (illuminated) the 16 long throw motorised faders will control
the level of the signals appearing at the MIC/LINE inputs 1-16 (i.e. the analogue
inputs)

 TAPE 17/32

When selected (illuminated) the 16 long throw motorised faders will control
the level of the signals appearing at the TAPE inputs 17-32 (i.e. the digital
TDIF or ADAT inputs).

 MASTERS

When selected (illuminated) the 16 long throw motorised faders will control
the following signals:

 Fader numbers 1-8 Control the level of the 8 GROUP outputs

Note: The GROUP output level does not exceed the 0dB unity gain point i.e. no

further gain occurs once the fader has passed the 0dB unity gain position.

 Fader number 9 Not used

 Fader numbers 10 - 13 Control the Master send level of AUX

sends 1-4

 Fader numbers 14 - 15 Control the Master send level of FX

sends 1-2

 Fader number 16 Controls the level of the Solo bus.

 No selection (MIDI controller mode)

By pressing the currently illuminated fader bank switch, the 16 long throw
motorised faders, the 16 ROTARY ENCODERS, the 16 MUTE and the 16
SOLO switches can be used as 64 user programmable MIDI controllers (see
Section 3J Part 5.3) .

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2

THE METER BANKS

The three METER BANK buttons assign the 16 LED Bargraph meters to display
any of the following signals, regardless of the fader bank selection:

 MIC/LINE 1-16

When selected (illuminated) the 16 LED Bargraph meters will show the level of
the signals appearing at the MIC/LINE inputs 1-16 (i.e. the analogue inputs)

 TAPE 17/32

When selected (illuminated) the 16 LED Bargraph meters will show the level of
the signals appearing at the TAPE inputs 17-32 (i.e. the digital inputs)

 MASTERS

When selected (illuminated) the 16 LED Bargraph meters will show the level of
the following signals:

 Bargraph meters 1-8 Show the level of the 8 GROUP

outputs

 Bargraph meter 9 Not used

 Bargraph meters 10-13 Show the Master send level of AUX

sends 1-4

 Bargraph meters 14-15 Show the Master send level of FX

sends 1-2

 Bargraph meters 16 Not used.

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TThhee SSEELLEECCTT
PPaanneell

In this Section:

Overview 44

PHASE button 44

T.SND DIR button 44

EQ IN button 45

SIP SAFE button 46

ROUTE TO MIX button 46

REC ARM button 46

MUTE button 46

SOLO button 47

ROUTE TO GROUP 1-8 buttons 47

Query Mode 48

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OVERVIEW

The SELECT panel on the 328 is where you will find the rest of the controls you
would expect to find on an analogue mixer such as the Group Routing buttons,
Phase Reverse, EQ In/Out etc. When a channel SELECT button is pressed the
E-Strip and the select panel work together.

The SELECT panel becomes active when a SELECT button is pressed on any of
the following channels - MIC/LINE 1-16, TAPE 17-32, STEREO INPUTS 1 and 2
or FX RETURNS 1 and 2.

Let's look a little closer at how the SELECT panel works.

1

PHASE BUTTON

When the PHASE button is pressed the phase of the selected channel will be
reversed (inverted).

This can be useful when a signal arriving at the mixer input is out of phase with an
adjacent channel causing attenuation due to phase cancellation. Reversing the
phase of one of the channels will correct this.

2

T.SND DIR (TAPE SEND DIRECT)

The T.SND DIR (Tape Send Direct) button only applies to CHANNELS 1-16.

When pressed the selected channel is put into T.SND DIR mode. So what does
this mean?

This is a very useful feature that allows the output of the selected channel to be
routed directly out of the corresponding 8 TRK A or 8 TRK B outputs on the rear

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of the console. (See Section 1 for a clear description of the function of the 8
TRK A and 8 TRK B connectors)
For example let's assume we have two ADATs connected to the 8 TRK A and 8
TRK B optical connectors in order to perform a live 16-track recording. The 328
has 8 group outputs which would not allow us to record all 16 channels
simultaneously.

Using the T.SND DIR mode we could send the signals appearing at the MIC/LINE
inputs 1-16 directly out to the ADATs in numerical order. MIC/LINE channels 1-8
would go to the 8 channels of the first ADAT recorder, and MIC/LINE channels
9-16 would be sent to the 8 channels of the second ADAT recorder. This would
allow all 16 MIC/LINE channels to be recorded at the same time.

The direct signal that is sent out in this mode is POST FADER/POST EQ.

Channels can still be monitored via the control room outputs and stereo outputs
whilst in this mode.

When T.SND DIR is disabled for a channel, the corresponding Group output is
transmitted on that output channel (see below). With T.SND.DIR disabled for all
16 input channels, the Group outputs are configured so that Groups 1-8 are
output on channels 1-8 from both 8 TRK A and 8 TRK B outputs. In this way, the

8 channel ADAT and TDIF outputs can be configured to be a combination of
Group outputs and direct sends from the analogue input channels.
As T.SND DIR is only available to channels 1-16, under normal operation only the
analogue channels can be assigned directly to the tape send channels. With one or
both Flip Banks enabled (see Section 3J Part 5.2 for more information) the digi­tal tape inputs can also be routed directly post-fade to the tape outputs. As the
TDIF and ADAT outputs are both continuously active, regardless of which is set as
the input port, you can easily record to two ADAT machines and two TDIF
machines simultaneously.

3

EQ IN

The EQ IN button switches ON the 3 Band Parametric Equaliser available on the
MIC/LINE 1-16, TAPE 17-32, STE 1and 2, FX 1and 2 channels. When switched
OFF, EQ is bypassed for the channel.

To quickly flatten the EQ settings for a channel, press and hold the channel's
SELECT switch and press the EQ IN switch in the SELECT panel once.

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4

SIP SAFE (SOLO IN PLACE SAFE)

Normally when a SOLO button is selected on a channel, all other channels except
the selected one are muted.

Any channel that has SIP SAFE selected will not mute when another channel is
placed into SOLO mode, and SOLO IN PLACE is active (see Section 3F).

This is useful for example when you SOLO the lead vocal but do not want the
vocal FX to be muted. By pressing the SELECT button on either FX 1 or 2 the
SIP SAFE button can be selected to make sure that the FX return remains active
even when another channel is put into SOLO mode.

5

ROUTE TO MIX

This routes the selected channels to the MIX (L/R) outputs.

6

REC ARM (RECORD ARM)

RECORD ARM allows remote arming of a track on the corresponding channel of a
connected recording device (i.e. it sets it to 'Record Ready' mode). This button is
only available on channels 1-16, and only if a tape machine is selected in the
Machine Control configuration settings in the LCD Menu.

To REC ARM a track on an external recording device:

 Firstly make sure that the recording device is setup to receive MMC (MIDI

Machine Control) or Sony 9-pin control, depending on the connection you
have made

(See Section 3J - Part 5.13 'Tape Machine Setup' for more detail)

 Hold down the REC ARM button and press the MIC/LINE SELECT button(s)

for the corresponding number(s) of the track(s) you wish to REC ARM. The
REC LED above the chosen Channel number will flash. When the remote
recording device is put into record either directly or from the 328 Transport
Controls, the REC ARM LED will remain illuminated.

 To disable REC ARM for a track which has been enabled, press and hold the

REC ARM switch and deselect the SELECT switch(es) for the channel(s).

7

MUTE

All outputs from the channel except inserts are muted when the MUTE button is
selected.

There are dedicated MUTE buttons on the channels MIC/LINE 1-16, TAPE 17-32,
GROUP 1-8, AUX MASTERS 1, 2, 3 and 4, FX MASTERS 1/2, STEREO INPUTS
1/2 and FX RETURNS 1/2.

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The MUTE buttons for these channels can be switched on either from the
SELECT panel or form the dedicated MUTE buttons on these channels.

Note: Aux and FX Sends will only be muted if they have been set to operate

Post Fade.

8

SOLO

When pressed, the SOLO button will place the selected channel into SOLO mode
according to the type of SOLO selected in the SOLO CONTROL panel.

The SOLOed signal is sent to the headphones, control room output and meters,
where it replaces the selected monitor source, leaving the Mix bus unaffected.

The SOLO button illuminates, identifying the selected channel and the PFL/AFL
LED on the Master section of the mixer illuminates to warn that a SOLO is active.

PFL/AFL is a useful way of listening discreetly to an input signal with out
interrupting the main mix.

There are 3 different SOLO modes which can be selected from the SOLO
CONTROL panel (XX):

 PFL (Pre-fade listen)

 AFL (After Fade Listen)

 SIP (Solo-In-Place)

Note: For more information on SOLO modes please see Section 3F - 'SOLO

CONTROL'

The SOLO bus is stereo. When a mono signal is SOLOed the signal is fed in mono
to both the left and right.

If the SOLO is AFL the signals are sent Post-Fade, Post Mute and Post Pan to the
SOLO bus

When in SIP mode all other inputs are muted if routed to the MIX bus unless they
have been selected to be in SIP SAFE mode (see above SIP SAFE mode)

9

ROUTE TO GROUP 1-8

The selected channel can routed to any of the 8 GROUP outputs by pressing the
relevant ROUTE TO GROUP button.

The selected GROUP button will illuminate to show that it is active.

Channels may be routed to individual GROUPS (mono) or to pairs of GROUPS
that have been Stereo linked as odd/even pairs allowing for panning across the
GROUP outputs.

(See Section 3H - Group/Aux/ FX for more details)

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QUERY MODE

In conjunction with the SELECT panel we have what we call 'QUERY MODE'
which is a very fast way of seeing what functions are active on any of the
MIC/LINE 1-16, TAPE 17-32, STEREO INPUTS 1 and 2 or FX RETURNS 1 and 2
channels.

Holding down any of the buttons in the SELECT panel asks the question " in which
signal paths is this button active?"

The system answers the question by illuminating the SELECT buttons for those
channels, which are active. You may now change the status of the button in each
signal path by toggling the appropriate SELECT button while still holding down the
button in the SELECT panel. When you release the relevant SELECT panel
button, the system returns to whatever operational mode it was in before you
pressed it.

You can use the QUERY mode at any time, whatever LCD mode you may be in.

Here an example: If you wish to see which channels are ROUTED TO MIX:

 Press and hold ROUTE TO MIX in the SELECT panel

 The SELECT buttons illuminate on those channels which are currently

ROUTED TO MIX.

The switches that operate in Query mode are:

PHASE ROUTE TO MIX ROUTE TO GROUP 1-8
T.SND DIR REC ARM AUX PRE/POST
EQ IN MUTE CHANNEL/GROUP LINK
SIP SAFE SOLO

By pressing and holding any of the above switches, the state of the console can be
quickly seen and altered.

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33DD

SStteerreeoo
IInnppuuttss

In this Section:

Overview 50

STE-1 and STE-2 ROTARY CONTROLS 51

SELECT button 51

MUTE button 51

SOLO button 51

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OVERVIEW

The 328 has two dedicated stereo inputs namely STE 1 and STE 2. While STE 2 is
a single stereo input, STE 1 enables 4 balanced analogue stereo inputs to be
submixed in the analogue domain and fed into 1 digital signal path. This makes
STE 1 input suitable for the returns from FX units connected to the Digital 328's 4
auxiliary outputs.

A mono signal can be connected into the stereo inputs if the left analogue input is
used.

Note: The analogue inputs can also be overridden by the S/PDIF and AES/EBU

inputs (see Section 3J Part 5.9) or the internal oscillator (see Section
3J Part 5.10).

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1

STE-1 AND STE-2 ROTARY CONTROLS

The STE-1 and STE-2 ROTARY CONTROLS control the level of the signal
assigned to the STE-1and STE-2 Inputs. The green LED ring around the ROTARY
CONTROL indicates the level.

2

SELECT BUTTONS

When pressed the SELECT button activates both the E-Strip (see Section 3B)
and the SELECT panel (see Section 3J Part 1) on the selected stereo input.

Note: The T.SND DIR and REC ARM buttons in the SELECT panel do not

function when the SELECT panel is selected to either STE-1 or STE-2.

3

MUTE BUTTON

The MUTE button mutes the signal present in the STE-1 or STE-2 input.

The MUTE button is duplicated in the SELECT panel when the SELECT button

2

is pressed.

4

SOLO BUTTON

The SOLO button places the selected STE-1or STE-2 input into solo mode. The
solo status will follow the selection that has been made in the SOLO CONTROL
panel.

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FFXX
RREETTUURRNNSS

In this Section:

Overview 54

FX-1 and FX-2 ROTARY CONTROLS 54

SELECT buttons 54

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OVERVIEW

The returns from the two internal Lexicon FX units are controlled by the two
dedicated FX returns namely FX - 1 and FX - 2.

Note: The FX returns can also be overridden by the S/PDIF and AES/EBU

inputs (see Section 3J Part 5.10) or the internal oscillator (see Section
3J Part 5.2).

5

FX-1 AND FX-2 ROTARY CONTROLS

The FX-1and FX-2 ROTARY CONTROLS control the level of the signal assigned
to the FX-1and FX-2 Inputs. The green LED ring around the ROTARY
CONTROL indicates the level.

6

SELECT BUTTONS

When pressed the SELECT button activates both the E-Strip (see Section 3B)
and the SELECT panel (see Section 3J Part 1) on the selected FX return.

The internal FX returns do not have the dedicated SOLO or MUTE switches that
the Stereo inputs have. Instead the switches in the SELECT panel must be used.

The Digital 328 internal FX returns are not routable to the Group outputs.

Note: The T.SND DIR, REC ARM, PHASE and ROUTE TO GROUP buttons in

the SELECT panel do not function when the SELECT panel is active for
either FX-1 or FX-2.

7

CASCADING FX

The FX-1 return can be routed into the FX-2 processor if cascading effects are
required. The FX-2 return cannot however be routed into the FX-1 processor.

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SSOOLLOO
CCOONNTTRROOLL

In this Section:

Overview 56

SIP button 56

AFL button 56

PFL button 56

CLEAR button 56

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OVERVIEW

The SOLO CONTROL panel determines the type of solo that will occur when the
SOLO button is pressed on a channel. There are three types of solos available.

1

SIP (SOLO-IN-PLACE)

When a SOLO button is pressed in this mode all other channels except for the
GROUP, AUX and FX output masters will be muted.

The SOLO status of the GROUP, AUX and FX output master will be determined
by the PFL or AFL buttons.

Channels can be selected to be SIP SAFE i.e. they will not mute when a SIP SOLO
is selected by selecting the SIP SAFE in the SELECT panel.

The SOLO TRIM fader (fader 16 of the Master fader bank) is inoperative when in
SIP mode.

2

AFL (AFTER FADE LISTEN)

When a SOLO button is pressed in this mode the selected channel will be
SOLOed in the C/RM monitors and Headphones. The signal will be derived after
the fader and EQ but before the PAN position.

3

PFL BUTTON

When a SOLO button is pressed in this mode the selected channel will be
SOLOed in the C/RM monitors and Headphones. The signal will be derived pre­fader, pre-EQ and pre-PAN position.

4

CLEAR BUTTON

When any SOLO button is pressed the CLEAR button will illuminate to show that
there is a SOLO active somewhere on the 328. Pressing the CLEAR button will
clear any selected SOLO. (No surprises here then!)

The CLEAR button will
give immediate indication
of a 'hidden' SOLO that
may be on another bank
other than the one that is
currently selected.

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SSNNAAPPSSHHOOTTSS

In this Section:

Overview 58

NEXT button 58

RECALL button 58

STORE button 58

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OVERVIEW

The SNAPSHOTS panel is used for storing and recalling Snapshots and User
Setups (see Section 3J Part 5.19) of the mixer settings. Every front panel setting
(except for the TRIM control and HPF Filter that are in the Analogue section of
the console) can be saved into a Snapshot and recalled at a later stage.

Note that the MIDI CONTROLLER ID and Channel settings (see Section 3J Part

5.3) and TAPE TRIM settings (see Section 3J Part 5.7) are stored and recalled at
Snapshot level.

1

NEXT BUTTON

When pressed the NEXT button will increment the current Snapshot location by a
single numeric value i.e. if the last recalled Snapshot was 'SNAPSHOT#15' pressing
the NEXT button will instantly recall 'SNAPSHOT#16'. If the next Snapshot loca­tion is empty, the selected Snapshot location in the list will still be incremented by
one - put the LCD into SNAPSHOT mode to see this. This enables quick succes­sive Snapshot setup. If you have a number of consecutive empty Snapshot loca­tions, store into the first empty slot. Pressing NEXT will then move to the next
empty location allowing you to store the next Snapshot without having to refer to
the LCD to alter the location.

2

RECALL BUTTON

The RECALL button is used in conjunction with the SNAPSHOT button in the
MASTER section to recall a selected SNAPSHOT.

3

STORE BUTTON

Pressing the STORE button will store any changes made to the current SNAPSHOT
over the current SNAPSHOT or to another selected empty SNAPSHOT memory
location. The displayed Timecode reference is always stored with the snapshot.

Note: Please refer to Section 3J Part 2 for an in depth look at SNAPSHOTS

and how they work.

33HH

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GGRROOUUPP//
AAUUXX//FFXX

In this Section:

AUX/FX PRE button 60

GROUP LINK button 60

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1

AUX/FX PRE BUTTON

The AUX/FX PRE button is used for changing the PRE FADE/POST FADE status
of the AUX 1-4 sends and the FX 1-2 sends.

By holding down the AUX/FX PRE button the AUX 1, AUX 2, AUX 3, AUX 4, FX
1and FX 2 buttons in the ROTARY CONTROLS section can be toggled ON
(Illuminated) and OFF.

When illuminated the selected AUX or FX send is set to derive its signal PRE
FADER, and when not illuminated the AUX or FX send is set to derive its signal
POST FADER.

22

CHANNEL\GROUP LINK BUTTON

The CHANNEL\GROUP LINK button has two functions.

 Linking adjacent Groups to make them function as stereo pairs i.e. 1&2, 3&4,

5&6, 7&8

 Linking adjacent Channels to deal with stereo sources i.e. 1&2 or 17&18.

LINKING GROUPS

To link the GROUPS together hold down the CHANNEL\GROUP LINK button
and then press any of the ROUTE TO GROUP buttons 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 to make
the GROUP function as a STEREO GROUP.

Note: You can only link adjacent 'odd' and 'even' numbered Groups together i.e.

Group 1and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8 not Group 2 and 3, 4 and 5, 6
and 7.

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LINKING CHANNELS

To link Channels together hold down the GROUP CHANNEL\LINK button, and
then press the SELECT button on one of the two Channels you want to link.

For example if you want to link Channels 15 and 16 press the SELECT button on
either Channel 15 or 16 whilst holding down the GROUP LINK button.

Note: You can only link adjacent 'ODD' and 'EVEN' numbered Channels

together, for example - Channel 1 & 2, 3 & 4, 5 & 6 etc.

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33II

TTrraannssppoorrtt
CCoonnttrrooll
PPaanneell

In this Section:

Overview 64

Timecode Display 64

STO 1 button 64

STO 2 button 64

PLAY button 65

STOP button 65

FAST FORWARD button 65

REWIND button 65

RECORD button 65

LOC 1 button 65

LOC 2 button 66

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When the LCD is in
SNAPSHOT mode, by
pressing the and
cursor keys
simultaneously you can
return the displayed
Snapshot list to Snapshot
#1.

OVERVIEW

The TRANSPORT CONTROL panel is used in conjunction with the TAPE
MACHINE SETUP page found in the 328's MENU section (See Section 3J Part

5.13).

The buttons found in the TRANSPORT CONTROL panel can be used for
controlling external recording devices that have been connected via the MIDI
ports or for controlling the playback of the internal MTC (MIDI Time Code).

1

TIMECODE DISPLAY

The TIMECODE DISPLAY window shows either the 328's own internal Timecode
value, or the Timecode value from an external MTC (MIDI Timecode) or LTC
(Longitudinal Timecode/SMPTE) source. The Timecode value is represented in
Hours, Minutes, Seconds and Frames.

2

STO 1

The STO 1 button is used for storing a time location point to the LOC 1 button.
When the STO 1 button is pressed the current time displayed in the TIMECODE
DISPLAY screen will be stored to the LOC 1 button.

3

STO 2

The STO 2 button is used for storing a time location point to the LOC 2 button.
When the STO 2 button is pressed the current time displayed in the TIMECODE
DISPLAY screen will be stored to the LOC 2 button.

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4

þþ

PLAY BUTTON

The PLAY button will start playback of an external device connected via the MIDI
or RS422 ports, or it can be used to start playback of the 328's own internal
Timecode when acting as a timecode master device, as configured in the TAPE
MACH SETUP page in the MENU section (see Section 3J Part 5.13).

5

àà

STOP BUTTON

The STOP button will stop playback of an external device connected via the MIDI
or RS422 ports, or it can be used to stop playback of the 328's own internal
Timecode when acting as a timecode master device, as configured in the TAPE
MACH SETUP page in the MENU section (see Section 3J Part 5.13).

6

þþþþ

FAST FORWARD BUTTON

The FAST FORWARD button will put an external device connected via the MIDI
or RS422 ports into FAST FORWARD mode, or it can be used to FAST
FORWARD the 328's own internal Timecode when acting as a timecode master
device, as configured in the TAPE MACH SETUP page in the MENU section (see
Section 3J Part 5.13).

7

REWIND BUTTON

The REWIND button will put an external device connected via the MIDI or RS422
ports into REWIND mode, or it can be used to REWIND the 328's own internal
Timecode when acting as a timecode master device, as configured in the TAPE
MACH SETUP page in the MENU section (see Section 3J Part 5.13).

8

ÝÝ

RECORD BUTTON

The RECORD button will put an external device connected via the MIDI or RS422
ports into RECORD mode.

9

LOC 1

When the LOC 1 button is pressed, a command will be transmitted from the MIDI
Out and RS 422 ports to a connected recording device requesting it to locate to
the assigned Timecode Address (see Section 3J Part 5.13). The Timecode
Display will also indicate the LOC 1 Timecode address.

þþþþ

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0

LOC 2

When the LOC 2 button is pressed, a command will be transmitted from the MIDI
Out and RS 422 ports to a connected recording device requesting it to locate to
the assigned Timecode Address (see Section 3J Part 5.13). The Timecode
Display will also indicate the LOC 2 Timecode address.

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33JJ

TThhee MMaasstteerr

SSeeccttiioonn

In this Section:

Overview 68

Part 1 - The SELECT button and it's applications 69

Part 2 - The SNAPSHOT button 71

Part 3 - Lexicon FX processors 76

Part 4 - Dynamics processors 82

Part 5 - The MENU button 90

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OVERVIEW

The Master Section contains a LCD display, and the only Menus required for
operating the 328 (other than those from your nearest Take Away food vendor!)
The Menus are used mainly for setup and library purposes only so don't get
worried!

The Master Section also includes the PARAM encoder control and the

st

arrow keys, which illuminate to show you where to go.

A lot of important functions are found in the Master Section so we recommend
that you take a good look through this part of the User guide which has been
broken down into four areas:

Part 1 - The SELECT button and it's applications
Part 2 - SNAPSHOTS
Part 3 - DYNAMICS
Part 4 - LEXICON FX Processors
Part 5 - The MENU Button

Let's take a closer look.

PART 1 ­THE SELECT BUTTON AND IT'S
APPLICATIONS

1

SELECT BUTTON

When the SELECT button is pressed the LCD display will show detailed
information about control settings and functions for all of the ROTARY
CONTROLS allowing very precise adjustment of any parameter.

EXAMPLE 1

If you want to set the PAN position of Channel 11 and 12 to be exactly opposite
i.e. for stereo applications try the following.

 Press the SELECT Button

 Press the PAN button in the ROTARY CONTROLS section.

 The LCD will display

or similar, depending on which input channel is currently selected.

 Make sure that the MIC/LINE 1-16 button is selected in the FADER BANK.

 Adjust the ROTARY CONTROL above Channel 11 to the desired PAN setting,

e.g. LFT 20 - you will see the adjustment on the LCD display.

 Adjust the ROTARY CONTROL above Channel 12 to the desired PAN setting,

e.g. RGT 20

Note: You can also use the PARAM encoder and the arrow keys to

adjust the PAN settings.

EXAMPLE 2

Let's assume you want to see the adjustments made to the EQ on Channel 26.

 Make sure that the SELECT button is selected.

 Make sure that TAPE 17-32 is selected in the FADER BANK (this will give us

access to Channel 26)

 Press the Channel SELECT button for TAPE 26 in the SELECT panel, this will

assign the 'E-Strip' to Channel 26.

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 Now adjust the EQ using either the LF, MID or HF EQ controls in the 'E-Strip'

 On the LCD display, you will be able to see the adjustments being made to the

chosen parameter.

Note: You can also use the PARAM encoder and the arrow keys to

adjust the EQ settings.

CHANNEL NAMING

While in the SELECT mode individual channels can be renamed for storing as part
of a USER SETUP. This is useful for remembering how different sources where
connected to the 328 in the absence of a track sheet!

The following channels can be renamed - MIC/LINE 1-16, TAPE 17-32, STE 1and
2, FX RTN 1 and 2.

 Press the SELECT button in the MASTER section to enter the SELECT mode.

 Press the SELECT button for the channel you wish to rename. The currently

selected channel should be listed in the top line of the LCD display

 Now press the ENTER/YES button, the bottom line of the LCD display will

show

 Use the arrow keys to select the character you want to change and

the PARAM encoder to select the appropriate number or letter.

 When complete press the ENTER/YES key to store the new name or the

EXIT/NO button to abort.

Note: Channel names are not stored with a SNAPSHOT and so will be

common to any SNAPSHOT recalled. To save different channel name
setups use the USER SETUPS libraries.

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PART 2 ­THE SNAPSHOT BUTTON

Pressing the SNAPSHOT button

2

assigns the LCD display to show

information about the desk's 100 SNAPSHOT memories.

Using the PARAM encoder and/or the

st

arrow keys, SNAPSHOT memories

can be selected for recall, storing or editing.

The SNAPSHOT button works in conjunction with the SNAPSHOTS panel (which
is described in Section E - 'SOLO CONTROL and SNAPSHOTS')

When the SNAPSHOT button is pressed the PARAM encoder and the

st

arrow
keys are used to choose the desired SNAPSHOT memory location. The STORE,
RECALL and NEXT buttons in the SNAPSHOTS panel are used for the following
purpose:

 STORE - Stores current mixer settings to the SNAPSHOT memory location

shown in the LCD display.

 RECALL - Recalls the SNAPSHOT memory location shown in the LCD display

 NEXT - Recalls the next SNAPSHOT memory location after the currently

selected one. For example: if SNAPSHOT 13 is currently active, pressing the
NEXT button will recall SNAPSHOT 14. If the Snapshot location is empty,

the display will highlight the slot but will not recall any data.

USING SNAPSHOTS

Being able to store SNAPSHOTS of all of the 328 settings (except the TRIM and
HPF settings as these are found in the analogue side of the mixer) is very useful for
both recording and live sound applications.

 Recording

SNAPSHOTS can be used during the mix down process to function as a few
'extra hands' allowing you to mute or un-mute Channels, change Fader
positions, FX settings or EQ settings etc. against incoming MTC LTC coming
from a recording device. This means that precise changes can programmed to
occur at the same time, every time.

A typical example would be muting the lead vocal in places where the vocalist
is not singing, to remove headphone spill, and save you having to use one of
your Noise Gates!

A full explanation of SNAPSHOT automation using Timecode and MIDI
Program Changes is found in the AUTOMATION section of this User Guide.
See Section 4 Part 1.

 Live Sound

SNAPSHOTS can be very useful in Live Sound applications where the mixer
needs to be completely reset in a short space of time, or the same settings
need to be reused over and over again.

A complete evening's worth of mixer setups could be stored into the 328's
SNAPSHOT memories and recalled simply by using the NEXT button.

For festivals, each band could be sound checked and all individual settings
stored in the 328 for later recall - no more pieces of paper with setup
information scribbled on them and no time to reset the desk!

These are just a couple of the many different applications for using SNAPSHOT
recall.

SNAPSHOT MEMORY LOCATIONS

There are 100 SNAPSHOT memory locations in the 328 and each memory
location can be given a Name and Timecode value. SNAPSHOTS can also have
WRITE PROTRECTION applied to prevent the accidental overwriting of existing
settings.

STORING SNAPSHOTS

 Press the SNAPSHOT button - the LCD display will now show the

SNAPSHOT Menu. The flashing line represents the SNAPSHOT location to
which the new information will be stored.

 Using either the

st

arrow keys or the PARAM encoder, select an empty

SNAPSHOT memory location.

 Press the STORE button in the SNAPSHOTS panel - the LCD display will

briefly show the message 'SAVED SNAPSHOT' and confirmation of the
memory location number to which the SNAPSHOT has been saved.

 Once the confirmation message has cleared, the stored Snapshot will be visible

in the Snapshot list:

Note: You do not need to have the SNAPSHOT list active in the LCD to use the

switches in the Snapshot Panel- the STORE, RECALL and NEXT switches
are continually active. The Snapshot location should be checked if you
wish to avoid overwriting previously stored data, however.

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If you have a number of
consecutive empty
Snapshot locations ­press NEXT to prepare
the next location in
which to store the next
Snapshot

NAMING A SNAPSHOT

 Press the SNAPSHOT button to enter the SNAPSHOT menu.

 Using either the

st

arrow keys or the PARAM encoder, select the

SNAPSHOT memory location number that you want to name - it will flash.

 Press the RECALL button in the SNAPSHOTS panel to recall the chosen

SNAPSHOT.

 Press the ENTER button to enter the edit mode.

 There are four different edit modes, and the bottom line of the LCD display

will default to show the last editing parameter that was used. The choices are:

1. ID :SNAPSHOT#XX Used for giving the SNAPSHOT an ID

name.

2. Time: - - : - - : - - : - - Used for giving the SNAPSHOT a

Timecode value.

3. MIDI Recall: On/Off Used for enabling/disabling MIDI Recall of

SNAPSHOTS.

4. Write Prot: On/Off Used for enabling/disabling WRITE

PROTECTION of SNAPSHOTS.

 Use the

st

arrow keys to step through to the ID naming page.

 the LCD will now display:

 You may now enter a 12-character name using the arrow keys to

navigate and the PARAM encoder to select the letter or number you want to
use.

 When you are finished, press the ENTER key to store the name.

Characters can be deleted in the following ways:

 To delete the selected character and move the cursor one character to the

right, press and hold the cursor key and press the cursor key once for

each character to be deleted

 To delete the selected character and move the cursor one character to the left,

press and hold the cursor key and press the cursor key once for each
character to be deleted

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You can use the ENTER
button to edit the
selected SNAPSHOT
with out recalling it first
with the RECALL button
in the SNAPSHOTS
panel. (This way you can
edit the NAME and/or
TIME VALUE of a
SNAPSHOT while
another SNAPSHOT is
active on the mixer)

GIVING A SNAPSHOT A TIMECODE VALUE

MANUALLY

 Use the same procedure as above for naming SNAPSHOTS but once you are

into the edit mode use the

st

arrow keys to select the Time page.

 You may now use the arrow keys to select Hours, Minutes, Seconds

or Frames, and the PARAM encoder to set the Timecode value for the
SNAPSHOT.

 When you are finished, press the ENTER key to store the Timecode value.

AUTOMATICALLY ('ON THE FLY')

 Whilst the the Timecode display is running - either internally or slaved to an

external MTC (MIDI Timecode) or LTC (SMPTE Timecode) source - press the
STORE button in the SNAPSHOTS panel.

 The current Timecode address will be stored to the active SNAPSHOT at the

point when the STORE button was pressed.

ENABLING SNAPSHOT RECALL BY MIDI PROGRAM CHANGES

Individual Snapshots can be configured to be recalled when an appropriate MIDI
Program Change is received at the MIDI In port (see User Options to configure
the MIDI channel).

 Use the same procedure as above for naming SNAPSHOTS but once you are

into the edit mode use the

st

arrow keys to select the MIDI Recall page.

 You may now use the PARAM encoder to set the MIDI Recall function ON or

OFF.

 When you are finished, press the ENTER key to store the MIDI Recall setting.

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Pressing the and
cursor keys
simultaneously while this
page is active in the LCD
will reset the assigned
Timecode value to

--:--:--:--.

Snapshots are recalled against the following MIDI Program Changes:

Note: The MIDI RECALL switch in the Snapshot Setup menu must be set to

ON in order to recall snapshots with remote MIDI Program Change
messages (see Section 3J Part 5.15).

Note: Recalling a Snapshot with MIDI RECALL set to ON will transmit the

associated MIDI Program Change (see above) from the MIDI Out port,
enabling you to record Snapshot recall into a MIDI sequencer.

ENABLING WRITE PROTECTION FOR A SNAPSHOT

 Use the same procedure as above for naming SNAPSHOTS but once you are

into the edit mode use the

st

arrow keys to select the Write Prot page.

 You may now use the PARAM encoder to set the Write Protect function ON

or OFF.

 When you are finished, press the ENTER key to store the MIDI Recall setting.

When Write Protect is enabled for a Snapshot, attempting to store to that location
will display a confirmation message on the LCD. Press ENTER/YES to confirm the
store or EXIT/NO to cancel.

DELETING SNAPSHOTS

If your 328 has no <EMPTY> SNAPSHOT memories left, you can either over
write existing memories (if they are not WRITE PROTECTED) or clear them.

 Select the SNAPSHOT you want to delete by using the

st

arrow keys or the

PARAM encoder.

 Press the EXIT/NO button and the LCD screen will display

 Press the ENTER/YES button to delete the selected SNAPSHOT.

 The LCD display will now indicate that the location is again <EMPTY>

Note: For further information regarding global SNAPSHOT setup, please refer

to Section 3J Part 5.15 in the MENU section.

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When the LCD is in
SNAPSHOT mode, by
pressing the and
cursor keys
simultaneously you can
return the displayed
Snapshot list to Snapshot
#1.

PART 3 ­LEXICON FX PROCESSORS

Overview

The 328 includes two superb sounding Lexicon FX Processors which include various
different FX including Hall Reverbs, Plate Reverbs, Flanger, Multi Tap Delay,
Resonator, Inverse Reverb, Gate and Chorus.

These FX processors can make a huge difference to the sound of your mixes and
are essential for getting a professional sounding result.

The FX processors work in the same way as external processing units, but without
the need to go through unnecessary A/D and D/A conversion stages.

The FX processors are fed from the FX-1and FX-2 ROTARY CONTROLS found in
the E-STRIP and the processed signals are returned to the mix by using the FX-1 and
FX-2 ROTARY CONTROLS in the FX RETURNS panel.

The FX-1 and FX-2 sends can be configured to be POST or PRE Fade by using the
AUX/FX PRE button found in the GROUP/AUX/FX panel (see Section 3H).

Okay let's take a closer look.

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THE FX MENUS

To access the 4 main FX Menus press the DYN/FX button

3

.

The

st

arrow keys and the PARAM encoder can now be used to scroll through

the 8 FX and Dynamics Menus shown on the LCD display, as follows:

FX 1 PRESETS
FX 2 PRESETS
FX 1 SETTINGS
FX 2 SETTINGS
DYN 1 GATE (or COMPRESSOR, COMPRESSOR/GATE, LIMITER,

LIMITER/GATE)

DYN 2 GATE (or COMPRESSOR, COMPRESSOR/GATE, LIMITER,

LIMITER/GATE)
DYN 1 PRESETS
DYN 2 PRESETS

For now let's just look at the first four Menus which deal with the FX Processors.
The last four Menus deal with the Dynamics Processors and are described in
Section 3J Part 4.

FX 1/2 SETTINGS MENU AND FX 1/2 PRESETS MENU -

THE DIFFERENCE.

The FX SETTINGS Menu is where the 8 basic FX blocks reside out of which all of
the variations found in the FX PRESETS Menus are built.

These 8 basic FX blocks are made up of the following FX - Hall Reverb, Plate

Reverb, Flanger, Multi Tap Delay, Resonator, Inverse Reverb, Gate and
Chorus.

To clarify what we mean by this, let's assume you know what you are doing when
it comes to creating your own FX settings, and you know you want a straight
forward Hall Reverb with a Reverb time of around 2.5 seconds.

You would go straight to the FX 1 or 2 Settings Menu and select the basic Hall
Reverb and adjust the parameters accordingly.

On the other hand if you prefer someone else to do the work for you then great,
because we have taken the basic FX blocks described above, and created a whole
load of different variations for you to use!

You would go straight to the Factory Presets in the FX 1/2 Presets Menu and
simply scroll through until you find something that works for you. You can still
adjust the parameters of the Factory Presets if you want to fine tune the effect for
your own mix.

CHOOSING EFFECT FROM THE FX 1 OR FX 2 PRESETS

MENU

Press the DYN/FX button to enter the DYN/FX Menus.

Use the

st

arrow keys or the PARAM encoder to scroll through the LCD dis-

play and choose either the FX 1 Presets or FX 2 Presets Menu.

Press the ENTER/YES key once.

The LCD display will now show:

Use the arrow keys to select 'Factory' and press the ENTER/YES button.

You will now be in the Factory Presets Menu and can scroll through the various
types of effects until you find something that you like.

Once you have made a choice press the ENTER/YES button to load the effect into
the FX Settings menu.

Note: Selecting a Factory or User Preset automatically loads the parameters

into the relevant FX Settings menu. After you have pressed ENTER/YES
to load a preset, the LCD will display the FX SETTINGS menu, with the
preset's parameters loaded.

HEARING THE CHOSEN EFFECT

Now that you have successfully loaded your chosen effect you will want to apply it
to a signal so that you can hear it.

Press the MIC/LINE button in the SELECT Panel above the Channel faders for the
Channel you wish to apply the effect to.

As a safety measure press the MASTERS button in the FADER BANK panel, and
make sure that the FX 1 Master fader (Fader #14) is placed at unity gain (0dB).
By default, Meter Follow is set to ON in the User Options menu and so the meter
bank should follow your FADER BANK selection. If Meter Follow has been set to
OFF, press the MASTERS button in the METER BANK so that you can see the FX
1 output level on the FX 1meter.

Now turn the FX 1 ROTARY CONTROL on the selected Channel and you should
see signal appearing on the FX 1 output meter.

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Continue to turn the ROTARY CONTROL until a reasonable level is seen on the
meter (aim to have no more than the top 2 ORANGE LEDs lighting permanently,
and the top RED LED flicking on occasionally with the loudest peaks in the signal.
Now gradually turn up the ROTARY CONTROL for the FX 1 return in the FX
RETURN panel.

You should now hear the effect on your monitors.

Note: If you are not hearing any signal, check that the FX 1 return in the FX

RETURN panel is routed to the Mix outputs. To do this press the
SELECT button below the FX 1 return ROTARY CONTROL and check
that the ROUTE TO MIX button is illuminated in the SELECT panel.

CREATING AND SAVING YOUR OWN EFFECTS.

Whilst we have tried our very best to give you a range of effects suitable for most
applications, it's very likely that you will want to create a few of your own and save
them for use on your own projects.

There are two ways to do this.

USING AN EXISTING FACTORY PRESET

Press the DYN/FX button to enter the DYN/FX menus.

Use the

st

arrow keys or the PARAM encoder to scroll through the LCD dis-

play and choose either the FX 1 Presets or FX 2 Presets menu.

Press the ENTER/YES key once.

The LCD display will now show:

Use the arrow keys to select 'Factory' and press the ENTER/YES button.

You will now be in the Factory Presets Menu and can scroll through the various
types of effects until you find something that you want to use as your basic starting
point.

Press ENTER/YES to load the chosen effect.

The LCD display will now show the parameters available.

NOTE: When an FX Preset is loaded, the settings stored within it are loaded

directly into the FX Settings menu, which the LCD displays immediately.

Use the

st

arrow keys to select the parameter you want to adjust, and the

PARAM encoder to adjust the chosen parameter.

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It is important that you
get a good high signal
level into the FX
processors to attain the
best signal to noise ratio.

STORING THE NEW EFFECT

To store the new effect, press the ENTER/YES button.

Use the PARAM encoder to select the destination for the FX PRESET. Unused
locations will be labeled <Emtpy>.

Press the ENTER/YES key to store the new effect in the chosen User effects
library. The LCD display will prompt you to name the effect.

Now use the arrow keys to select the character you want to change,

and the PARAM encoder to select the character.

Characters can be deleted in the following ways:

 To delete the selected character and move the cursor one character to the

right, press and hold the cursor key and press the cursor key once for
each character to be deleted

 To delete the selected character and move the cursor one character to the left,

press and hold the cursor key and press the cursor key once for each
character to be deleted

Once you are happy with your choice press the ENTER/YES button to store the
new name or EXIT/NO to abort.

To rename the preset at a later date you must highlight the preset within the User
Presets menu and press the and cursor keys simultaneously. Naming is
done in the same way.

CREATING A NEW EFFECT FROM THE FX 1

AND 2 SETTINGS MENU

Press the DYN/FX button to enter the DYN/FX menus.

Use the

st

arrow keys or the PARAM encoder to scroll through the LCD dis­play and choose either the FX 1 Settings or FX 2 Settings menu, depending on
which Lexicon FX unit you wish to edit.

Press the ENTER/YES key once.

The LCD display will now show <FX Algorithm> and one of the following
default effects - Hall Reverb, Plate Reverb, Flanger, Multi Tap Delay,
Resonator, Inverse Reverb, Gate and Chorus.

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Use the arrow keys to select the default effect that you would like to use

as a starting point.

Press ENTER/YES to load the chosen effect.

The LCD display will now show the parameters available.

Use the

st

arrow keys to select the parameter you want to adjust, and the

PARAM encoder to adjust the chosen parameter.

The effect should be stored in the same manner as described above.

DELETING FX PRESETS

Press the DYN/FX button to enter the DYN/FX menus.

Use the

st

arrow keys or the PARAM encoder to scroll through the LCD dis­play and select either the FX 1 Presets menu or the FX 2 Presets menu. Both lists
will reveal the stored FX Presets.

Press the ENTER/YES key once.

The LCD will display:

Use the cursor key to select 'User'.

Press the ENTER/YES key once.

With the PARAM encoder, select the FX Preset you wish to delete.

Press the EXIT/NO key.

The LCD will prompt to confirm the delete.

Press the ENTER/YES key to confirm the delete or press the EXIT/NO key to
abort.

The LCD will return to displaying the list of stored User FX Presets.

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PART 4 ­DYNAMICS PROCESSORS

Overview

Dynamics Processors are very useful tools for controlling audio signals and for
correcting the kind of problems that occur during live performances and recording
sessions. Think of them as the 'Swiss Army Knife' section of the 328, if there's a
problem on a signal regarding level or noise, this is where you go to try to sort it
out.

As well as controlling and correcting problematic audio signals, you can also use
the Dynamics Processors for purely creative effects as well - it's up to you!

The 328's two great sounding stereo Dynamics Processors on board can be
applied to any of the following signals.

 MIC/LINE channels 1- 16
 TAPE Channels 17-32
 STEREO INPUTS 1 or 2
 FX RETURNS 1 or 2
 MIX

The types of Dynamics Processor programs available are:

 Gate
 Compressor
 Compressor/Gate
 Limiter
 Limiter/Gate

Let's have a closer look

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If you want to send the
Oscillator tone to the
Group outputs, first
assign the Oscillator to
one of the two Stereo
Inputs (STE-1or STE-2)
and then route the
Stereo Input to the
Group Outputs.

GATE

A Gate - sometimes referred to as a 'Noise Gate' - is primarily designed to keep
out unwanted noise from entering the mixing console, although it can also be used
for creative purposes as well.

The Gate has a 'Threshold' setting that determines how loud a signal needs to be
in order to keep the Gate open. If the signal drops below the Threshold level, the
gate will close and no signal will pass through it.

This is very useful for many applications such as removing hum and crackle noise
from guitar amps when they are mic'ed up, or for avoiding spill between the
microphones on a drum kit.
Let's take a more detailed look at the parameters found in the 328's Gate.

SCH (Source Channel or Side Chain)

SCH determines which channel will be routed ('patched') into the Gate.

The following channels can be selected using the PARAM encoder: Channels 1-32,
Stereo #1 or #2, FX Return 1or 2 and Mix. When using a Stereo channel or an
FX Return channel as a source channel, the left - right signals are mono-summed
on input into the Dynamics Processor. If the source channel is linked (see Section
3H) the input to the Dynamics Processor remains mono.

THRESHOLD

Threshold determines at what level the Gate will close. Any signal above the
Threshold level will pass through the Gate unaffected, but any signal below the
Threshold level will not be able to pass through the Gate.

The Threshold level can be adjusted using the PARAM encoder from - 60dB to
0dB.

ATTACK

Attack determines how quickly the gate will open once the signal rises above the
Threshold level. Attack times will sound very different depending on what type of
signal is being processed. Fast Attack times work well on percussive instruments
such as snare drums, but not so well on less percussive sounds. Adjust the Attack
time to get the most natural result for the signal being processed.

The Attack time is adjustable from 0ms to 150ms using the PARAM encoder.

HOLD

Hold determines how long the Gate remains open after the signal has fallen below
the threshold level. This is useful for allowing for example a reverb tail on a signal
that is being Gated to be heard.

The Hold time is adjustable from 1ms to 500ms using the PARAM encoder

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DECAY

Decay determines how quickly the Gate closes after the Hold time is complete. If
the Gate closes to quickly the end of a signal may get 'chopped' off. A longer
Decay time will allow the natural decay off a signal to pass through the Gate
before it shuts.

The Decay time is adjustable from 10ms to 10.0s using the PARAM encoder.

DEPTH

Depth determines the level to which the signal is attenuated when the gate closes.
This is useful for reducing the level of the signal slightly instead of cutting it
completely. A setting of -80dB would mute the signal completely whereas a
setting of 0dB would have no effect at all. Any setting between these two
extremes can be used to progressively reduce the signal without cutting it
completely.

The Depth is adjustable from -80dB to 0dB using the PARAM encoder.

COMPRESSOR

A Compressor is designed to control the level of a signal automatically. It's a bit
like having an automatic hand that can pull down a fader very quickly if a signal
suddenly gets a little to loud.

The Compressor has a Threshold setting which determines what level the signal
has to reach before the Compressor starts to reduce the level.

Let's take a closer look at the 328's Compressor.

SCH (Source Channel or Side Chain)

SCH determines which mono or stereo signal will be routed ('patched') into the
Compressor.

The following channels can be selected using the PARAM encoder: Channels 1-32,
Stereo #1 or #2, FX Return 1or 2 and Mix.

KNEE

There are two Knee settings namely Hard Knee and Soft Knee that can be
selected using the PARAM encoder. If Hard Knee is selected the Compressor will
immediately begin to operate when the Threshold level is reached.

With Soft Knee selected the Compressor will begin to work a short while before
the Threshold level is reached, creating a smoother, more natural sounding
transition from the uncompressed signal to a compressed one.

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THRESHOLD

Threshold determines the level at which the Compressor will begin to apply gain
reduction. Signals above the Threshold level will be reduced by the amount set
using the Ratio setting (see below). Signals below the Threshold level will pass
through the Compressor unaffected.

The Threshold level can be adjusted using the PARAM encoder from - 60dB to
0dB.

RATIO

Ratio determines how much the signal is reduced by once it has passed the
Threshold level. For a Ratio setting of 5:1, a 10dB change in input level above the
threshold setting will result in a 2dB change in the output level. With a Ratio
setting of 2:1 a 10dB change in input level above the threshold setting will result in
a 5dB change in the output level. The higher the Ratio setting the more noticeable
the compression will be.

The Ratio setting can be adjusted from 1:1 through to 15:1 using the PARAM
encoder.

ATTACK

Attack determines the speed at which the Compressor begins to apply gain
reduction to the signal after the Threshold level is passed. Fast Attack times will
make the Compressor act almost instantaneously. Slow Attack times will cause
the Compressor to apply gain reduction more gradually.

The Attack time can be adjusted from 1ms to 500ms using the PARAM encoder.

RELEASE

Release determines the speed at which Compression is removed once the signal
has fallen back below the Threshold level. A fast Release time will cause
Compression to be removed almost instantaneously, where as a slow Release time
will remove Compression gradually.

The Release time can be adjusted from 10ms to 10.0s using the PARAM encoder.

MAKEUP

When a signal is compressed, the louder passages are reduced causing the average
level of the signal to be reduced. The Makeup control can be used to bring the
average level of the signal back to where it was previously.

The Makeup control can also be used to attenuate the signal if required.

The Makeup control has a range of -12dB to +12dB.

COMPRESSOR/GATE

When selected, the dynamics processor offers both a Compressor and a Gate,
configured serially. An input signal is processed firstly by the Compressor and then
the Gate, as below, with the Compressor Make Up Gain acting post Gate.

The parameters available are identical to those found in the Compressor and Gate
algorithms.

This is a very useful function for applications such as micing snare drums, where
you may want to compress the snare drum - to control it's dynamics - but have a
Gate operating on it as well to prevent other drum sounds bleeding into the snare
drum microphone.

LIMITER

A Limiter is very similar to a Compressor but uses a very high fixed Ratio setting.
The editable parameters are identical to those available when a Compressor is
selected, except for the fixed Ratio setting.

LIMITER/GATE

When selected, the dynamics processor offers both a Limiter and a Gate,
configured serially. An input signal is processed firstly by the Limiter and then the
Gate, as below, with the Limiter Make Up Gain acting post Gate.

The parameters available are identical to those found in the Limiter and Gate
algorithms.

USING THE DYNAMICS PROCESSORS

The Dynamics Processors found on the 328 are very useful for both corrective
and creative purposes.

The following section describes how to apply the Dynamics Processors to signals.

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Note: The SCH parameter has two functions.

In most applications you will select a Channel to be processed using the
SCH parameter (e.g. Channel 3 - Bass Guitar), and the output of the
chosen Dynamics Processor will automatically be routed back to the
same channel. This is the same as using an insert cable on the channel of
an analogue console, which loops the signal to and from an outboard
Dynamics Processor.

Alternatively the SCH parameter can be derived from one channel (e.g
Channel 3 - Bass Guitar) but the output of the Dynamics Processor can
be applied to a different channel.

ASSIGNING THE DYNAMICS PROCESSORS

In this example we will apply a Compressor to Channel 5.

Press the DYN/FX

3

button

Use the

st

arrow keys or the PARAM encoder to scroll through the LCD dis­play and choose either the DYN 1 or DYN 2 menu.

The currently active Dynamics Processor will be listed after the DYN 1 or DYN 2
prefix - e.g. DYN 1 Limiter, meaning that Dynamics Processor 1 currently has a
Limiter assigned to it.

Press the ENTER/YES key.

The LCD display will now show the currently active Dynamics Processor for
Dynamics Unit 1 or * Bypass *

Note: By default, the Dynamics Processors are bypassed. Pressing the

arrow keys together while any Dynamics menu page is active will toggle
the * Bypass * function on and off. This determines whether or not the
currently selected Dynamics Processor is active or bypassed.

The LCD should still be displaying the Change Algorithm prompt. To change the
algorithm to Gate, Compressor, Compressor/Gate, Limiter or Limiter/Gate, press
ENTER/YES and use the st arrow keys or PARAM encoder to set the required
algorithm and press ENTER/YES again to confirm.

Use the

st

arrow keys to select the SCH: Channel # XX parameter.

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Now use the PARAM encoder to select Channel # 05 and press the
ENTER/YES button to store your choice. (The choices available are: Channels #
01-32, Stereo # 1 or 2, FX Return # 1 or 2 and Mix)

Use the

st

arrow keys to step through the different Compressor parameters
(described in detail above) and the PARAM encoder to adjust the selected
parameter.

To view Gain Reduction or Gate Open/Close press the DYNAMICS button (to
the top left of the main stereo output meters) and the meters will now show
either Gain Reduction or Gate Open/Close for DYN 1 and DYN 2 respectively.

 Gain Reduction will be shown as a descending dB reading.
 Gate Open/Close is represented by the upper most LED on the output

meters (RED) illuminating to show that the Gate is closed.

Press and hold the DYNAMICS button (Query mode) to check that the
Compressor has been automatically assigned back to Mic/Line Channel 5. The
green select button in the SELECT panel below the E-Strip should be illuminated.

Note: While the DYNAMICS button is held down (Query Mode), other

Channels may be selected using their SELECT buttons, to be assigned to
the output of the Compressor. This feature allows the effect of a noise
gate sourced from one channel to be applied to another, destination
channel, even without being applied to the original source channel.

SAVING A DYNAMICS PROCESSOR TO THE DYN 1 OR 2

PRESETS LIBRARIES

Once you have followed the above procedure for loading and editing a
Compressor you may well want to store the settings for recall at a later stage.

Note: The DYN 1 Presets and DYN 2 Presets libraries are the same i.e. when a

Dynamics Processor is saved it will automatically be saved to both
libraries.

Follow the above procedure to get to the Menu where the Compressor's
parameters can be adjusted (You can only save the Compressor's settings from this
Menu.)

Once you are happy with the adjustments you have made to the Compressor and
are ready to store them, press the ENTER/YES button.

The ENTER/YES and the EXIT/NO button will begin to flash.

The LCD display will read

and the library number will be displayed below this.

You can now use the

st

arrow keys or the PARAM encoder to select a library

number (1 - 64).

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