Mackie Onyx Blackbird, Owner'S Manual

Page 1: ...B U 20dB U 20 30 40 60 GAIN SIG OL 40dB U 20dB U 20 30 40 60 GAIN SIG OL 40dB U 20dB U 20 30 40 60 GAIN SIG OL 40dB U 20dB U 20 30 40 60 GAIN SIG OL 40dB U 20dB U 20 30 40 60 GAIN SIG OL 40dB U 20dB U...

Page 2: ...e Canadian Department of Communications ATTENTION Le pr sent appareil num rique n met pas de bruits radio lectriques d passant las limites applicables aux appareils num riques de class A de class B se...

Page 3: ...the monitor level when making connections to the interface Better yet shut down the computer first Save the shipping box Quick Start We realize that you must be really keen to try out your new Onyx B...

Page 4: ...arted instantly You don t have software No worries Mackie s Tracktion 3 Hardware Bundle is included As mentioned all of these things come standard No upgrades at additional cost needed here The Blackb...

Page 5: ...BUS 17 27 MASTER 17 28 SAMPLE RATE 17 29 SYNC SOURCE 17 30 BUFFER SIZE PC only 18 31 OPERATION MODE PC only 18 32 WDM PC only 18 33 DPC PC only 19 34 SYSTEM PC only 19 35 INFO 19 36 GENERAL 19 37 FIRM...

Page 6: ...nes are attached to both phones outputs for recording Phones 1 switch disengaged for monitors is for the engineer He she will have a copy of the same mix going to the studio monitors without any addit...

Page 7: ...mary a setup like this allows all artists to play together record together overdub together etc Furthermore depending on how many mixes are desired main alt and headphone outputs may be configured and...

Page 8: ...60 MONITOR MAX O O POWER 3 8 MIC LINE MIC LINE MIC LINE MIC LINE MIC LINE MIC LINE L R L R 48V 48V FIREWIRE ADAT WORD CLOCK OUT IN 88 2 96kHz 44 1 48kHz ONYX MIC PRE ONYX MIC PRE 2 1 Onyx Blackbird Re...

Page 9: ...er plug single ended unbalanced micro phones or ribbon mics into the mic input jacks if phantom power is on Do not plug instrument outputs into the mic XLR input jacks with phantom power on unless you...

Page 10: ...With the addition of low cut you can safely use low equalization on vocals Many times bass shelving EQ can really benefit voices Trouble is adding low EQ also boosts stage rumble mic handling clunks...

Page 11: ...puts in mono or stereo Signals are still recorded as independent streams in either scenario 9 48V PHANTOM POWER and LED Ch 3 8 only Refer to feature number 6 previous page for detailed information reg...

Page 12: ...n before connecting headphones or doing anything new that may affect the headphone volume Then turn it up slowly as you listen carefully 15 HEADPHONE OUTPUT This 1 4 TRS connector supplies the output...

Page 13: ...ith both PC and Mac However it requires installation of the Blackbird Con trol software see the Quick Start section on page 3 As an added bonus we include a free copy of Tracktion 3 our multitrack rec...

Page 14: ...WIRE ADAT WORD CLOCK IN OUT OUT IN 88 2 96kHz 44 1 48kHz 1 8 1 4 5 8 GAIN 40dB 20dB U 60 MON OUT MAIN OUT ALT OUT L R BLACKBIRD 40dB 20dB U 60 GAIN 40dB 20dB U 60 GAIN 40dB 20dB U 60 GAIN 40dB 20dB U...

Page 15: ...nel of the device This improves workflow in scenarios where one mix is acceptable for all involved In the digital domain analog inputs 1 8 are routed to ADAT outputs 1 8 one to one allowing the inputs...

Page 16: ...16 Onyx Blackbird Onyx Blackbird Control Settings Tab Onyx Blackbird Control Mixer Tab...

Page 17: ...ab to the right It is critical to know which device is the master in any digital setup 28 SAMPLE RATE The Onyx Blackbird operates at the following sample rates 44 1 kHz 48 kHz 88 2 kHz and 96 kHz It i...

Page 18: ...Only Based on the computer s processing power and the Recommended Operating Mode in the bus tab 26 this dropdown allows two selections Normal Mode This setting ensures that input and output buffers ar...

Page 19: ...basic troubleshooting tool that will list a number of helpful things about the setup from the operating system version to the 1394 host controllers If you are experiencing issues with the device it w...

Page 20: ...bird s clock source when it is not connected to a computer e g for use as a standalone preamp with 96 kHz S MUX II output Word Clock This is the default selection and will allow your Blackbird to sync...

Page 21: ...the output tab iself Also even if you are in the settings tab you still have accesss to these master controls A complete description of each output tab s functionality follows 39 MAIN MIX This output...

Page 22: ...lients By default they are pre assigned as follows 43 INPUTS 1 8 MIC LINE INPUTS 1 8 These represent the physical mic line instrument inputs of Onyx Blackbird By plugging in an input signal and turnin...

Page 23: ...ight and anywhere in between The read only display above the pan slider indicates the L R pan percentage with C representing center To re center any pan slider simply double click anywhere on the pan...

Page 24: ...izable and one fixed To customize phones 1 for example first select that output tab Next double click the green text at the top of the master section to edit it The output tab also conveniently stores...

Page 25: ...ng in the peak level area the output meter or by selecting clear peaks 57 The output meters for all mixes are also viewable via the output mix tabs so constant view of all output levels and whether or...

Page 26: ...er to store these files using the browser and click save again When saving make sure the save file ends with the extension bsf to ensure that it saves properly 67 COPY and PASTE The copy function work...

Page 27: ...down one by one If the offending noise disappears it s either that input or whatever is plugged into it If you unplug the whatever is plugged into it and turn the input back up and the noise is gone i...

Page 28: ...is connected tip to signal send output from mixer ring to signal return input back into mixer and sleeve to ground earth 1 4 TS Phone Plugs and Jacks TS stands for Tip Sleeve the two connections avail...

Page 29: ...ush the 1 4 TS plug in to the second click you will open the jack switch and create a direct out which does interrupt the signal in that channel See Figure E NOTE Do not overload or short circuit the...

Page 30: ...0015 FireWire Through 4 dBu mic input to Blackbird Control routed to Main Output all gain stages unity 20 Hz to 20 kHz All inputs muted except active channel 0 004 No analog inputs muted 0 006 Attenua...

Page 31: ...demarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are hereby acknowledged Please check our website for any updates to this manual www mackie com 2010 LOUD Technologies Inc All Rights Re...

Page 32: ...Bu Green 18 dBu Red 48V Phantom Power CH1 2 Phantom Power CH1 2 48V Phantom Power CH 3 8 Phantom Power CH 3 8 Insert HPF Mic Line Gain Mic 0 60dB Line 20 40dB FW SEND 2 HI Z Normal FW Low Cut Bypass 2...

Page 33: ...ncompliance within the Warranty Period to the Company at www mackie com support or by calling LOUD technical support at 1 800 898 3211 toll free in the U S and Canada during normal business hours Paci...

Page 34: ...Road NE Woodinville WA 98072 USA United States and Canada 800 898 3211 Europe Asia Central and South America 425 487 4333 Middle East and Africa 31 20 654 4000 Fax 425 487 4337 www mackie com E mail s...