ALESIS GIGAMIX 6FX - Manual (Page 3)

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GIGAMIX OWNER’S MANUAL
Before making any power connections, make sure the GigaMix’s power switch is turned off.
• Plug the female end of the power cable into the GigaMix’s power socket.
• Plug the male (plug) end into a properly grounded power outlet.
Making Audio Connections
Start by making sure the GigaMix’s power switch is turned off. Then use either 1/4” or XLR
cables to connect your instruments and microphones to the GigaMix. After this, you may
connect speakers to the GigaMix. There are several ways to do this:
• Main (house) speakers. Connect two cables from the GigaMix’s two rear outputs to a
matched set of speakers. For optimal power output, the total rated load of the speakers
attached to these outputs should be 4 ohms.
Note: the front panel Main Output jack(s) are not powered, and may be used to run the
Main mix into another mixer for recording purposes.
• Powered monitors (GigaMix 6FX and -8FX only). If you want to use the GigaMix to
send a separate amplified signal to your monitors, first you must make sure that the front-
panel Power Amp Mode switch is set to MAIN-MON. Then connect a cable from the
GigaMix’s rear-panel Speaker Output 2 directly to the monitor speaker. It will carry the
Monitor mix level.
Note: You may daisy-chain several speakers, if necessary, as long as the total rated load of
the speakers attached to this output is no lower than 4 ohms.
• Unpowered monitors (all models). If you want to use an external amplifier to power
your monitors, connect a cable from the GigaMix’s front-panel Monitor Output jack to
a high-quality amplifier. Then connect the output of that amplifier to one or more monitor
speakers according to the instructions in the amplifier’s manual.
Connecting a CD or Tape Player
To run pre-recorded music through the GigaMix to the main outputs, plug the left and right
audio outputs of your source device into the 2-Track Return jacks. Control the level of the
music with the 2-TRACK RETURN LEVEL knob in the Main section.
To capture the performance on a recording device, connect two cables from the 2-Track
Send
jacks to the audio inputs of the destination device. Adjust the recording level using the
destination device’s input controls.
Connecting External Effects
To use an external effects device such as a reverb or chorus, connect an audio cable from the
Effects Send
jack of the GigaMix to the input of the external effects device. Then run an
audio cable from the output of the effects device to one of the Effect Return input jacks
on the GigaMix. If your external effects device has stereo outputs, use two cables to connect
the left and right outputs of that device to the Effect Return jacks on the GigaMix.
The level sent to the external device is controlled by each channel’s EFFECT knob. The
amount of external effect coming back to the GigaMix is controlled by a combination of the
controls on the external effects device and the EFFECT RETURN controls for the Main and
Monitor sections of the GigaMix.
Note: Plugging a cable into the Effect Send jack will disable the built-in digital effects of
the GigaMix.
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Channel Operation
Setting levels (mic/line channels). Plug the cable into the appropriate input jack. If
you are using a microphone or an instrument with a low output level (such as an acoustic
guitar), pressing the +30dB switch will give you an extra measure of pre-amplification. After
this is set properly, control the volume of the input with the LEVEL knob.
Setting levels (dual-line channels).
Plug the cable(s) into the appropriate input jack(s).
After this is done, control the volume of the input with the LEVEL knob.
Pan position
(GigaMix 8FX only). Set the stereo placement of the input device using the
PAN knob.
Effect level.
Dial in the desired amount of effects (reverb, chorus, etc.) using the EFFECT
knob. The effects are post-fader, which means that as the input level is increased, the amount
of signal being sent to the effects will also increase. If you want to increase the level of the
instrument, you may need to turn down the EFFECT knob.
If you want to use an external effect device, plug a cable into the Effect Send jack. (This
will disable the built-in digital effects of the GigaMix.) Then connect the outputs of the
external device to the Effect Return jacks on the GigaMix.
Monitor level.
To control the amount of a given channel being sent to the Monitor
Output jack, use the MON knob. If the Power Amp Mode button is set to MAIN-MON
(up), this signal will be sent to the Speaker Output 2 jack on the rear panel as well.
Equalizer controls.
There are three knobs in the EQ section for each channel: HI, MID,
and LO. These give you the ability to shape the sound of each channel individually before it
is sent to the outputs.
Operating the Effects Section
Selecting the effects program. The GigaMix has 100 different effect programs from
which to choose. They are arranged into categories for ease of location. To select a new
program, turn the knob next to the PROGRAM display. When you reach the desired number,
push the knob to call up the new program.
Bypassing the effects.
To hear what the mix sounds like without effects, press the
BYPASS button. The yellow LED will light to indicate that the effects are bypassed. To bring
the effects back in, press the button again.
Note: You may also use a footswitch to bypass the effects. To do so, plug a footswitch into
the EFFECT BYPASS/FOOTSWITCH jack at the bottom middle area of the front panel.
Effects Clip/Signal LEDs.
If you are using the built-in effects, make sure the combined
effect settings of each channel are lighting the green LED (Signal) but not lighting the red
LED (Clip). If the signal into the effects is clipping, reduce the setting of the EFFECT
knobs for one or more channels.