Tapco MIX-100 Owners manual

CAUTION AVIS

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RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE

NE PAS OUVRIR

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK) NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE

REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL

ATTENTION: POUR EVITER LES RISQUES DE CHOC

ELECTRIQUE, NE PAS ENLEVER LE COUVERCLE. AUCUN

ENTRETIEN DE PIECES INTERIEURES PAR L'USAGER. CONFIER

L'ENTRETIEN AU PERSONNEL QUALIFIE.

AVIS: POUR EVITER LES RISQUES D'INCENDIE OU

D'ELECTROCUTION, N'EXPOSEZ PAS CET ARTICLE

A LA PLUIE OU A L'HUMIDITE

The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons. Le symbole éclair avec point de flèche à l'intérieur d'un triangle équilatéral est utilisé pour alerter l'utilisateur de la présence à l'intérieur du coffret de “voltage dangereux” non isolé d'ampleur suffisante pour constituer un risque d'éléctrocution.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user of the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance. Le point d'exclamation à l'intérieur d'un triangle équilatéral est employé pour alerter les utilisateurs de la présence d'instructions importantes pour le fonctionnement et l'entretien (service) dans le livret d'instruction accom

nant l'appareil.

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

1. Read these instructions.

2. Keep these instructions.

3. Heed all warnings.

4. Follow all instructions.

5. Do not use this apparatus near water.

6. Clean only with a dry cloth.

7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance

with the manufacturer’s instructions.

8. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including ampliﬁ ers) that produce heat.

9. 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 thrid prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not ﬁ t into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

10. Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.

11. Only use attachments/accessories speciﬁ ed by the manufacturer.

12. Use only with a cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table speciﬁ ed 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.

PORTABLE CART WARNING

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

13. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.

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

15. This apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or splashing, and no object ﬁ lled with liquids, such as vases, shall be placed on the apparatus.

16. This apparatus has been designed with Class-I construction and must be connected to a mains socket outlet with a protective earthing connection (the third grounding prong).

17. This apparatus has been equipped with a single-pole rockerstyle AC mains power switch. This switch is located on the front panel and should remain readily accessible to the user.

18. This apparatus does not exceed the Class A/Class B (whichever is applicable) limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus as set out in the radio interference regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.

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

18. Exposure to extremely high noise levels may cause permanent hearing loss. Individuals vary considerably in susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss, but nearly everyone will lose some hearing if exposed to suﬃ ciently intense noise for a period of time. The U.S. Government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has speciﬁ ed the permissible noise level exposures shown in the following chart.

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

Duration Per Day Sound Level dBA, Typical In Hours Slow Response Example

8 90 Packed garage concert 6 92 4 95 VW Bus Peace Train 3 97 2 100 Cranked psychedelic tunes

1.5 102 1 105 High speed chase on C.H.I.P.s

0.5 110

0.25 or less 115 Loudest parts at a Heavy Metal

WARNING — To reduce the risk

of ﬁ re or electric shock, do not

expose this appliance to rain or

moisture.

CONTENTS

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

GETTING STARTED ............................................................ 4

INTRODUCTION .................................................................. 6

HOOKUP DIAGRAMS ........................................................ 7

MIX SERIES FEATURES .................................................... 8

CHANNEL INPUTS ....................................................... 8

CHANNEL CONTROLS ............................................. 8

AUX RETURN SECTION .......................................... 10

TAPE SECTION ............................................................ 10

MAIN SECTION ........................................................... 12

OUTPUT CONNECTIONS .................................... 13

REAR PANEL FEATURES ....................................... 14

APPENDIX A: SERVICE INFORMATION .............. 15

APPENDIX B: CONNECTIONS .................................16

APPENDIX C: MIX SERIES SPECIFICATIONS .. 17

Block Diagram Mix.50 ............................................... 19

Block Diagram Mix.60 ............................................... 20

Block Diagram Mix.100 ............................................ 21

Block Diagram Mix.120 ............................................ 22

TAPCO LIMITED WARRANTY ................................... 23

Don’t forget to visit our website at www.tapcogear.com

for more information about this and other TAPCO products.

What me, read a manual?

Before you begin, please make sure you read the Safety Instructions on page 2 and Getting Started on

page 4.

Your new TAPCO seen as a sign of weakness to read a manual, along with asking for directions when lost, but maybe you can read the rest when nobody is looking.

It is important to keep your receipt in a safe place, and not a bad idea to write your product information here for future reference (i.e., insurance claims, tech support, return authorization, etc.).

MIX Series mixer is designed to set up quickly and operate easily. We know it’s often

Product Serial #:

Purchased at:

Date of purchase:

GETTING STARTED

The following steps will help you set up your mixer, and get the levels and adjustments just right.

ZERO THE CONTROLS:

1. Leave the POWER cord disconnected from the

MIX Series mixer.

2. Turn down the channel strip GAIN, AUX SEND,

and LEVEL controls.

3. Center the channel strip EQ and PAN/BAL

controls.

4. Turn down the MASTER AUX SEND and CTRL

ROOM/PHONES controls.

5. Leave all switches out (up).

6. Turn down the MAIN MIX control.

CONNECTIONS:

1. Connect your speakers to your ampliﬁ er’s outputs

(unless, of course, you have powered speakers).

3. Using TR or TRS cables, make connections from

your mixer’s MAIN OUT to your ampliﬁ cation system’s line inputs.

4. Connect your microphones and instruments to

the mixer: Connect microphones to the mono channel MIC INPUT jacks. (For condenser microphones, engage the PHANTOM POWER switch — not available on the Mix.50.) Connect line-level signal sources to the LINE input jacks.

Note: Normally, you would plug in only one

microphone or one instrument into each mono channel.

5. Zero the controls, as described above.

6. Connect the power cord supplied with your mixer

to the POWER connection on the back and plug it into an AC outlet properly conﬁ gured for your model.

7. Plug all other sound system components into

suitable AC outlets, properly grounded and capable of delivering adequate current.

8. Turn all the power switches on, leaving the

speaker’s ampliﬁ er’s switch for last.

Note: There is no power switch on the MIX Series

mixers. They are powered up as soon as they are plugged in to an AC outlet.

9. Turn up the MAIN MIX control to the 9 o’clock

position (for the Mix.50 and Mix.60) or to the –10 mark (for the Mix.100 and Mix.120), for now. We’ll crank it up later on.

10.

Now you are ready to set the levels.

SET THE LEVELS (Mic/Line Channels):

1. Choose one of the microphones or instruments

you connected to the mono MIC or LINE input. Make some noise. If it’s a microphone, sing at your normal singing volume. If it’s an instrument, play it at its normal output level.

2. While making noise, turn up that channel’s GAIN until the PEAK LED (next to the PAN control) starts blinking.

3. Raise that channel’s LEVEL to unity gain (U label). You should be hearing your noise now.

4. If necessary, apply channel EQ changes. (You may need to compensate for level changes afterward with the channel LEVEL control.)

5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 for the other Mic/Line channel(s).

6. Stop making noise. Everyone: start making music.

7. Now turn up the MAIN MIX control to a

comfortable listening level.

SET THE LEVELS (Stereo Line Channels):

1. Make some noise with the mono or stereo

instrument connected to the LINE IN jacks on a stereo line-input channel.

2. Adjust the line-input signal level at the source until the PEAK LED (next to the PAN control) starts blinking.

Note: The Mix.50 does not have PEAK LEDs on

its two stereo channels. In that case, set the input signal to its normal operating level, but listen for any signs of distortion. If the signal sounds distorted (and not on purpose!), then turn down the input signal at the source.

3. Raise that channel’s LEVEL control until it is approximately equal in volume to the microphones or instruments connected to channels 1 and 2.

4. If necessary, apply channel EQ changes. (You may need to compensate for level changes afterward with the channel LEVEL control.)

5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 for the remaining stereo channels.

BAL/UNBAL

MONO

BAL/UNBAL

MONO

BAL/UNBAL

MONO

BAL/UNBAL

MONO

FX TO

CTRL

ROOM

L R

OUT

SEND

MAX

PHANTOM 48

SEN

INPU

T/OUTPU

TAPE

CTRL

RM /

PHONES

TAPE

MIX

+15

INPUT

L/UNBA

INPUT

L/UNBA

+15

-15

+15

-15

+15

-15

+15

-15

+15

-15

+15

-15

2.5kH

12kHkH

80H

2.5kH

12kHkH

80H

75H

SEND

+15

75H

SEND

+15

SEND

+15

-10

SEND

+15

-10

SEND

+15

-10

SEND

+15

-10

PEA

+15

OUT

-2

POWE

L R

BABAL/UNBA

-15

75H

MIC

INPUT

+15

LINE

GAIN

HIGH

MID

2.5kH

LOW

80H

AUX

SEND

PAN

PEA

LEVEL

INPUT

BABAL/UNBA

-15

75H

MIC

LINE

GAIN

+15

2.5kH

+15

AUX

SEND

+15

PAN

LEVEL

+15

MAIN OUT

MONO

BAL/UNBAL

LINE

3/4

MONO

BAL/UNBAL

LINE

5/6

TAPE MAIN

HIGH

MID

LOW

80H

PEA

CD/TAPE

INPU

T/OUTPU

-10 U

OUT

AUX

SEND

+15

BAL

PEA

LEVEL

+15

TAP E

MIX

TAP E

RM /

FX TO

CTRL

ROOM

CTRL

PHONES

5/63/4 7/8 9/10

AUX

-10

SEND

+15

BAL

PEA

LEVEL

+15

CTRL RM OUT

MONO

BAL/UNBAL

LINE

7/8

PHANTOM 48

MAX

CTRL ROOM/

PHONES

AUX

-10

SEND

+15

BAL

PEA

LEVEL

9/10

MONO

BAL/UNBAL

LINE

POWE

+15

AUX

SEND

AUX

-10

SEND

+15

BAL

LEVEL

+15

PEA

AUX SEN

PHONES

-2

MAIN MIX

A FEW PRECAUTIONS:

•

Never listen to loud music for prolonged periods. Please see the Safety Instructions on page 2 for information on hearing protection.

• Never plug ampliﬁ er speaker-level outputs into anything except speakers.

• Never use guitar cables to connect ampliﬁ ers to speakers.

• Before making connections to an external ampliﬁ er, or reconﬁ guring an amp’s routing, turn the amp’s level (gain) controls down, turn the power oﬀ , make the changes, turn the power back on, and then turn the level controls back up.

• When you shut down your equipment, turn oﬀ any external ampliﬁ ers ﬁ rst. When powering up, turn on the ampliﬁ ers last.

• Save the shipping box and packing material! The box can also be turned into a unique hat, lunch box, or handbag to accessorize your mixer.

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for choosing a TAPCO MIX Series mixer. The TAPCO family of mixers hails back to the days of TAPCO Corporation, Greg Mackie’s ﬁ rst company. TAPCO revolutionized the audio industry back in 1969 with the very ﬁ rst 6-channel mixer speciﬁ cally designed for keyboards and rock ‘N’ roll PA.

The ﬁ rst TAPCO mixer, although primitive by today’s standards, was truly innovative for its time. It had the headroom to handle screaming singers, was priced for the pocketbook of starving psychedelic musical neophytes, and durable enough to withstand mammoth levels of wear and tear on the road, and at nowlegendary concerts.

In essence, TAPCO re-deﬁ ned the price performance ratio and made high-quality professional audio mixers accessible to virtually anyone. Today, TAPCO is reborn with the same ideals and is backed by the world-class engineering and manufacturing horsepower of LOUD Technologies.

These compact mixers are perfect for small to medium-sized live sound reinforcement applications, keyboards and synths, video, and small-project studio applications.

HERE’S A QUICK GLANCE AT ALL THE FEATURES PACKED INTO THESE MIXERS:

Mono mic/line channels:

• Variable input trim (0 to +50 dB)

•

Phantom power, globally switched (except Mix.50)

• Level Set/PEAK indicator LED

• XLR microphone input jack

• 1/4" TRS line-input jack

• Post-fader aux send (except Mix.50)

• 3-band EQ (2-band EQ on Mix.50)

• 75 Hz low-cut ﬁ lter (Mix.100/Mix.120 only)

• Pan control

• Rotary level control

Stereo line channels:

• Left and right 1/4" TRS line input jacks

• +4/–10 input level switch (Mix.100/Mix.120 only)

• Post-fader aux send (except Mix.50)

• 3-band EQ (Mix.60 only)

• Balance control

• Rotary level control

Master section:

• Rotary stereo Main Mix control (Mix.50/Mix.60)

• 60mm fader Main Mix control (Mix.100/Mix.120)

• Balanced 1/4" TRS stereo main outputs

• 4-segment stereo LED VU metering

• 1/4" TRS Aux Send with rotary level control

(except Mix.50)

• Stereo RCA tape out and tape in

• Master +48V phantom power switch with LED indicator (except Mix.50)

• Left and Right 1/4" TRS Control Room outputs and stereo 1/4" Phones output with rotary level control (Phones only on Mix.50)

• Tape to Control Room/Phones switch (Tape to Phones on Mix.50)

• FX to Control Room switch (Mix.100/Mix.120 only)

• Tape to Mix switch

• Power LED indicator

• Inter-Planetary Space Drive control

• OK, we made that last one up, but we can pencil it in for next time

-15

INPUT

L/UNBA

INPUT

L/UNBA

INPUT

MONO

L/UNBA

MONO

OUT

RETURN

OUT

SEN

+15

-15

2.5kH

12kHkH

INPU

T/OUTPU

2.5kH

12kHkH

2.5kH

12kHkH

2.5kH

12kHkH

OUT

80H

TAPE TO

CTRL RM /

PHONES

TAPE TO

MIX

80H

+15

-15

+15

-15

+15

-15

+15

-15

+15

-15

+15

-15

INPUT

L/UNBA

INPUT

L/UNBA

INPUT

MONO

L/UNBA

MONO

OUT

RETURN

OUT

SEN

+15

-15

2.5kH

12kHkH

INPU

T/OUTPU

2.5kH

12kHkH

2.5kH

12kHkH

2.5kH

12kHkH

OUT

80H

TAPE TO

CTRL RM /

PHONES

TAPE TO

MIX

80H

+15

-15

+15

-15

+15

-15

+15

-15

+15

-15

+15

-15

HOOKUP DIAGRAMS

Small Club Gig

Microphones 1 and 2

Mono in/Stereo out Reverb (optional)

MIC

INPUT

BABAL/UNBA

LINE

GAIN

-15

2 3/4 5/6

HIGH

+15

-15

MID

2.5kH

+1+15-15

-15

U U U

LOW

80H

Computer set-up

MIC

INPUT

BABAL/UNBA

+15

LINE

GAIN

HIGH

2.5kH

LOW

80H

MID

MONO

STEREO AUX

MONO

L/UNBA

L BABAL/UNBA

HIGH

MID

2.5kH

LOW

80H

5/6

CTRL RM

LINE

OUT

HIGH

+15

-15

MID

2.5kH

+15

-15

LOW

80H

LINE

3/4

+15

-15

+15

-15

Drum MachineKeyboard

TAP E

TAPE T O

CTRL RM /

PHONES

TAPE T O

MIX

MAIN

CD Player

MAIN

OUT

RETURN

INPU

AUX SEN

PHONES

CD/TAPE

T/OUTPU

Active Speakers (Mackie SRM450s)

OUT

Headphones

DAT Recorder

Sound Card

Mackie HR824 or other

Microphone

Active Studio Monitors

MIC

LINE

GAIN

MIC

INPUT

BABAL/UNBA

LINE

GAIN

INPUT

BABAL/UNBA

MONO

L/UNBA

L BABAL/UNBA

3/4

LINE

5/6

CTRL RM

OUT

MONO

MAIN

OUT

STEREO AUX

RETURN

AUX SEN

PHONES

LINE

LINE OUT

MIC

Note: Push down the TAPE TO CTRL RM/PHONES (18) switch to listen to the sound card output in the control room speakers and

Guitar

-15

U U U

HIGH

+15

MID

2.5kH

+1+15-15

LOW

80H

2 3/4 5/6

-15

+15

2.5kH

HIGH

MID

LOW

80H

HIGH

+15

-15

MID

2.5kH

+15

-15

LOW

80H

TAP E

HIGH

TAPE T O

+15

CTRL RM /

PHONES

MID

2.5kH

TAPE T O

+15

MIX

LOW

80H

MAIN

ININOUT

CD/TAPE

INPU

T/OUTPU

Headphones

headphones. Leave it up to listen to the main mix. Do not press the TAPE TO MIX (21) switch, or there will be feedback.

Drum Machine

INPUT

L/UNBA

INPUT

L/UNBA

INPUT

MONO

L/UNBA

MONO

OUT

RETURN

OUT

SEN

1 1

MIC

INPUT

BABAL/UNBA

LINE

GAIN

MIC

INPUT

BABAL/UNBA

LINE

GAIN

MONO

STEREO AUX

RETURN

MONO

L/UNBA

L BABAL/UNBA

AUX SEN

3/4

LINE

5/6

LINE

CTRL RM

OUT

MAIN

OUT

PHONES

MIX SERIES FEATURES

CHANNEL INPUTS

1. MIC (MICROPHONE) INPUTS

The MIX Series is equipped with one or more rugged, low-noise, phantom-powered microphone preampliﬁ ers, providing up to 50 dB of crystal-clear ampliﬁ cation. Their balanced circuitry rejects all manner of extraneous interference. Professional condenser, dynamic, and ribbon mics all sound excellent through these XLR inputs.

You can plug in almost any kind of balanced mic that has a standard XLR-type male mic connector. See Appendix B for more information on XLR connectors.

The MIX Series provides +48 VDC phantom powering on pins 2 and 3 of the mono channels’ XLR MIC inputs (except Mix.50). This can be turned on and oﬀ using the PHANTOM (19) switch.

CAUTION: DO NOT connect a linelevel device to a MIC input with the phantom power switched on. This could damage the device. Use the

LINE IN (2) jacks instead. Do not use phantom power with tube or ribbon microphones, as this may cause damage.

2. LINE INPUTS

These inputs can accept 1/4" TRS balanced and TS unbalanced plugs from any line-level instrument, eﬀ ects device, or tape player. They can be driven by virtually any line-level signal, from –45 dBu up to +18 dBu.

There are two line-inputs for each stereo channel, a left and a right. When connecting a stereo device (two cords), use both the left (mono) input and the right input.

When connecting a mono device (just one cord), always use the left (mono) input and plug nothing into the right input. A trick called “jack normalling” causes the signal to appear on both sides.

3. GAIN CONTROL

If you haven’t already, please read “SET THE LEVELS” on page 4.

The GAIN control adjusts the input sensitivity of the MIC and LINE inputs. This allows signals from the outside world to be adjusted to optimal internal operating levels.

The GAIN control provides 50 dB of gain with the knob fully up.

4. PEAK LED

This handy LED (Light Emitting Diode) lets you know that the signals going into the mixer are adjusted to the correct level, not too strong to cause distortion and not too weak to be lost in noise.

After you connect a microphone or line-level component to the mixer, do a sound test and adjust the GAIN control until this handy LED ﬂ ickers just occasionally. If it is glowing constantly, turn the GAIN down. If the LED is doing almost nothing, turn it up.

CHANNEL CONTROLS

The channel strips have various controls, depending on the model and whether it is a mic/line (mono) channel or a stereo channel.

The output from each channel strip passes on to the left and right main mix. An auxiliary signal can be tapped oﬀ and sent to monitors or processors (except Mix.50). The block diagrams on pages 19-22 show how the signal ﬂ ows through each mixer.

+ 16 hidden pages