User Guide

17
tial. Unbalanced circuit connections require
only two conductors (signal “hot” and ground).
Unbalanced audio circuitry is less expensive to
build, but under certain circumstances is more
susceptible to noise pickup.
unity gain
A circuit or system that has its voltage gain
adjusted to be one, or unity. A signal will leave
a unity gain circuit at the same level at which it
entered – no amplification, but no loss either.
In Mackie mixers, unity gain is achieved by set-
ting all variable controls to the marked and usu-
ally detented “U” setting. Mackie mixers are
optimized for best headroom and noise figures
with all gain stages beyond the preamp set at
unity gain.
V
VLZ
Acronym for very low impedance, a Mackie
design principle. VLZ is one of the most impor-
tant reasons why inherent noise levels on
Mackie mixing boards are so minuscule. Ther-
mal noise is generated in all real world elec-
tronic components that have impedance. By
keeping the impedances within the mixer cir-
cuitry low, Mackie keeps internal noise to a
minimum.
volume
The sound level in an audio system. Perhaps
the only thing that some bands have too much
of.
VRMS
Acronym for Volts Root Mean Square. See
RMS.
W
wet
A signal with added reverberation or other
effect like echo, delay or chorusing.
X
XDR
Acronym for eXtended Dynamic Range. XDR
is collection of Mackie circuit design elements
which contribute to the low noise, high head-
room mic preamp circuit employed on many
Mackie mixers.
XLR connector
See Cannon.
Y
Y-Cable
A cable with one input and two outputs, used
to mult a source to two inputs.
Z
Z
The electrical symbol for impedance.
zymurgy
The science of brewing, an important part of
Mackie technology since the factory is located
less than a mile from the Red Hook brewery.
Besides, we needed something other than just
plain “Z” to put in this A-to-Z glossary.