TM USER GUIDE 1
IMPORTANT Please read this manual carefully before using your mixer for the first time. © Harman International Industries Ltd. 2007 All rights reserved Parts of the design of this product may be protected by worldwide patents. Part No. ZM0357-02 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.
Contents SAFETY SYMBOL GUIDE IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS INTRODUCTION BLOCK DIAGRAM WIRING UP CONSOLE CONTROLS Lexicon® FX PROCESSOR USING YOUR CONSOLE APPLICATIONS MARKUP SHEET TYPICAL CONNECTING LEADS REPOSITIONING THE REAR PANEL FOR RACKMOUNTING DIMENSIONS FX16ii TYPICAL SPECIFICATIONS WARRANTY 5 6 8 9 10 14 22 31 33 41 42 44 45 46 47 3
SAFETY SYMBOL GUIDE For your own safety and to avoid invalidation of the warranty all text marked with these symbols should be read carefully. WARNINGS The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, is intended to alert the user to the presence of un-insulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS Read these instructions. Keep these instructions. Heed all warnings. Follow all instructions. Do not use this apparatus near water. Clean only with a dry cloth. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat. Do not defeat the safety purpose of a polarised or grounding type plug.
No naked flame sources, such as lighted candles, should be placed on the apparatus. Ventilation should not be impeded by covering the ventilation openings with items such as newspapers, table cloths, curtains etc. THIS APPARATUS MUST BE EARTHED. Under no circumstances should the safety earth be disconnected from the mains lead. The mains supply disconnect device is the mains plug. It must remain accessible so as to be readily operable when the apparatus is in use.
INTRODUCTION Thank you for purchasing a Soundcraft FX16ii mixer. Owning a Soundcraft console brings you the expertise and support of one of the industry’s leading manufacturers, and the results of nearly 3 decades of supporting some of the biggest names in the business. Our knowledge has been attained through working in close contact with leading professionals and institutes to bring you products designed to get the best possible results from your mixing.
BLOCK DIAGRAM 9
WIRING UP Mic Input The MIC input accepts XLR-type connectors and is designed to suit a wide range of BALANCED or UNBALANCED low-level signals, whether from delicate vocals requiring the best low-noise performance, or drum kits needing maximum headroom. Professional dynamic, condenser or ribbon mics are best because these will be LOW IMPEDANCE.
A ‘Y’ lead may be required to connect to equipment with separate send and return jacks as shown below: Stereo Returns 1 - 4 These accept 3-pole 6.35mm (1/4") jacks, or 2-pole mono jacks which will automatically ground the ‘cold’ input. Use these inputs for sources such as keyboards, drum machines, synths, tape machines or as returns from processing units.
Polarity (Phase) You will probably be familiar with the concept of polarity in electrical signals and this is of particular importance to balanced audio signals. Just as a balanced signal is highly effective at cancelling out unwanted interference, so two microphones picking up the same signal can cancel out, or cause serious degradation of the signal if one of the cables has the +ve and -ve wires reversed.
PROBLEM SOLVING Basic problem solving is within the scope of any user if a few basic rules are followed. • Get to know the Block Diagram of your console (see page 9). • Get to know what all controls and/or connections in the system are supposed to do. • Learn where to look for common trouble spots. The Block Diagram is a representative sketch of all the components of the console, showing how they connect together and how the signal flows through the system.
CONSOLE CONTROLS INPUT CHANNEL 1 Mic Input (Rear Connector Panel) The mic input accepts XLR-type connectors and is designed to suit a wide range of BALANCED or UNBALANCED signals. Professional dynamic, condenser or ribbon mics are best because these will be LOW IMPEDANCE. You can use low-cost HIGH IMPEDANCE mics, but the level of background noise will be higher. Unplug any mics if you want to use the LINE Input. The input level is set using the GAIN knob.
level to the output of the mixer. Note that some sound equipment, particularly that intended for domestic use, operates at a lower level (10dBV) than professional equipment and will therefore need a higher gain setting to give the same output level. See ‘Initial Setup’ on page 31 to learn how to set the GAIN correctly. 5 100Hz HI-PASS FILTER Pressing this switch activates a steep 18dB per octave filter which reduces the level of bass frequencies only.
9 PAN This control sets the amount of the channel signal feeding the MIX L & R or SUB L & R busses (see SUB & MIX below), allowing you to move the source smoothly across the stereo image. When the control is turned fully right or left you are able to route the signal at unity gain to either left or right outputs individually. A mono sum of the post-fader channel signal is also fed to the Mono output, unaffected by the position of the PAN control.
14 FADER The 100mm FADER allows precise balancing of the various source signals being mixed to the selected outputs. You get most control when the input Sensitivity is set up correctly, giving full travel on the fader. See the ‘Initial Setup’ section on page 31 for help in setting a suitable signal level. 15 DIRECT OUTPUT (Rear Connector Panel) Each channel has a dedicated Direct Output which allows direct connection to external devices, for example to feed Tape Machines or effects units.
MASTER SECTION 18
1 AUX MASTERS Each of the three AUX outputs has a master level control which sets the output level of the combined Aux signals from the channels, and an associated AFL switch. Just as the Channel PFL switches allow pre-fade listening, so you can monitor each AUX output after the level control by pressing the AFL switch (when PFL mode is selected by the SOLOMODE switch), allowing you to determine what level is leaving the output connector.
8 STEREO RETURNS Four balanced Stereo Returns are available for the outputs of effects units or other stereo sources and are mixed directly to the AUX and/or MIX/SUB busses at a level set by the respective controls. The left-hand control sets the level to a choice of AUX 1 or AUX 2 (AUX 3 or FX in the case of RET 4), depending on the postion of the adjacent switch. The right-hand control sets the level to MIX or SUB depending on the position of the adjacent switch (it is effectively a rotary fader).
When any SOLO or AFL switch is pressed, the L & R meters automatically switch to show the selected PFL/AFL signal on both meters, in mono. 16 MONITOR SOURCE SELECT These switches allow a choice source for the Phones, Monitor outputs and meters. Normally the monitor source is either MIX or SUB (or both, depending on which of the two right-hand switches is selected), but pressing the 2TK switch swaps the monitoring to the 2 Track input. When the switch is released the normal MIX/SUB selection is restored.
Lexicon® FX PROCESSOR The effects within the console have been designed with both live sound reinforcement and home recording in mind. Featuring the deep, rich reverb algorithms that Lexicon® are renowned for the effects processor offers increased versatility and high quality effects, all instantly accessible via the extremely intuitive front panel controls.
FX PROCESSOR CONTROLS 20 Tap Tempo Button - Tapping this button twice sets the Delay Time of the selected program. The LED flashes to indicate current tempo. Can be tapped in time with music source to synchronise the delay. 21 Store Button - Stores program modifications to one of the program locations. Press and hold for three seconds will store the preset in the current location. The LED will flash rapidly during the store operation and then stay illuminated for 1 second to show the operation is complete.
REVERBS Reverberation (or “reverb” for short) is the complex effect created by the way we perceive sound in an enclosed space. When sound waves encounter an object or boundary, they don’t just stop. Some of the sound is absorbed by the object, but most of the sound is reflected or is diffused. In an enclosed space, reverb is dependent on many features of that space, including the size, shape and the type of materials that line the walls.
(essentially the tail of the reverb) heard first, and then grows louder over time until they abruptly cut off. Ambience Reverb Ambience is used to simulate the effect of a small or medium sized room without noticeable decay. It is often used for voice, guitar or percussion. Studio Reverb Much like Room reverb, Studio produces an excellent simulation of smaller, well controlled acoustic spaces, characteristic of the main performance areas in recording studios.
Boing This is a unique parameter to the Spring reverb, designed to increase or decrease the amount of spring rattle that is a physical characteristic of spring tank reverbs. DELAYS Delays repeat a sound a short time after it first occurs. Delay becomes echo when the output is fed back into the input (feedback). This turns a single repeat into a series of repeats, each a little softer than the last. Studio Delay The Studio Delay features up to 2.
more repeats; lower settings reduce the number of repeats. When this knob is turned fully clockwise, it engages Repeat Hold – delay repeats play back in an infinite loop, but no further input signal is introduced into the delay effect. Repeat Hold is available only on Studio, Digital and Pong Delay. Ducker Threshold Studio and Digital delays offer a “ducking” feature, which causes the delay repeats to attenuate (or get softer) by -6dB when live (or input) signal is present.
Flanger This effect was originally created by simultaneously recording and playing back two identical programs on two tape recorders, then using hand pressure against the flange of the tape reels to slow down first one machine, then the other. The result was a series of changing phase cancellations and reinforcements, with characteristic swishing, tunneling, and fading sounds. Adjust 1: Speed Controls the modulation rate of the Flanger effect. Adjust 2: Depth Controls the intensity of the Flanger effect.
Vibrato Vibrato is obtained by smoothly varying the pitch of the signal just sharp and flat of the original at a determined rate. Vibrato Stereo (Wet only) Rotary Mono (Wet only) Tremolo/Pan Stereo (Wet only) Adjust 1: Speed Controls the modulation rate of Vibrato. Adjust 2: Depth Controls the maximum amount of pitch shift. Lower settings result in a mere “warble,” while higher settings produce a more exaggerated “wow” sound.
No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 NAME SMALL HALL LARGE HALL VOCAL HALL DRUM HALL SMALL PLATE LARGE PLATE VOCAL PLATE DRUM PLATE ROOM STUDIO CHAMBER AMBIENCE ARENA GATED REVERSE SPRING STUDIO DELAY DIGITAL DELAY TAPE DELAY PONG DELAY MOD DELAY REVERSE DELAY CHORUS FLANGER PHASER TREMELO/PAN ROTARY VIBRATO REV/DEL SHORT REV/DEL LONG PHASE DELAY ROTARY DELAY ADJUST1 PREDELAY PREDELAY PREDELAY PREDELAY PREDELAY PREDELAY PREDELAY PREDELAY PREDELAY PREDEL
USING YOUR CONSOLE The final output from your sound system can only ever be as good as the weakest link in the chain, and especially important is the quality of the source signal because this is the starting point of the chain. Just as you need to become familiar with the control functions of your mixer, so you must recognise the importance of correct choice of inputs, microphone placement and input channel settings.
• channels are added to the mix, the meters may move into the red section. Adjust the overall level using the Master Faders if necessary. Listen carefully for the characteristic sound of “feedback”. If you cannot achieve satisfactory input level setting without feedback, check microphone and speaker placement and repeat the exercise. If feedback persists, it may be necessary to use a Graphic Equaliser to reduce the system response at particular resonant frequencies.
APPLICATIONS APPLICATION 1 - LIVE SOUND REINFORCEMENT 33
APPLICATION 2 - RECORDING 34
APPLICATION 3 - INSTALLATION 35
APPLICATION 4 - PLACE OF WORSHIP 36
APPLICATION 5 - ON-LOCATION BROADCASTING 37
APPLICATION 6 - POST-PRODUCTION VIDEO EDITING 38
APPLICATION 7 - MULTIMEDIA 39
APPLICATION 8 - CONFERENCE PA 40
MARKUP SHEET You may freely copy this page, and use it to record the settings used for particular applications/gigs.
TYPICAL CONNECTING LEADS 42
1 Remove Connector Panel fixing screws. 2 Remove Cover Panel fixing screws. 3 Remove Frame Section fixing screws. 4 Remove Frame Section. 5 Swap Connector Panel and Cover Panel positions, leaving all internal cables connected. 6 Refit all items in reverse sequence, taking care that no internal cables are trapped beneath the panels. Before starting, disconnect all leads from the console, INCLUDING THE MAINS LEAD.
DIMENSIONS 45
FX16ii TYPICAL SPECIFICATIONS Frequency Response Mic / Line Input to any Output ..............................................+/-1dB, 20Hz – 20kHz T.H.D. Mic Sensitivity -30dBu, +14dBu @ Mix output ................................< 0.09% @ 1kHz Noise Mic Input E.I.N. (maximum gain) ..............................………..-127dBu (150Ω source) Aux, Mix and Masters (@ 0dB, faders down)......................................………< -84dBu Crosstalk (@ 1kHz) Channel Mute..................................................
WARRANTY 1 Soundcraft is a trading division 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.
