MACKIE M3000 - Manual (Page 5)

5
Owner’s Manual
Owner’
s Manual
Getting Started
READ THIS PAGE!!
Even if you’re one of those people
who never read manuals, all we ask
is that you read this page now before
you begin using the M-Series power
amplifier. You’ll be glad you did!
IMPORTANT: The amplifier draws
its ventilation air in from the rear
and out through the front panel. It
needs plenty of fresh air to stay cool.
DO NOT BLOCK THE VENTILATION
PORTS!
Connections and Settings
1. Turn down the channel Gain controls.
2. Set the 150 Hz X-OVER switches to FULL.
3. Set the LIMIT switches ON.
4. Turn the POWER switch off.
5. Determine which AMP MODE is best for your ap-
plication.
• STEREO mode (separate left and right inputs,
separate left and right outputs) is the typical setup
for amplifying stereo signals.
• MONO mode (sometimes called Dual-Mono mode
— one mono input, two mono outputs) is for send-
ing a mono signal to two different speaker sets, with
separately-adjustable level controls.
• BRIDGE mode (sometimes called Bridged-Mono
— one mono input, one mono output) uses both sides
of the amp to double the power to one speaker set.
Note: 4 ohms is the minimum impedance you
should connect to the amplifier in BRIDGE mode (2
ohms in MONO or STEREO modes). If you connect
a lower impedance load, the SHORT LEDs may
light, putting the amplifier into PROTECT mode.
Set the AMP MODE switch accordingly.
6. In STEREO mode, connect line-level cables from
your signal source to the M-Series amplifier’s INPUT
jacks, either XLR, TRS, or screw terminals:
• All the inputs and thru jacks for each channel
are wired in parallel.
• The balanced XLR inputs are wired
pin 2 = hot (+), pin 3 = cold (–) and
pin 1 = shield (ground).
• The 1/4" TRS inputs are wired tip = hot (+),
ring = cold (–) and sleeve = shield (ground), and
can accept either balanced (TRS) or unbalanced
(TS) cables.
• The screw terminal inputs are wired as indicated:
hot (+), cold (–), and ground (GND).
7. In MONO and BRIDGE modes, the signals appear-
ing at Channel 1 and Channel 2 inputs are summed
together to create a mono signal.
8. In STEREO and MONO modes, connect speaker
cables to the SPEAKER OUTPUTS, either binding
posts or Speakons®:
• The binding post connectors are wired red = hot
(+) and black = cold (–).
• The Speakon connectors are wired as follows:
Channel 1
pin 1+ = Ch 1 hot (+) and pin 1– = Ch 1 cold (–)
pin 2+ = Ch 2 hot (+) and pin 2– = Ch 2 cold (–)
Channel 2
pin 1+ = Ch 2 hot (+) and pin 1– = Ch 2 cold (–)
pin 2± = unused
BRIDGE
pin 1+ = hot (+) and pin 1– = cold (–)
pin 2± = unused
9. In BRIDGE mode, connect the binding post cable
like this: the hot (+) side goes to the CHANNEL 1
SPEAKER OUTPUTS red post and the cold (–) side
goes to the CHANNEL 2’s red post. Connect nothing
into the black posts.
10. Connect the other ends of the speaker cables to
your loudspeakers.
11. Plug the amplifier’s power cord into an outlet prop-
erly configured with the correct voltage for your
amplifier, and capable of delivering enough current
to reach full power.
12. Make sure your signal source (feeding the amplifier’s
inputs) is powered up and delivering signal to the amp.
13. Turn the amplifier’s POWER switch on and verify
that the signal present (SIG) LEDs are blinking.
14. Slowly turn both Gain controls up:
You should hear the music and see the SIG and
meter LEDs flashing. If the topmost LEDs (named
OL, for OverLoad) are flashing, turn down either
the Gain controls on the amp or the source signal’s
output level controls (i.e., master faders). The point
is: The OL LEDs should only occasionally light up.
Frequent lighting of the the OL LEDs indicates that
the amplifier is being driven too hard and clipping
distortion is likely audible.