MACKIE

HOOK-UP
GUIDE

8•BUS
SERIES

OUR [IN]FAMOUS PRODUCT

HOOKUPS IN BYTE-SIZED MORSELS
Copyright © 2002 Mackie Designs Inc. All Rights Reserved.
 PRINTING NOTE: These pages were built 21cm wide (8.26in) by 27.94cm (11in) tall to
accommodate the printers of both our North American users and our users around the
globe. This PDF will print at 100% on both “Letter” sized and “A4” sized paper (with room in
the left margin for hole punching).

Hello and welcome to one of many download- If you don’t find the answers you’re after, then
able web editions of Mackie’s Product Hook-Up why not give our mighty Tech Support gang a
Guide. Since 1992, we’ve been including these call? These folks have tons of experience in the
helpful “connection maps” in our In Your Face real world, and they’ve got lots of equipment and
product guides, and we’ve been urged to continue mixers at their beck and call. They’re aching to
doing so because they’re so gosh-darned help- share their knowledge with you. (And calling them
ful. Now, we’ve split our hook-ups into product would be a very humanitarian thing to do — they’re
famlies, and made them available to you over this located in the dank sub-basement of our building
new-fangled “Internet” thingy that everyone is and they rarely get visitors. Your call just may be
talking about these days. the one that keeps their spirits alive.)
There will be documents that cover hooking Call Mackie Tech Support toll-free (in the U.S.)
up our compact VLZ® PRO Series, Analog 8•Bus at 800-258-6883 (Monday through Friday, 7 AM
Series consoles, CFX Series effects mixers, DFX to 5 PM Pacific Time) with any Mackie product-
Series compact effects mixers, the D8B digital question you can conjure. Put them through the
console, the HDR24/96 hard disk recorder, PPM wringer! We encourage it.
Series powered mixers, the FR Series amplifiers, Incidentally, the Mackie Product Hook-Up Guide
SR Series front-of-house mixers, and our Active (Web Editions) were put together from within the
loudspeakers. confines of the Mackie Digital Mosh Pit — located
Inside you’ll find lots of useful information on the second floor near the Area Of Refuge — by
— most likely your questions will be answered the well-meaning, super-preening Mackie Macin-
here. We realize that there’s no possible way to tosh Department. We used Adobe InDesign®,
cover every single question or application in so few Illustrator®, Photoshop®, and Acrobat® on a
pages because new ways to use Mackie products number of suped-up big daddy Macs.
are invented every day. You may come up with Oh yeah: Copyright © 2002 Mackie Designs Inc.
some ideas on how to do what you want by look- All Rights Reserved.
ing at the various diagrams we’ve included here. The following are trademarks or registered trade-
Keep in mind that a good half of the battle in marks of Mackie Designs Inc.: “MACKIE.”, the
hooking up our products is having the proper “Running Man” figure, VLZ, XDR, D8B, HUI, CFX
connections. Check the cables ’n’ plugs that you Series, FR Series, and HR Series.
already have with the diagrams on the next
page. We know it may look boring, but one of
these drawings could save your life. Well, maybe
not your life, but probably a lot of weeping and
sorrow. And don’t forget to check out the tech
tips/FAQs document also available for download
on the web at www.mackie.com/techsupport
 SET IT UP, AND GO!
A VISUAL COMMON KNOW YOUR
GUIDE PRO AUDIO PLUGS AND CONNECTORS PLUGS
TS Plug (mono) Balanced XLR

Standard mono/unbalanced phone

plug used for most mixer connections.

TRS Plug (stereo) Standard XLR microphone connector to be used

with mic-level.

RCA/Phono Plug
Tape deck connections
Standard stereo/balanced phone plug used for on most Mackie mixers.
balanced connections on Mackie mixers.

Insert “Y” Cable

The “Y” Cable is used for connecting serial effects the mixer). See (C) in “Insert Points” below.
devices, such as graphic equalizers or compressors, to a Partial insertion allows you to tap out of the channel or
Mackie mixer’s Channel or Bus insert jacks. On one end is bus circuit at that point in the circuit without interrupting
a standard Tip-Ring-Sleeve “stereo” plug. Its tip and ring normal operation.
are wired to separate mono Tip-Sleeve plugs. Note that If you push the 1/4" TS plug in to the second click, you
the RING of the TRS plug (A) is actually wired to the TIP of will open the jack switch and create a direct out, which does
one of the mono TS plugs (B). If you insert a TS (mono) interrupt the signal in that channel or bus circuit. See (D) in
1/4" plug only partially (to the first click) into an insert “Insert Points” above. Note: Do not overload or short-circuit
jack, the plug will not activate the jack switch and will not the signal you are tapping from the mixer. That will affect
break the insert connection in the circuit (thereby allowing the internal signal of the mixer.
the channel signal to continue on its merry way through

Insert Points Attention !

TS Plug (mono)
A
Direct out with no signal interruption to master. You may notice these effects unit hookups (Figure A)
Insert only to first “click.” throughout this applications guide. These hookups utilize
the Insert "Y" Cable (explained on the facing page).
TS Plug (mono)
B COMPRESSOR

OUT
Direct out with signal interruption to master. MIXER INSERT

Insert all the way in to the second “click.”

IN
TRS Plug (stereo)
Figure B is a closeup of Figure A. The two colors
represent the input and output traveling the length of the
For use as an effects loop. (TIP = SEND to effects "Y" cable. The dotted line represents the two signals
RING = RETURN from effects) travelling alongside one another.
 SET IT UP, AND GO!
VLZ PRO TRACKING
8•BUS

AUX SENDS BAL/UNBAL

AUX RETURNS
Delay2

Reverb2

Delay1

Reverb1

Keyboard
DIRECT OUT (BAL/UNBAL)
CHANNEL INSERTS

CHANNEL INPUTS

Drum Machine
Mono FX

Guitar

Mic 1-2
Stereo Compressor

OPTIONAL:
You can use 24 Direct Outs
as the signal source for your HDR24/96
hard disk recorder or three 8-track
Digital recorders. Then, route the signals
from the recorder(s) back to the
Tape Returns for mixdown.

Contuinued on
8•BUS TRACKING PART 1 next page
 Q: What does Mix-B do?
Mix-B is where your tape returns show up during
A: tracking. Select Mix-B as the control room source to
hear what's coming out of the recorder. Mix-B also allows
you to create a separate stereo mix for monitoring or
recording purposes. If you want to drop a live event to 2-
track, you can obtain a stereo mix for a recorder by using
this feature. You can start an overall monitor mix by using
the Mix-B outputs to feed an appropriate distributing
TAPE RETURNS

device and then send other instruments in independently.

Q: How do I use the Source

Button for Mix-B?
The Source button lets the Mix-B access signals
A: from two different places. You can use this as you
see fit depending on your current mixing situation. One
choice is to have it access the channel. This lets it receive
its information as the channel “hears” it. Whatever is in
the channel and is being manipulated by EQ, channel
inserts, or Low-Cut, will appear on that channel’s Mix-B.
The other option is to have Mix-B fed before all of the
channels’ processing power. If the Source switch is in the
Up or “Flip Switch” position, Mix-B will receive its signal
For the simplest recording solution, plug according to the position of the Flip Switch.
24 Submaster/Tape Outputs into one HDR24/96
hard disk recorder or three 8-track
Digital recorders. Then, route the signals
back to the Tape Returns for mixdown.
SUBMASTER/TAPE OUTPUTS

MIX-B OUT MAIN INSERTS

MAIN MIX

Stereo Compressor
Headphones
PHONES
STUDIO OUT

HR824s or other HR824s or other

BAL/UNBAL

BAL/UNBAL
C/R OUT

powered monitors powered monitors

EXTERNAL

2-TRACK
INPUT

INPUT

CD Player

MAIN BAL OUTPUTS

Contuinued from DAT Recorder

previous page 8•BUS TRACKING PART 2