CAUTION AVIS 12. Damage Requiring Service -- This product should be serviced only by qualified service personnel when: A. The power-supply cord or the plug has been damaged; or B. Objects have fallen, or liquid has spilled into this product; or C.This product has been exposed to rain; or D. This product does not appear to operate normally or exhibits a marked change in performance; or E. This product has been dropped, or its chassis damaged. 13. Servicing -- The user should not attempt to service this product beyond those means described in this operating manual. All other servicing should be referred to the Tapco Service Department. 14. To prevent electric shock, do not use this polarized plug with an extension cord, receptacle or other outlet unless the blades can be fully inserted to prevent blade exposure. Pour préevenir les chocs électriques ne pas utiliser cette fiche polariseé avec un prolongateur, un prise de courant ou une autre sortie de courant, sauf si les lames peuvent être insérées à fond sans laisser aucune pariie à découvert. 15. Grounding or Polarization -- Precautions should be taken so that the grounding or polarization means of this product is not defeated. 16. Power Precaution -- Unplug this product during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time. 17. This apparatus does not exceed the Class A/Class B (whichever is applicable) limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus as set out in the radio interference regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications. ATTENTION --Le présent appareil numérique n'émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant las limites applicables aux appareils numériques de class A/de class B (selon le cas) prescrites dans le règlement sur le brouillage radioélectrique édicté par les ministere des communications du Canada. 18. Exposure to extremely high noise levels may cause permanent hearing loss. Individuals vary considerably in susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss, but nearly everyone will lose some hearing if exposed to sufficiently intense noise for a period of time. The U.S. Government's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has specified the permissible noise level exposures shown in the following chart. According to OSHA, any exposure in excess of these permissible limits could result in some hearing loss. To ensure against potentially dangerous exposure to high sound pressure levels, it is recommended that all persons exposed to equipment capable of producing high sound pressure levels use hearing protectors while the equipment is in operation. Ear plugs or protectors in the ear canals or over the ears must be worn when operating the equipment in order to prevent permanent hearing loss if exposure is in excess of the limits set forth here. RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE NE PAS OUVRIR CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK) NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL ATTENTION: POUR EVITER LES RISQUES DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE, NE PAS ENLEVER LE COUVERCLE. AUCUN ENTRETIEN DE PIECES INTERIEURES PAR L'USAGER. CONFIER L'ENTRETIEN AU PERSONNEL QUALIFIE. AVIS: POUR EVITER LES RISQUES D'INCENDIE OU D'ELECTROCUTION, N'EXPOSEZ PAS CET ARTICLE A LA PLUIE OU A L'HUMIDITE The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated "dangerous voltage" within the product's enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons. Le symbole éclair avec point de flèche à l'intérieur d'un triangle équilatéral est utilisé pour alerter l'utilisateur de la présence à l'intérieur du coffret de "voltage dangereux" non isolé d'ampleur suffisante pour constituer un risque d'éléctrocution. The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user of the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance. Le point d'exclamation à l'intérieur d'un triangle équilatéral est employé pour alerter les utilisateurs de la présence d'instructions importantes pour le fonctionnement et l'entretien (service) dans le livret d'instruction accompagnant l'appareil. SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Read Instructions -- All the safety and operation instructions should be read before this product is operated. Retain Instructions -- The safety and operating instructions should be kept for future reference. Heed Warnings -- All warnings on this product and in these operating instructions should be followed. Follow Instructions -- All operating and other instructions should be followed. Water and Moisture -- This product should not be used near water ­ for example, near a bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, laundry tub, in a wet basement, near a swimming pool, etc. Cleaning -- Clean only with a dry cloth. Ventilation -- This product should be situated so that its location or position does not interfere with its proper ventilation. For example, the Component should not be situated on a bed, sofa, rug, or similar surface that may block any ventilation openings, or placed in a built-in installation such as a bookcase or cabinet that may impede the flow of air through ventilation openings. Heat -- This product should be situated away from heat sources such as radiators, or other devices which produce heat. Power Sources -- This product should be connected to a power supply only of the type described in these operation instructions or as marked on this product. 6. 7. 8. 9. Duration Per Day Sound Level dBA, In Hours Slow Response 8 6 4 3 2 1.5 1 0.5 0.25 or less 90 92 95 97 100 102 105 110 115 Typical Example Packed garage concert VW Bus Peace Train Cranked psychedelic tunes High speed chase on C.H.I.P.s Loudest parts at a Heavy Metal concert 10. Power Cord Protection -- Power supply cords should be routed so that they are not likely to be walked upon or pinched by items placed upon or against them, paying particular attention to cords at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit this product. 11. Object and Liquid Entry -- Care should be taken so that objects do not fall on, and liquids are not spilled into, this product. 2 WARNING -- To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this appliance to rain or moisture. Contents Safety Instructions.........................................2 Getting Started.............................................4 Introduction ..................................................6 Hookup Diagrams ........................................7 Blend 6 Features ...........................................8 Channel Inputs.........................................8 Channel Controls.....................................9 Equalization ............................................9 Auxiliaries ................................................9 Master Section .......................................11 Output Connections .............................12 Rear Panel Features ..............................12 Appendix A: Service Information .............13 Appendix B: Connections .........................14 Appendix C: Blend 6 Specifications.........15 Gain Structure Diagram........................16 Block Diagram .......................................17 Track Sheets............................................18 T TAPCO Limited Warranty ...........................19 Don't forget to visit our website at www.tapcogear.com for more information about this and other TAPCO products. What me, read a manual? Before you begin, please make sure you read the Safety Instructions on page 2 and Getting Started on page 4. Your new TAPCO® Blend 6 mixer is designed to set up quickly and operate easily. We know it's often seen as a sign of weakness to read a manual, along with asking for directions when lost, but maybe you can read the rest when nobody is looking. It is important to keep your receipt in a safe place, and not a bad idea to write your product information here for future reference (i.e., insurance claims, tech support, return authorization, etc.). Product Serial #: Purchased at: Date of purchase: Part No. 0008813-90 Rev. A 1/04 ©2004 LOUD Technologies Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in China. 3 Getting Started The following steps will help you set up your mixer, and get the levels and adjustments just right. ZERO THE CONSOLE: 1. Turn everything off, including the mixer's POWER switch and PHANTOM POWER switch. 2. Turn down the channel strip GAIN, AUX 1, AUX 2, and LEVEL controls. 3. Center the channel strip EQ and PAN controls. 4. Turn down the AUX RETURNS, CONTROL ROOM, and PHONES controls. 5. Turn down the MAIN MIX control. 4. If necessary, apply channel EQ changes. (You may need to compensate for level changes afterward with the channel LEVEL control.) 5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 for the other Mic/Line channel. 6. Stop making noise. Everyone: start making music. 7. Now turn up the MAIN MIX control to a comfortable listening level. SET THE LEVELS (Channels 3/4 and 5/6): 1. Make some noise with the mono or stereo instrument connected to the LINE IN jacks on Channels 3/4. Play it at its normal output level. 2. Raise that channel's LEVEL control until it is approximately equal in volume to the microphones or instruments connected to channels 1 and 2. 3. If necessary, apply channel EQ changes. (You may need to compensate for level changes afterward with the channel LEVEL control.) 4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for Channels 5/6. CONNECTIONS: 1. Connect your speakers to your amplifier's outputs (unless, of course, you have powered speakers). 2. Plug all the sound system components into suitable AC outlets, properly grounded and capable of delivering adequate current. 3. Using TRS cables, make connections from your mixer's MAIN OUT to your amplification system's line inputs. 4. Connect your microphones and instruments to the mixer: Connect microphones to the mono channel MIC jacks. (For condenser microphones, engage the PHANTOM POWER switch.) Connect highimpedance line-level instruments (electric guitar, bass guitar) to the mono channel INST IN, or other line-level signal source to the stereo channel LINE IN jacks. Note: Normally, you would plug in only one microphone or one instrument into each mono channel. 5. Zero the console, as shown above. 6. Turn all the power switches on, leaving the amplifier's switch for last. 7. Turn up the MAIN MIX control to the 9 o'clock position, for now. We'll crank it up later on. 8. Now you are ready to set the levels. TWEAK THE MIX: 1. If you are using an external processor connected between the AUX SEND 2 and the AUX RETURN jacks, use each channel's AUX 2 FX control to send signal to the processor, and add the processor's signal to the mix using the AUX RETURN TO MAIN MIX control. 2. Now that you have a rough mix going, you may need to readjust the MAIN MIX control to a comfortable listening level. The LED VU meters should indicate by lighting most of the green LEDs when music is playing, and occasionally light the yellow LEDs. 3. Depending on how much time you have, keep tweaking. Walk the room to see how it sounds away from your mixer. Keep tweaking. SET THE LEVELS (Channels 1 and 2): 1. Choose one of the microphones or instruments you connected to the mono MIC or INST input. Make some noise. If it's a microphone, sing at your normal singing volume. If it's an instrument, play it at its normal output level. 2. While making noise, turn up that channel's GAIN until the adjacent LEVEL SET LED starts blinking. 3. Raise that channel's LEVEL to unity gain (U label). You should be hearing your noise now. 4 A FEW PRECAUTIONS: · Never listen to loud music for prolonged periods. Please see the Safety Instructions on page 2 for information on hearing protection. · Never plug amplifier speaker-level outputs into anything except speakers. · Never use guitar cables to connect amplifiers to speakers. · Before making connections to an external amplifier, or reconfiguring an amp's routing, turn the amp's level (gain) controls down, turn the power off, make the changes, turn the power back on, and then turn the level controls back up. · When you shut down your equipment, turn off any external amplifiers first. When powering up, turn on the amplifiers last. · Save the shipping box and packing material! The box can also be turned into a unique hat, lunch box, or handbag to accessorize your mixer. 5 Introduction Thank you for choosing a TAPCO Blend 6 mixer by Mackie. The TAPCO family of mixers hails back to the days of TAPCO Corporation, Greg Mackie's first company. TAPCO revolutionized the audio industry back in 1969 with the very first 6-channel mixer specifically designed for keyboards and rock `N' roll PA. The first TAPCO mixer, although primitive by today's standards, was truly innovative for its time. It had the headroom to handle screaming singers, was priced for the pocketbook of starving psychedelic musical neophytes, and durable enough to withstand mammoth levels of TAPCO version of Greg wear and tear on the road, and at now-legendary concerts. In essence, TAPCO re-defined the price performance ratio and made high-quality professional audio mixers accessible to virtually anyone. Today, TAPCO is reborn with the same ideals and is backed by the world-class engineering and manufacturing horsepower of Mackie. This compact mixer is perfect for small to medium-sized live sound reinforcement applications, keyboards and synths, video, and small-project studio applications. Here's a quick glance at all the features packed into this mixer: 2 mono mic/line channels, with: · Variable input trim (+3 to +50 dB for microphones, and ­22 to +25 dB for line-level inputs) · Phantom power (globally switched) · Level Set indicator LED · XLR microphone input jack · 1/4" TRS instrument line input jack · Pre-fader aux (monitor) send · Post-fader aux (effects) send · 2-band EQ · Pan control · Rotary level control Master section, with: · Rotary stereo Main Mix control · Balanced 1/4" TRS stereo main outputs · 8-segment stereo LED VU metering · 1/4" TRS Aux 1/Monitor send · 1/4" TRS Aux 2/Effects send · Two rotary stereo aux return controls (To Mains and To Monitors) · RCA tape out · RCA tape in · Master +48V phantom power switch with LED indicator · Left and Right 1/4" TRS Control Room outputs with Level control · Stereo 1/4" TRS Headphone output with Level control · Power LED indicator · Inter-Planetary Space Drive control · OK, we made that last one up, but we can pencil it in for next time 2 stereo line channels, with: · Left and right 1/4" TRS line input jacks · Pre-fader aux (monitor) send · Post-fader aux (effects) send · 2-band EQ · Pan control · Rotary level control TAPCO van (a.k.a. micro bus) 6 Hookup Diagrams Small Club Gig Mono in/Stereo out Reverb (optional) Active Monitor Microphones 1 and 2 MIC INPUT 1 MIC INPUT 2 AUX RETURN AUX SENDS CTRL ROOM MAIN MIX (MONO) L MON 1 L OUT L OUT IN OUT R INST INPUT LEVEL SET INST INPUT LEVEL SET FX 2 R CD/ TAPE R LINE IN 3/4 L LINE IN 5/6 L PHONES L MIC U MIC U (MONO) (MONO) R +3 -22dB +25dB Active Speakers (Mackie SRM450s) OUT +50 +3 -22dB +25dB +50 GAIN GAIN BAL /UNBAL R BAL /UNBAL R IN Headphones Tape Player DAT Recorder Keyboard Drum Machine Computer set-up Mono in/Stereo out Reverb (optional) Mackie HR824 or other Active Studio Monitors Sound Card LINE IN LINE OUT Microphone MIC INPUT 1 MIC INPUT 2 AUX RETURN AUX SENDS CTRL ROOM MAIN MIX (MONO) IN L MON 1 L OUT L OUT MIC IN OUT R INST INPUT LEVEL SET FX 2 R CD/ TAPE R INST INPUT LEVEL SET LINE IN 3/4 L LINE IN 5/6 L PHONES L MIC U MIC U (MONO) (MONO) R +3 -22dB +25dB +50 +3 -22dB +25dB +50 GAIN GAIN BAL /UNBAL R BAL /UNBAL R IN OUT Headphones Note: Push down the CONTROL ROOM (18) switch to listen to the sound card output in the control room speakers and headphones. Leave it up to listen to the main mix. Do not press the CD/TAPE TO MAIN MIX (21) switch, or there will be feedback. Guitar Drum Machine 7 Blend 6 Features 1 1 2 4 2 4 5 5 5 5 3 3 CHANNEL INPUTS 1. MIC (MICROPHONE) INPUTS The Blend 6 is equipped with two rugged, lownoise, phantom-powered microphone preamplifiers, providing up to 50 dB of crystal-clear amplification. Their balanced circuitry rejects all manner of extraneous interference. Professional condenser, dynamic, and ribbon mics all sound excellent through these XLR inputs. You can plug in almost any kind of balanced mic that has a standard XLR-type male mic connector. See Appendix B for more information on XLR connectors. The TAPCO Blend 6 provides +48 VDC phantom powering on pins 2 and 3 of the mono channels' XLR MIC inputs. This can be turned on and off using the PHANTOM POWER (17) switch. CAUTION: DO NOT connect a linelevel device to a MIC input with the phantom power switched on. This could damage the device. Use the INST IN (2) or LINE IN (5) jacks instead. Do not use phantom power with tube or ribbon microphones, as this may cause damage. 3. GAIN CONTROL If you haven't already, please read "SET THE LEVELS" on page 4. The GAIN control adjusts the input sensitivity of the MIC and INST inputs. This allows signals from the outside world to be adjusted to optimal internal operating levels. Through the mono channels' MIC (XLR) inputs, there is 50 dB of gain with the knob fully up. Through a mono channels' INST IN (TRS) inputs, there is 22 dB of attenuation fully down and 25 dB of gain fully up, with a U (unity gain) mark halfway up. Having 22 dB of line-level attenuation can be very handy when you are injecting a signal that is very hot, or when you want to add a lot of EQ boost, or both. Without this "pad," it would be very difficult to control the line signal and might lead to channel clipping. 4. INPUT LEVEL SET LED This handy LED (Light Emitting Diode) lets you know that the signals going into the mixer are adjusted to the correct level, not too strong to cause distortion and not too weak to be lost in noise. After you connect a microphone or line-level component to the mixer, do a sound test and adjust the GAIN control until this handy LED flickers just occasionally. If it is glowing constantly, turn the GAIN down. If the LED is doing almost nothing, turn it up. 2. INST (INSTRUMENT) INPUTS These inputs can accept 1/4" TRS balanced and TS unbalanced plugs from any line-level instrument, effects device, or tape player. They can be driven by virtually any line-level signal, from ­45 dBu up to +18 dBu. These inputs are specially designed to accept signals from high-impedance pickups on guitars. Normally, you must use a direct box between a guitar and a mixer's input, which serves to convert the impedance of the guitar from high to low. The INST inputs on Channels 1 and 2 make the need for a direct box unnecessary. 5. LEFT (MONO) and RIGHT LINE IN These inputs can accept 1/4" TRS balanced and TS unbalanced plugs from any line-level instrument, effects device, or tape player. When connecting a stereo device (two cords), use both the left (mono) input and the right input. When connecting a mono device (just one cord), always use the left (mono) input and plug nothing into the right input. A trick called "jack normalling" causes the signal to appear on both sides. 8 CHANNEL CONTROLS Channel strips 1 and 2 allow adjustment of EQ, Pan and Level for mono signals. Channel strips 3/4, and 5/6 allow adjustment of stereo or mono signals. The output from each strip passes onto the left and right main mixes. Auxiliary signals can be tapped off and sent to monitors or processors. The block diagram on page 17 shows how the signal flows through the mixer. AUXILIARIES In addition to the main mix output, the mixer provides two auxiliary mixes, which you can send to parallel effects processors or stage monitors. The AUX knobs adjust how much of each channel is tapped off, added to each aux mix, and sent out via the AUX SEND (26, 27) jacks. Channel 3/4 and 5/6 AUX knobs control a mono sum of the channel's stereo signals. For instance, channel 3 (L) and 4 (R) mix together to feed that channel's AUX send knobs. The U symbol on most of the controls, stands for "unity gain," meaning there is no change CLOSER in signal level. Once you have adjusted the input signal to linelevel, you can set every control at U, and your signals will travel through the mixer at optimal levels. LOOK UNITY GAIN 8. AUX 1 MON AUX 1 MON is designed to send a separate mono mix to your stage monitors via the AUX 1 SEND (26) output jack. The GAIN, EQ, and AUX 1 controls will affect the output to your monitors, but PAN and LEVEL won't. This signal is tapped off before the channel LEVEL control. EQUALIZATION Each EQ control provides up to +15 dB of shelving boost, and ­15 dB of shelving cut, with no change to the signal (0 dB) in the center position. Although you can bring a sound to life with proper EQ, you can also mess things up. If you max the EQs on every channel, you'll get mix mush, not to mention driving your mix levels near or beyond clipping. So equalize subtly; use cut as well as boost. 9. AUX 2 FX AUX 2 FX is used to feed the mono input of parallel effects devices via the AUX 2 SEND (27) output jack. All the channel controls (except PAN) will affect the AUX 2 signal. The signal is tapped off after the LEVEL control. The output from an external processor can come back in via the AUX RETURN (12) inputs, and be added to the main mix. EQ 6. HI EQ Turning this clockwise boosts the level of all frequencies above 12 kHz. Turning it counter-clockwise cuts the levels. Use this wisely to add sizzle to cymbals or an overall sense of transparency or edge to keyboards, vocals, guitar, and bacon frying. Turn it down a little to reduce sibilance or hide tape hiss. 10. PAN This adjusts how much of the channel signal plays in the left side of the main mix, and how much plays in the right. For mono channels, if PAN is in the center position, the mono signal appears equally in both the left and right of the main mix. If the control is set left, more of the signal appears in the left side. If the control is set right, more of the signal appears in the right side of the mix. For stereo channels, the PAN control works like a home stereo balance control, by attenuating one side or the other. In the center position, the left and right channel signals pass through to the main mix unaffected. If it is turned left, the right channel is attenuated; if turned right, the left side is attenuated. 6 -15 +15 HIGH 1 2kHz 7 -15 U +15 LOW 80Hz 8 U SEND AUX MON MAX 1 9 FX MAX 2 7. LOW EQ Turning this clockwise boosts the level of all frequencies below 80 Hz. Turning it counterclockwise cuts the levels. Frequencies of 80 Hz and below represent the punch in bass drums, bass guitar, fat synth patches, and hightestosterone male singers. 11. LEVEL This is the master level control for the channel's signal. Subtle adjustment of the channels' level control is the key to a finely-tuned mix. Typically (providing the GAIN is set correctly), this will be positioned somewhere between 0 dB (U) and the 3 o'clock position. If you have LEVEL set all the way up, it's usually a sign that your GAIN is set too low. If LEVEL is set way down, your GAIN may be too high. Note: If this were a slide control instead of a rotary one, it would be called a fader. It still serves as the reference point when talking about pre-fader and post-fader. 10 L PAN R 1 11 U LEVEL MAX 9 12 12