MACKIE ONYX 1640I - Manual (Page 23)

Owner's Manual 23
58. AUX SENDS 1-6 to FW 9-14
This switch allows you to send a copy of the aux send
1-6 outputs via FireWire to a computer. The FireWire
output is affected by the channel aux send and master
aux send controls.
For example, you can set up a software effects
processor as follows:
• Set any aux send (auxes 1-6) in post mode, by
pressing the post switch in the aux master
section.
• With 'aux send 1-6 to FW 9-14' engaged, aux
sends 1-6 are available for your computer via
FireWire signals 9-14. (Mixer channels 9-14 are
no longer available to send via FireWire.)
• Pass aux 1-6 through your audio production
software running effects plug-ins.
• Return the processed output to mixer channels
1 and 2 (input switches set to FW 1 and FW 2).
• Alternatively bring the processed sounds into
the control room (engage FW 1-2) and add it to
the main mix (engage assign to main mix).
• You can even use the computer as up to six
separate mono in / stereo out processors. Have
aux 1 go into one plug-in, aux 2 into a different
one, and so on. The stereo outputs of all
plug-ins are combined back into the stereo
stream coming back in to the mixer.
Performance will vary based on system
hardware.
59. MASTER AUX RETURNS 1-4
These four controls set the overall level of effects
received from the stereo aux return 1-4 inputs [18].
These controls range from off to +10 db of gain when
fully clockwise, to compensate for low-level effects.
Signals passing through these controls go directly to
the main mix bus where they are combined with the
other channels.
60. EFX TO MON
These controls route the signal from aux returns 1
and 2 to the aux 5 and 6 sends. This allows you to use an
external effects device, like a reverb or delay,
exclusively for the monitors. When these controls are
turned up, the stereo effects return signal is summed
to mono and combined with the signals coming from all
the channel aux 5 and aux 6 send controls.
If you want to add reverb or delay to the stage monitor
mixes, these are the knobs for you. Operating
independently of their respectively numbered aux
returns level controls, these knobs are exactly the same
as the aux 5 and aux 6 knobs found in the channel strip.
These two knobs feed their respective stereo aux
return signals to a mono summing amp and then: to aux
5 feeds aux return 1 to aux send 5 master, and to aux
6 feeds aux return 2 to aux send 6 master. They are off
when turned fully down, and provide up to 10 dB gain
turned fully up.
61. AUX RETURN 3 SEND TO MAIN/SUBS
With this button up, aux return 3 behaves like the
other aux returns - it delivers a stereo signal, regulated
by its level knob, to the main mix. When you push this
button in, the aux return 3 signals are removed from the
main mix buses and sent to the subs 1-2 / 3-4 switch,
which diverts the signal once more. See below.
62. SUBS 1-2/3-4
If the aux return 3 send to main/subs button [61] is
up, the subs 1-2 / 3-4 button does absolutely nothing.
Let us now assume it is pushed down. Aux return 3's
stereo signal will not be sent to the main mix, but to the
subgroup faders 1 and 2 (subs 1-2 / 3-4 button up) or to
subgroup faders 3 and 4 (subs 1-2 / 3-4 button down).
Let us now assume that you made a stereo drum
submix on subgroup faders 1 and 2, so you can ride
those two faders instead of the seven channels that the
drums came from. Subgroup fader 1 has its assign to
main mix left button [70] engaged and subgroup fader
has its assign to main mix right button [70] engaged,
blending the drum submix back into the main mix [73].
The drum channels are also sending signals to your
reverb via the aux sends and the reverb outputs are
patched into aux return 3. So far, so good!
Even though you could send aux return 3 directly to
the main mix (aux return 3 send to main / subs button
up), you do not want to. Instead, engage the aux return
3 send to main / subs switch and make sure the subs 1-2
/ 3-4 switch is up. Now the reverb return is blended into
the drum submix, and as you ride the two subgroup
faders, the reverb level will follow.
Why do we want that? Because if you had just sent the
reverb directly to the main mix (aux return 3 send to
main / subs button up) and you did a drum fadeout
using the subgroup faders 1 and 2, the "dry" signals
would fade out, but the "wet" signals would continue.
All you would hear is the drum reverb (the "wet"), and
none of the original drum signals (the "dry"). That's
because the reverb is being fed by the channel's aux
send [35], and they have no idea that you have pulled
down the subgroup faders. That's why we added these
switches.