User's Manual

Hook-up/Back panel Analog Controls Digital Controls
19
Mono Channel Strips.
All these massed knobs and
buttons makes the top of a mixer
look somewhat like a Boeing 
airplane cockpit. But never fear.
It's more simple than it looks.
Each strip is the same controls
repeated in long, tall rows.
With the exception of the fader,
you will probably set the con-
trols on each channel strip just
once before your event (during
the sound check when you do
the all-important Level Setting
procedure.)
Gain Control.
We’ve already
covered this con-
trol somewhat in
the Level Setting
Procedure, which
is its primary
use. The rotary
control sets the
level of the signal
entering the channel. For weak
signals, you turn it clockwise;
overly strong signals, counter-
clockwise. You get your cues
from the Main L/R meter levels.
Stay around dB.
HPF (High Pass Filter)
The High Pass Filter,
also called a Low Cut
Filter, reduces fre-
quencies under Hz (lowest
bass).There are a lot of reasons
to do this.
All have to do with cutting
out “rumble”. Rumble happens
through bad mic handling, reso-
nance from a flimsy stage, trucks
driving by, air conditioning rum-
ble, wind noise if you’re perform-
ing outside, herds of stampeding
elephants, among other things.
Rumble can suck a lot of pow-
er from your PA system. Even
if your system is capable repro-
ducing under-Hz sound, it’s
generally boomy, unpleasant and
muddles your overall PA sound.
If your system doesn’t do well
reproducing ultra-low frequen-
cies,
HPF lets the PA sound better
above Hz.
While helping edit this
manual Greg said we
were being too gentle.
According to him HPF
should be used ALL THE
TIME on ALL CHANNELS
except low bass stu
such as kick drums, bass
guitar, etc.
Comp (Compressor)
and indicator.
Think of the
Compressor as
an automatic
volume control.
Until recently
this incredibly
useful tool was not available on
analog mixers, We didn’t invent
“one-knob” compression, but we
think we did a better job of it.
Compression is the process
of lessening the dynamic range
between the loudest and quiet-
est parts of an audio signal. This
is done by reducing the louder
signals.
It is truly useful on vocal and
bass guitar.
Consider the example of a tim-
id lead vocal where some words
and phrases are sung more quiet-
ly or mumbled. A “normal” fader
setting will “lose” the vocalist
when they get quiet.
But if you raise the level so that
Analog Controls