Mackie DL Series Reference Guide

Mackie DL806 and DL1608 Reference Guide
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Glossary Of Terms Continued...
Mic Amp — See Mic Preamp.
Mic Level —Thetypicallevelofasignalfromamicrophone.Amiclevelsignal(usually–butnot 
always – coming from a microphone) is generally lower than –30 dBu. With a very quiet source
[apindropping?]thesignalmaybe–70dBuorlower.
Some microphones, notably vintage or vintage-style condenser mics, deliver a higher signal level
thanthisforthesamesoundpressurelevel.A“hot”micoutputlevelisn’tnecessarilyameasureof 
themicrophone’squality;it’sjustanoptionthatthedesigner(s)chose.
Mic Pre — Short for Mic Preamp.
Mic Preamp —Shortformicrophonepreamplier.Anamplierwhosejobistobringtheverylow 
microphonelevelsignaluptolinelevel,orinthecaseofamicpreampbuiltintoamixer,themixer’s
internaloperatinglevel[approximately0dBu].
Mic preamps often have their own volume control, called gain, to properly set the gain for a particular
source. Setting the mic preamp gain correctly is an essential step in establishing good signal-to-noise
ratio and sucient headroom. The DL Series mixers are outtted with Onyx mic preamps.
Mixer —Anelectronicdeviceusedtocombinevariousaudiosignalsintoacommonoutput. 
Dierent from a blender, which combines various fruits and alcohol into a common libation.
Monaural — Long for mono. Literally, pertaining to or having the use of only one ear.
In the audio eld, monaural describes a signal or system which carries audio information on a single
channelwiththeintentofreproducingitfromasinglesource.Onemicrophoneisamonosource; 
manymicrophonesmixedtoonechannelisamonomix;astereo(or–tobepicky–atwo-channel)
mix of many microphones panned left and right is a stereo mix of mono sources.
Monaural listening, and therefore mono compatibility of a stereo mix, is more important than you
might realize. Most people hear television audio and clock radios in mono.
Monitor —Insoundreinforcement,monitorspeakers[ormonitorheadphonesorin-earmonitors]are
used by performers to hear themselves. In the video and broadcast world, monitor speakers are often
called foldback speakers. In recording, the monitors speakers are those used by the engineer and
production sta to listen to the recording as it progresses. In zoology, the monitor lizard is the lizard
thatobservestheproductionstaastherecordingprogresses.Keepthelizardoutofthemixer.
Mono — Short for monaural (and mononucleosis for that matter).
Mute Groups — Mute groups allow you to quickly mute (and unmute) multiple channels and/or
outputs with a single tap. There are a multitude of possibilities in which to assign and enable mute
groups: productions featuring a rotating cast of musicians, theater productions, a house of worship
andmore.Itisalsogreatformutingallinputsduringsongbreaksorin-betweensets.Youmaycreate
as many as four separate mute groups with Master Fader.
Noise —Whateveryoudon’twanttohear.Thiscouldbehum,buzzorhiss;oritcouldbecrosstalk,digital
hash,oryourneighbor’sstereo;oritcouldbewhitenoise,pinknoiseorbrownnoise.It’salsohowyour
parentsdescribeyourband.Afterall,it’swhatthey don’twanttohear.
Noise Floor — The residual level of noise in any system. In a well-designed mixer (such as the Mackie
DL Series mixers), the noise oor will be a quiet hiss, which is the thermal noise generated by electrons
bouncing around in resistors and semiconductor junctions. The lower the noise oor and the higher the
headroom, the more usable dynamic range a system has.

Mackie DL Series Specifications

General

Brand	Mackie
Model	DL Series
Category	Music Mixer
Language	English