Tapco Blend 16 manual

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Table of contents for the manual

  • Page 1

    #MFOE #MFOE o w n e r’ s m a n ua l 1 6 -CHANNEL 4 -BUS MIXER w/ O N B OA R D E F F E C T S[...]

  • Page 2

    2 SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS 1. Read these instructions. 2. Keep these instructions. 3. Heed all warnings. 4. Follow all instructions. 5. Do not use this apparatus near water . 6. Clean only with dry cloth. 7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’ s instructions. 8. Do not install near any heat sources such [...]

  • Page 3

    Part No. SW0426 Rev. A 08/2006 ©2006 LOUD T echnologies Inc. All Rights Reserved. 3 What me, read a manual? Before you begin, please make sure that you read the Safety Instructions on page 2 and Getting Started on page 4. One will help you keep safe, and the other will get you started using your new T APCO ® Blend 16 mixer . Y our new mixer is de[...]

  • Page 4

    4 G e t t i n g S t a r t e d The following steps will help you set up your mixer , and get the levels and adjustments just right. Please follow the instructions in the order they are presented, rather like following the instructions for mixing a lemon bundt cake, or running a nuclear power station, for example. ZERO THE CONSOLE: 1. T urn everythin[...]

  • Page 5

    5 9. Now that you have a rough mix going, you may need to readjust the MAIN MIX F ADER to a comfortable listening level. The meters should indicate by lighting most of the green LEDs when music is playing, and occasionally light the yellow. 10. Depending on how much time you have, keep tweaking. W alk the room to see how it sounds away from your mi[...]

  • Page 6

    6 Here’s a quick glance at all the features pac k ed into this mix er: 8 mono mic/line channels, with: • XLR microphone input jack • 1/4" TRS instrument input jack • 1/4" TRS insert jack • V ariable input gain with Level Set indicator LED • Low Cut switch • Phantom power (globally switched to all XLR) • 3-band EQ with vari[...]

  • Page 7

    7 LEFT RIGHT 1 2 3 4 SU B OUT S MA IN IN SE RT LEFT BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL TIP SEND / RING RETURN RIGHT CO NT ROL R M OU T US B IN/ OU T MA IN OU T RIGHT LEFT AUX SENDS LINE INPUT L R BAL OR UNBAL ( MONO ) MIC INPUT 12345678 INST INPUT INSERT 1 MO N 2 FX MIC INPUT INST INPUT INSERT MIC INPUT INST INPUT INSERT MIC INPUT INST INPUT INSERT MIC INPUT INST[...]

  • Page 8

    8 LEFT RIGHT 1 2 3 4 SUB OUTS MAI N INS ERT LEFT BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL TIP SEND / RING RETURN RIGHT CON TROL RM O UT USB IN/O UT MAI N OUT RIGHT LEFT AUX SENDS LINE INPUT L R BAL OR UNBAL ( MONO ) MIC INPUT 12345678 INST INPUT INSERT 1 MON 2 FX MIC INPUT INST INPUT INSERT MIC INPUT INST INPUT INSERT MIC INPUT INST INPUT INSERT MIC INPUT INST INPUT IN[...]

  • Page 9

    9 B l e n d 1 6 F e a t u r e s MONO CHANNELS Mono channels 1 to 8 allow adjustment of EQ, Pan, and Level for mono signals. The output from each channel strip can be assigned to the main mix and subgroups. Auxiliary signals can be tapped off and sent to Aux bus 1 (monitors) and Aux bus 2 (effects). The U symbol on most of the controls stands for ?[...]

  • Page 10

    10 8. MID FREQ EQ This adjusts the frequency of the MID EQ (9) control from 100 Hz to 8 kHz. This gives you great flexibility in shaping your sound. Listen carefully for its effect. 9. MID EQ T ur n this clockwise to boost the level of signals around the frequency set by the MID FREQ (8) control. T ur n it counter- clockwise to cut the levels. 10.[...]

  • Page 11

    11 For an example, suppose your band is per for ming on stage, and you hear something unusual (well, more unusual than normal). W ithout interrupting their per for mance, you can Solo each channel in turn, and listen in the headphones until you identify the problem channel or band member . The Solo signal is not affected by that channel’s MUTE (1[...]

  • Page 12

    12 A UX SENDS and RETURNS 22. A UX 1 SEND MON OUTPUT T o create a stage monitor mix, connect this 1/4" TRS output to the input of your stage monitor amplifier (or powered monitors). Each channel’s AUX SEND 1 MON (11) knob adjusts how much of the channel’s signal appears on the AUX 1 bus. The AUX 1 bus carries the sum of all those active c[...]

  • Page 13

    13 U U MA X PH ON ES LA MP BY PAS S EQ IN FX OL MA IN MIX AU X1 ( MON ) PO WE R PH AN TO M 4 8V 1 MA IN MI X SU B 2 SU B 3 SU B 4 SU B SUB AS SIG N TO MAI N M IX M A S T E R A UX SE ND CT RL R M PH ON ES CD /T AP E I N TO M AI N M IX T O MA IN MI X TO AU X1 MO N IN TE RN AL E F FE CT S SU BS 1- 2 SU BS 3- 4 MA IN MI X CD / TA PE FX BYP ASS SOU RCE [...]

  • Page 14

    14 INTERNAL EFFECTS The internal effects circuit receives mono signals from the AUX 2 FX bus, and it outputs stereo signals onto the main mix buses. It also adds a summed mono signal to the stage monitor mix (AUX 1 bus). The outputs are controlled by two FX RETURN (45, 46) knobs described on the next page. Inside the processor , the analog audio is[...]

  • Page 15

    15 38. USB OUTPUT: MAIN MIX/SUBS 1-2 This switch allows you to choose if the main mix or if subgroups 1 and 2, are sent out of the mixer’s USB (62) output to your computer . If pressed in, the A/D converters of the USB section receive the output from subgroups 1 and 2 (before the SUB F ADERS (50)). This is a good position for studio recording and[...]

  • Page 16

    16 amplifiers clip at about +10 dB, and some recorders aren’t so forgiving either . For best real-world results, try to keep your peaks between 0 dB and +8 dB. If your meters are too high, you will get distortion. If they are too low, then your signal-to-noise will suffer . Use the meters to help you adjust the mixer for optimum per for mance wi[...]

  • Page 17

    17 REAR P ANEL FEATURES 53. POWER SWITCH Push the top of the switch labeled “ON” to turn the mixer on; you should see the POWER LED (27) glow with happiness. T o tur n the mixer off, push the bottom of the switch. As a rule, turn the mixer on first, before any amp or powered speakers. At the end of a show, turn it off last. This will prevent a[...]

  • Page 18

    18 A p p e n d i x A : U s i n g t h e B l e n d 1 6 At first glance, the controls on the front panel of the Blend 16 may seem more at home in a space movie, right next to the Navigation officer . Like most things, it’s worse than that really. Here is a brief overview that may help you understand the basic functions and mysterious inner working[...]

  • Page 19

    19 Three controls configure how the USB connection will work in different scenarios: USB Source switch: This lets you choose whether your computer is fed by the main mix, or by a prefader tap of subgroups 1-2. USB Output Lev el: The selected channels of analog audio pass through this control, allowing you to adjust the gain if needed, and to stop [...]

  • Page 20

    20 Studio: Direct Monitoring Configuration: 1. Connect your mics and instruments to the mixer’s inputs (leave channels 15-16 unused). 2. Connect your amplifier/speaker system (or powered speakers) to the Control Room outputs, or connect headphones to the Phones output. Keep the Control Room and Phones level controls down for now. Press Main Mix[...]

  • Page 21

    21 A p p e n d i x B : C o n n e c t i o n s XLR Connectors Channels 1 and 2 use 3-pin female XLR connectors on the MIC inputs. They are wired as follows, according to standards specified by the AES (Audio Engineering Society). XLR Balanced Wiring Pin 1 = Shield Pin 2 = Hot (+) Pin 3 = Cold (–) 1/4" TRS Phone Plugs and Jac ks “TRS” stan[...]

  • Page 22

    22 A p p e n d i x C : S p e c i fi c a t i o n s Frequenc y Response Mic Input to any Output (T rim at 0 dB): +0, –1 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz –3 dB, 10 Hz to 80 kHz Distortion THD and SMPTE IMD; 20Hz to 20kHz Mic Input to Main Output: < 0.005% @ +4 dBu output Noise 20 Hz to 20 kHz BW (150 Ω source impedance) Equivalent Input Noise (EIN): –1[...]

  • Page 23

    23 Ph ysical Dimensions and W eight Height: Back: 5.0” (127 mm) Front: 2.5” (64 mm) Width: 18.5” (469 mm) Depth: 16.6” (422 mm) W eight: 11.5 lbs (5.2 kg) Inter nal Effects 32 bit EMAC processing, 2-channel Sample Rate: 31.25 kHz Bandwidth: 15.6 kHz Number of presets: 16 Parameters: 2 controls Digital I/O USB Bit Depth: 24 bit/16 bit Sample[...]

  • Page 24

    24 Block Diagram This shows an outline of the strange goings on inside the mixer . L R L R 1 2 3 4 A UX 1 A UX 2 SOLO LOGIC SUB L R 1 2 3 4 CONTROL ROOM LEVEL MAIN F ADER EQ MAIN /MON EQ EQ BYP ASS PHONES LEVEL SUB 1 F ADER ASSIGN TO MAIN SUB 1 SUB 2 SUB 3 SUB 4 MONITOR FX SUB 4 A UX 1 (MON) MASTER A UX 2 (FX) MASTER TO FX INPUT LEVEL FROM A UX 2 F[...]

  • Page 25

    25 A p p e n d i x D : S e r v i c e I n f o rm a t i o n No A udio into your Computer: • Confir m the mixer is receiving mic or instrument input signals. • Make sure you have selected the right driver in your DA W . In T racktion, this is in the Settings menu. • If the mixer seems fine, click Restart Device in the T racktion Settings menu.[...]

  • Page 26

    26 No Communication with the mix er: • The PC driver may not be installed correctly. Make sure your computer meets the system requirements. Uninstall the driver from the Add/ Remove Programs control panel, restart your computer , and reinstall the driver . • Restart your computer and the mixer . I hear my Windo ws/Mac sounds through my mix er ,[...]

  • Page 27

    27 T A P C O L I M I T E D W A R R A N T Y A. LOUD T echnologies Inc. warrants all materials, workmanship and proper operation of this T APCO product for a period of one year fr om the original date of purchase. If any defects are found in the materials or workmanship, or if the product fails to function properly during the applicable warranty peri[...]

  • Page 28

    #MFOE #MFOE o w n e r’ s m a n ua l 1 6 -CHANNEL 4 -BUS MIXER w/ O N B OA R D E F F E C T S[...]