U IC GAIN

LEVEL 5 +50 -15dB +30dB

CLIP U

ZERO THE CONSOLE:
1. Turn everything off, including the mixers POWER switch and PHANTOM POWER switch. 2. Channel strip GAIN, AUX, EFX, and Fader down. 3. STEREO GRAPHIC EQ sliders centered. 4. MASTER AUX and EFX SENDS, and EFX RETURNS down. 5. Channel strip EQ and PAN controls centered. 6. Channel strip ASSIGN 1-2 and MUTE switches down. 7. Channel strip LOW CUT, PRE FADER, and ASSIGN 3-4 switches up. 8. SUB 1 ASSIGN LEFT, SUB 2 ASSIGN RIGHT down; all other SUB ASSIGN switches up. 9. MAIN MIX and SUB Faders down.
-15 +15 U MID -15 +U LOW 80Hz -15 +15 1.5k FREQ 8k
AUX 1 AUX 2 EFFECTS TO MONITOR

+20 O O TAPE LEVEL

10 +10 O O UTILITY OUT LEVEL

ASSIGN 1-2 3-4

ASSIGN LEFT RIGHT

dB U 60

MAKE THE CONNECTIONS:
1. Connect your amps outputs to your speaker inputs (unless, of course, you have powered loudspeakers). 2. Plug all the sound system components into suitable AC outlets, properly grounded and capable of delivering adequate current. 3. Using XLR or TRS cables, connect your mixers MAIN OUTS to your powered speakers or amps line inputs. 4. Make connections from your microphones and instruments to the mixer: Connect balanced microphones to the mono channel MIC jacks. (For condenser microphones, engage the PHANTOM POWER switch, located just above the meters.) Connect line-level instruments (synthesizers, guitar effects, direct boxes) to the mono or stereo channel LINE IN TRS jacks. 5. Turn all the power switches on, leaving the ampliers switch for last. 6. Turn up the MAIN MIX Fader to the 30 label, for now. Well crank it up later on. 7. Turn up SUB Faders 1 and 2 to unity gain (U label).

SET THE LEVELS:

1. Choose one of the microphones or instruments you connected. Make some noise. If its a microphone, sing at your normal singing volume. If its a synthesizer, play it at its normal output level. 2. While making noise, turn up that channels GAIN until the adjacent ZERO LEVEL starts blinking. 3. Disengage (up) that channels MUTE. 4. Raise that channels fader to unity gain (U label). You should be hearing your noise now. 5. If necessary, apply channel EQ changes. (You may need to compensate for level changes with the channel fader.) 6. Repeat steps 1 through 5 for the remaining active channels. 7. Stop making noise. Everyone: start making music.

TWEAK THE MIX:

1. Engage MUTE on all channels except your rhythm section (drums & bass). 2. Adjust the rhythm sections channel faders to get a good balance of levels. 3. Un-mute the other active channels and adjust their faders. 4. Now that you have a rough mix going, turn up the MAIN MIX Fader to a comfortable listening level. 5. If the overall mix has an equalization problem, make adjustments to the STEREO GRAPHIC EQ. If an individual channel is the problem, use its EQ instead. 6. Using channel EFX 2 (INT) and the EMAC EFFECTS PROCESSOR, experiment with adding some effects. 7. Depending on how much time youve got, keep tweaking. Walk the room to see how it sounds away from your mixer. Keep tweaking.

KNOW THESE THINGS:

Never listen to loud music for prolonged periods. Please see Safety Instructions on page 2 for information on hearing protection. Never plug amplier outputs into anything except passive speakers. Never use guitar cables to connect ampliers to speakers. Before making connections to an external amp or reconguring an amps routing, turn the amps level (gain) controls down, turn the power off, make the changes, turn the power back on, and then turn the level controls back up. The same is true for powered speakers. When you shut down your equipment, turn off any external ampliers and/or powered speakers rst. When powering up, turn on the ampliers and/or speakers last. Save the shipping box and packing material! You may need them someday.

APPLICATIONS DIAGRAMS

Keyboard, or other line-level input
Left PA Speaker Right PA Speaker
Stereo EQ Keyboard, or other line-level input

in out in out

Stereo Compressor

Guitar Effects

Drum Machine Stereo Power Amplifier

CD Player

SUB OUT CHANNEL INPUTS

BAL/UNBAL

MAIN INSERT UTIL OUT

TAPE OUT

TAPE IN

CHANNEL INSERTS

AUX SENDS EFX SENDS STEREO EFX RETURNS

BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL

SUB OUTS

1 L R L

Digital Delay
Mono in / stereo out Reverb Stereo Compressor Stereo Compressor Stereo EQ

Stereo Power Amplifier

CFX12 MKII Small Club Gig
Stage Monitor Stage Monitor

Subwoofer

CFX16 MKII Large Club Gig or Auditorium using a Subwoofer

Mono Power Amplifier

Drum Machine

Left PA Speaker

Right PA Speaker

Direct Box

Stereo EQ

in out

Guitar Effects Mono Power Amplifiers CD Player

UTIL OUT

Digital Multitrack Recorder
Optional Live Recording Digital Delay
Mono in / stereo out Reverb

Mono EQ

Mono Power Amplifiers
Wireless Microphone Receivers Direct Box

20 L R

CHANNEL INPUTS CHANNEL INSERTS

SUB OUT

Cassette or DAT Recorder
Digital Delay Stereo EQ Stereo EQ
CFX20 MKII Church Sound Reinforcement with Separate Utility Mix
Assistive Listening Transmitter Cry Room Nursery Left Right

Chapel

Stage Monitor

PATCHBAY FEATURES

At the risk of stating the obvious, this is where you plug everything in: microphones, line-level instruments, effects, headphones and the ultimate destination for your sound: PA system, tape recorder, etc. These unbalanced jacks are congured thusly:

tip ring sleeve

SEND to processor (TRS plug) tip
This plug connects to one of the mixers Channel Insert jacks.
ring RETURN from processor

SHIELD COLD HOT

XLR BALANCED WIRING
The CFX MKII mixer is equipped with rugged, low noise, phantom-powered microphone preampliers, providing up to 50 dB of crystal-clear amplication. Their balanced circuitry rejects all manner of extraneous interference. Professional condenser, dynamic, and ribbon mics will 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.
RING (COLD) TIP (HOT) SLEEVE (SHIELD)

LINE IN

The line inputs share circuitry (but not phantom power) with the mic preamps, and can be driven by balanced or unbalanced sources at almost any level. You can use these TRS inputs for virtually any signal youll come across, from 25 dBu up to +38 dBu.
Tip = Send (to effects device input) Ring = Return (from effects device output) Sleeve = Common ground (connect shield to all three sleeves) Specialty Y cables, developed just for these jacks, are widely available. Besides being used for inserting external devices, these jacks can also be used as channel direct outputs; post-GAIN, post-LOW CUT, and pre-EQ. Here are three ways you can use the channel INSERT jacks:

TRS BALANCED WIRING

TIP (HOT) SLEEVE (SHIELD)

MONO PLUG

Channel Insert jack
Direct out with no signal interruption to master. Insert only to first click

TS UNBALANCED WIRING

This is where you connect serial effects such as compressors, equalizers, de-essers or lters. The send is low-impedance (150 ohms), capable of driving any line-level device. The return is high-impedance (10k ohms) and can be driven by almost any device.
Direct out with signal interruption to master. Insert all the way in to the second click

STEREO PLUG

For use as an effects loop. (TIP = SEND to effect, RING = RETURN from effects)
EFFECTS: SERIAL OR PARALLEL?
Effects devices are used either in serial or in parallel: Serial means that the entire signal is routed through the effects device. Examples: preamps, compressor/limiters, graphic equalizers. Parallel means that a portion of the signal is tapped off to the device (usually via a mixers aux send), processed and returned (usually via a mixers aux return), to be mixed with the original dry signals. Multiple signals (via multiple mixer channels) can all make use of the same parallel effects device. Examples: reverb, digital delay, chorus. See diagrams below.

Serial Device

Insert Send Dry Signal Signal Processor (e.g., Compressor) Insert Return Processed Signal
Coming in two avors, XLR and TRS, the main output represents the end of the mixer chain, where your fully mixed and enhanced stereo signal enters the real world. The XLR balanced outputs will add 6 dB when connected to balanced inputs, thereby elevating signal from the noise oor by that amount. The TRS balanced outputs offer the advantage of having no 6 dB level change to deal with, while still providing extraneous noise rejection.

SUBWOOFER OUT

The CFX MKII mixer has an integrated mono-summing 75 Hz 3rd-order low-pass lter. signals, It taps the left and right MAIN OUT mixes them into a mono signal, then removes all but the deepest bass information. Patch this balanced XLR output to a high-powered monosummed amp and subwoofer (or a powered subwoofer), and the music police will be right over.

Parallel Device

Aux Send Signal Processor (e.g., Reverb) Aux Return Wet Signal Mix Stage Dry Signal(s) Processed Signal Output Section
With nothing plugged into these jacks, the mix signal goes from the mix amp straight Faders. But through to the MAIN MIX when you plug a serial device into these jacks, the mix leaves the mixer, goes through the device and back into the mixers main mix faders. If you want to send your main mix through a compressor/limiter or similar device, these are the jacks for you. Since the insert is before the mix faders, moving the fader will not alter the signal strength sent to the compressor, thereby preserving its compression characteristics. These unbalanced jacks are congured the same as the channel strip insert jacks. See page 8 for wiring and usage information.

example, boosting the LOW EQ knob boosts bass frequencies at 80 Hz and below. Peaking means that only a selected hill of frequencies surrounding a center hilltop frequency is affected by the EQ control. Everything in moderation (including moderation): with EQ, although you can bring +15 a sound to life, you can also screw things +10 up. If you max the EQs on every channel, +5 youll get mix mush, not to mention driving your mix levels near or beyond clipping. 10 So equalize subtly; use the left sides of the 15 knobs (cut) as well as the right (boost). 20

10kHz 20kHz

This control provides up to 15 dB of boost or cut at 12 kHz and above, and it is also at at the detent. Use it 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 hiss.

+15 +10 +5

15 20Hz 100Hz 1kHz 10kHz 20kHz

EFX 1 (EXT)

EFX 1, designed for feeding the inputs of parallel effects devices, behaves exactly like send, but its always in post-fader an AUX mode: Any changes made to the channel controls will affect the EFX signal. The PRE FADER switch has no effect on the EFX sends.

MID EQ

Short for midrange, this knob provides 15 dB of boost or cut, also at at the center +15 detent. Midrange EQ is often considered +10 the most dynamic, because the frequencies +5 that dene any particular sound are almost 0 always found in this range. You can create 5 as many interesting and useful EQ changes by turning this knob down as well as up. 20 The mono channels employ a semiparametric mid-sweep EQ. In addition to being able to set the amount of boost, you can aim that boost at a specic frequency; anywhere from 100 Hz to 8 kHz. The stereo channels employ a 2-stage xedfrequency MID EQ. HI-MID is centered at 3kHz; LOW-MID is centered at 400 Hz.

Mid EQ

EFX 2 (INT)
EFX 2 is identical to EFX 1 with one big difference: In addition to feeding the EFX SEND jacks, it also feeds the inputs to the EMAC EFFECTS PROCESSOR. If youre using EMAC and just one outboard processor, patch the outboard processor via EFX RETURN 1. You can use EMAC and an outboard device via EFX 2; just remember that the sends (EFX 2 (INT) , EFX 2 SEND ) and returns (TO MAIN MIX ) control two devices. The PRE FADER switch has no effect on the EFX sends; theyre always post-fader.

0dB=0dBu RUDE SOLO

This equalizer, used to shape the frequency spectrum of the main mix, is the last thing in and the chain prior to the MAIN MIX Fader MAIN OUT XLR and TRS jacks. Although there is no actual bypass switch for the STEREO GRAPHIC EQ, by setting all the sliders to zero (center) youll effectively remove it from the signal path. How to nd and reduce feedback: 1. Set the GRAPHIC EQ sliders to zero (center). levels, using the ZERO 2. Set the GAIN or SOLO PFL. LEVEL

+500 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K

15+ 10 15
jacks and engage the BREAK SWITCH. Instantly, the entire main mix is switched off and the intermission entertainment is switched on. Even if you just want silence during the breaks, this switch can act as a Master Mute switch, simply by plugging nothing into TAPE. INPUT

PHONES LEVEL

After the MAIN MIX Fader , the mix is sent through this knob, allowing you to set headphone levels as desired without disturbing the main mix level. is engaged, When a channels SOLO PFL the main mix will be replaced by the solo signal, allowing the engineer to audition channels without disturbing the main mix. can drive any The stereo PHONES jack standard headphones to very loud levels. Walkperson-type phones can also be used with an appropriate adapter. Note: Please see the Safety Instructions on page 2 for information on hearing protection.

1 RETURN

O O MAX PHONES LEVEL U

ZE LE S

3. Slowly turn up the MAIN MIX Fader until feedback just begins to occur. BE CAREFUL! Feedback can occur quickly and become very LOUD, very fast. 4. Cut the appropriate slider until feedback stops. Suggestions for better sound: For better vocal sound, set the 125, 250, and 16K sliders to +5. Note: Make sure the singer is within 3 to 6 inches of the microphone. No amount of EQ can save a wandering minstrel. For more presence, set the 4K and 8K sliders to +5. To warm up the overall sound, set the 2K slider to 5. REMEMBER, LESS IS BETTER.

UTILITY OUT LEVEL

After the MAIN MIX Fader , the mix is sent through this knob, allowing you to set the as desired withlevels at the UTILITY OUT out disturbing the main mix level.

SUB FADERS

The typical exit for channel signals is through one or more sub mixes. The sub mix signal is rst controlled by this fader, which provides 10 dB of gain fully up, unity gain at the U mark, and is effectively muted fully down. From here, the signal goes to two very differsends the sub mix ent locations: SUB OUT directly out of the mixer via its TRS jacks; and SUB ASSIGN sends it to the MAIN MIX. Fader

+10 O O UTILITY OUT LEVEL

TAPE LEVEL

You can adjust the incoming level of your intermission entertainment, independent of the main mix level controls, via this feature. Heres how: Patch the stereo device into the TAPE. Put the device in play. Engage the INPUT BREAK SWITCH and set the TAPE LEVEL knob as desired. Assuming the MAIN MIX is set, you should hear the device. Fader

LEFT/RIGHT SUB ASSIGN

As discussed in ASSIGN , the only way to get channel outputs to the main mix is via the sub mixes, and this switch is the key. Continuing the assumption made in ASSIGN , Subs 1 and 2 are the left-right stereo path 1 and 2, from the channels to SUB Faders with SUB 1 carrying the left signal and SUB 2 carrying the right. Engage SUB 1 ASSIGN LEFT and SUB 2 ASSIGN RIGHT, and youre done. Take a look at the block diagram on page 22 itll explain this and more, but in hieroglyphics.
No, when we say BREAK SWITCH, were not asking you to break the switch, were offering you a very handy feature. When its time for the talent to take a break, the engineer usually wants to stretch his legs. But walking away from a live mixer in a crowded club can be somewhat unnerving what if some goon starts dinking around with the faders? No problem. Just plug in your intermission entertainment device to the TAPE INPUT

AUX MASTER SEND

Aux send signals are derived by each knob, mixed together, then channels AUX sent through this AUX MASTER SEND knob. Turned fully up, it provides 15 dB of additional gain, the center U mark is unity gain, and fully down is off. Typically, when the talent (or lack thereof) wants a louder monitor mix, this is the knob to crank up watch out for feedback!

EFX 1 MASTER SEND

Effects send signals are derived by each knob, mixed tochannels EFX 1 (EXT) gether, then sent through this EFX 1 MASTER SEND knob. Turned fully up, it provides 15 dB of additional gain, the center U mark is unity gain, and fully down is off. Being that this controls only post-fader sends destined for outboard effects devices, youll typically set this knob near the U mark and then leave it alone.

, TIME/RATE , DAMPING/DEPTH and WIDE. When you nd an effect you like, jot down the parameters, then goof around some more. To mute these effects, engage BYPASS (or your foot switch if connected to EFX FOOT SWITCH ). To send these effects to the stage monitor cues, turn up the EFFECTS TO knobs. MONITOR FOR THE CURIOUS: EMAC stands for Extended Multiply and Accumulate, which is a proprietary 32-bit digital stereo processor developed by our Digital Engineering Group. It provides 16 preset digital effects algorithms for you to select. In addition to the presets, there are two parameter ) you can adjust to change the controls ( sound and make it unique for your particular application.
This controls the signal level being sent to the input of the EMAC module (and to the EFX jack). Use the EFX 2 (INT) conSEND 2 trols on the individual channels to adjust the amount of each channels signal you want to go to the EMAC. Leave EFX 2 SEND set at the center U position. If you nd that youre not getting enough of the effect in the main mix, control make sure that the TO MAIN MIX is turned up at least to unity (the center detent position). Its okay to turn up the EFX 2 SEND some more if you need to. Just make sure the ZERO LEVEL LED never lights more than occasionally. Read on to nd out why.

EFX 1 RETURN

Stereo signals come through the EFX 1 RETURN and continue on to the MAIN MIX Fader. They contain the effects wet signals to be mixed together with the channels dry original signals. Turned fully up, it provides 15 dB of additional gain, the center U mark is unity gain, and fully down is off. Being that this controls only the return signals of external effects, with their levels already determined by the channels EFX 1 (EXT) knob, youll typically set this knob near the U mark and then leave it alone.
Stereo signals (from STEREO EFX RETURN 2 and EMAC EFFECTS PROCESSOR ) come through this TO MAIN MIX knob and continue on to the MAIN MIX Fader. They contain the effects wet signals and are mixed together with the channels dry original signals. Turned fully up, it provides 15 dB of additional gain, the center U mark is unity gain, and fully down is off. Being that this controls only the return signals of external and

EMAC EFFECTS PROCESSOR

FOR THE IMPATIENT: Set EFX 2 SEND and TO MAIN MIX at the center U mark. Assuming you have your basic mix up and running, turn up the EFX 2 (INT) , per channel. This feeds in individual amounts of channel signals to the EMAC inputs you should be hearing the effects as you do this. Next, goof around with the various parameters: Preset Select

ZE LEV SE

TIME RATE
cathedral. A very dramatic effect that works well with wind instruments such as ute, slow nger picking on acoustic guitar, and quiet vocal group harmony and choirs. Also works well with keyboards and drums using short decay. EFFECTS TO MONITOR Decay range is adjustable from 2 seconds to 10 This works just like the channel AUX seconds. Pre-delay set at 75 ms. LG. HALL: Dense, smooth reverb with long knobs, but here, the source signal is the EFX 2 RETURN and the EMAC output. Typically, this tail, long pre-delay, and some early reections. knob is used to add effects to the stage monitors. Tails are warm with more apparent high end. Turned fully up, it provides 15 dB of addiWorks well with vocals and electric and acoustional gain, the center U mark is unity gain, tic guitar. Decay range is adjustable from 1 and fully down is off. second to 5 seconds. Pre-delay set at 75 ms. MD. HALL: Dense, smooth reverb with norPRESET SELECT mal tail, normal pre-delay, and increased early Rotate this detented switch to select the reections. Tails are warm with more apparent preset effect you want to use. high end. Works well with vocals and electric and acoustic guitar. Decay range is adjustable Preset Effects Descriptions from 750 ms to 2.5 seconds. Pre-delay set at 65ms. Reverbs LG. PLATE: Good early reections and no pre-delay. Tails are normal and warm with The reverbs are designed to provide a wide strong high end for increased presence. Perfect variety of reverb sounds for vocal and instrument applications. In the following description, for vocals and snare. Decay range is adjustable from 1 second to 5 seconds. No pre-delay. tail refers to the reections that follow the MD. PLATE: Good early reections and no initial sound event, also referred to as decay pre-delay. Tails are short and warm with strong range. Pre-delay is the amount of time behigh end for increased presence. Perfect for tween the initial sound event and the rst tight vocals and snare. Decay range is adjustreection. able from 750 ms to 2.5 seconds. No pre-delay. TIME/RATE controls the length of the SM. ROOM: Reverb featuring very fast and tail, with the shortest tail at the 0 position and scattered early reections with a short pre-dethe longest tail at 10. DAMPING/DEPTH lay. Tails are very short and warm with normal controls the damping, with the darkest tone at high-end imitating absorbent wall materials 0 and the brightest tone at 10. The WIDE switch is very effective at increasing the stereo and audience. Good for tight vocal effects. Decay range is adjustable from 250 ms to 1 secimage of the reverb effect. ond. Pre-delay set at 30 ms. REVERSE: Standard reverse reverb, simuSPRING: Mimics the lating a tail-rst effect vintage 60s-style wet DIGITAL STEREO EFFECTS PROCESSOR increasing to the original spring reverb effect. Tails note. Decay range is EFX 2 (INT) RETURN MASTERS CLIP are normal with strong adjustable from 35 ms to U U U U high end and a slight 515 ms. No pre-delay. waver imitating the slow GATED: Standard utter of the mechani+15 +15 +15 +15 gated reverb, where cal spring system. Very AUX 1 AUX 2 TO MAIN MIX EFX 2 the reverb tail is cut off SEND EFFECTS TO MONITOR good with acoustic guitar. sharply after the preset DELAY 1 REVERSE Decay range is adjustable DELAY 2 GATED decay length. Decay CATHEDRAL DELAY 3 from 1 second to 5 secrange is adjustable from LG. HALL DELAY 4 onds. No pre-delay. 35 ms to 515 ms. No preCHORUS MD. HALL

should be set halfway or higher. Rate is adjustable from 0.5 Hz to 20 Hz. Depth is adjustable from 0% to 100%. PHASER: This effect is perfect for enhancing strummed acoustic guitar or electric guitar power chords. The PHASER effectively duplicates the popular 70s phase shift effect used for guitar. Rate is adjustable from 0.5 Hz to 35 Hz. Depth is adjustable from 50% to 100%.

TIME/RATE

If you have a reverb effect selected, this control adjusts how long the reverberation lasts, with 0 being a short reverb time and 10 being the longest. If you have a delay effect selected, this adjusts the amount of time between the original signal and the delayed signal, with 0 being a short delay time and 10 being the longest delay time. If you have a chorus, ange, or phaser effect selected, this control adjusts the rate or speed of the modulation of the effect.

DAMPING/DEPTH

If you have a reverb or delay effect selected, this control adjusts how fast the higher frequencies roll off in the reverberation or delay, with 0 having little roll off and 10 having the most roll off. If you have a chorus, ange, or phaser effect selected, this control adjusts the depth of the modulation of the effect.
Depending on the effect selected, this switch adds more width or depth to the effect. Note that it doesnt work with the DELAY and PHASER effects because they are monophonic.
Pushing in this button causes the adjacent EFX BYPASS indicator to light and mutes the effects output signal. It affects only the internal EMAC effects, not any external effects processor you may have connected to the STEREO jack. EFX RETURN 2
This indicates when the EMAC is 6 dB below clipping. Just like the channels ZERO LEVEL LED, this LED should only light occasionally. If it blinks frequently, you should turn down EFX 2 SEND a little.
GENERAL PRECAUTIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS
NEVER bypass the AC plugs ground pin. This is dangerous! When setting up for a show, oftentimes you are plugging into an AC power distribution system you know nothing about. You may even be faced with 2-wire outlets that are missing the third safety ground pin. Its a good idea to have a three-wire AC outlet tester in your toolbox so you can check the outlets yourself to make sure they are wired correctly. These testers will tell you if the polarity of the hot and neutral wires is reversed and if the safety ground is disconnected. Dont use an outlet if it is wired improperly! This is to protect yourself as well as your equipment. If you nd that you must plug into a twowire outlet, you will need to use a two-wire to three-wire adapter (cheater plug). These come with a metal tab that you put underneath the center screw that holds the AC outlet faceplate in place. This center screw must be grounded. You can check it by connecting the adapter to the outlet and then plugging in your handydandy AC outlet tester.

AC Power Distribution

The majority of AC outlets encountered in homes and clubs (in the U.S.) are served by a 240VAC center-tapped service entrance transformer. This provides two phases of AC power on either side of the center tap, at 120V each. If lighting is used in a show, it is preferable to power the lights from one leg of the service, and power the audio equipment from the other leg. This will help minimize noise from the lights coupling into the audio (particularly if SCRs, or light-dimmer switches, are used). In order to minimize ground loops, the safety grounds for all the outlets should be connected to a common (star) grounding point, and the distance between the outlets and the common grounding point should be as short as possible.

22.9 in/ 582 mm

CFX16 WEIGHT 21.0 lb/ 9.5 kg

Power Consumption

CFX12 MKII: CFX16 MKII: CFX20 MKII: 35 Watts 40 Watts 45 Watts

Disclaimer

Since we are always striving to make our products better by incorporating new and improved materials, components, and manufacturing methods, we reserve the right to change these specications at any time without notice.
CFX20 WEIGHT 24.3 lb/ 11.0 kg

26.8 in/681 mm

Input Impedance
Mic Input: 3k, balanced Line Input: 40k, balanced Insert Input, Stereo Line Input, Tape Input, and Effects Returns: 10k, unbalanced

15.7 in/400 mm

4.6 in/117 mm

2.1 in/53 mm

Mackie Limited Warranty
Please keep your sales receipt in a safe place.
This Limited Product Warranty (Product Warranty) is provided by LOUD Technologies Inc. (LOUD) and is applicable to products purchased in the United States or Canada through a LOUD-authorized reseller or dealer. The Product Warranty will not extend to anyone other than the original purchaser of the product (hereinafter, Customer, you or your). For products purchased outside the U.S. or Canada, please visit www.mackie.com/warranty to nd contact information for your local distributor, and information on any warranty coverage provided by the distributor in your local market. LOUD warrants to Customer that the product will be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use during the Warranty Period. If the product fails to conform to the warranty then LOUD or its authorized service representative will at its option, either repair or replace any such nonconforming product, provided that Customer gives notice of the noncompliance 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 Pacic Time, excluding weekends or LOUD holidays. Please retain the original dated sales receipt as evidence of the date of purchase. You will need it to obtain any warranty service. For full terms and conditions, as well as the specic duration of the Warranty for this product, please visit www.mackie.com/warranty. The Product Warranty, together with your invoice or receipt, and the terms and conditions located at www.mackie.com/warranty constitutes the entire agreement, and supersedes any and all prior agreements between LOUD and Customer related to the subject matter hereof. No amendment, modication or waiver of any of the provisions of this Product Warranty will be valid unless set forth in a written instrument signed by the party to be bound thereby.

16.2 in/412 mm

SOLO CONTROL

SUB 3 SUB 4

SUB 1 OUT

+48 VDC

TO HAN

LEFT ASSIGN

INSERT GAIN 2 MUTE 1-FADER 3-Hz HPF 12K LOW CUT LO MID FREQ HI PAN LEVEL SET SUB 2 OUT
MAIN INSERT TAPE OUT LEFT BREAK LEFT ASSIGN

250500 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K

MAIN OUT LEFT
MAIN LEVEL PRE-P0ST AUX 1 MIC/LINE IN MONO CHANNELS AUX 2 EFX 1 EFX 2 SUB 3 OUT RIGHT ASSIGN TAPE IN LEFT
TAPE LEVEL LEFT ASSIGN TAPE IN RIGHT RIGHT ASSIGN SUB 4 OUT

75 Hz LPF

SUBWOOFER OUT 2 1

MAIN LEVEL

LO 3K LEFT PAN MAIN 1-2 12K
MID MID HI BREAK LEFT ASSIGN 3-4 TAPE OUT RIGHT

MAIN OUT RIGHT

LINE IN STEREO CHANNELS LO 3K RIGHT 12K MID MID HI
RIGHT ASSIGN STEREO EFX RETURN 1 LEFT AUX 1 PRE/POST PFL SIGNAL TO PHONES AUX 2 EFX RETURN 1 EFX 1 STEREO EFX RETURN 1 RIGHT EFX 2 +5 VDC RUDE SOLO LIGHT

UTILITY OUT LEFT

UTILITY LEVEL STEREO EFX RETURN 2 LEFT FROM EFX TO MAIN MIX SOLO OFF
EFX SEND 2 EFX LEVEL SET EFX BYPASS

UTILITY OUT RIGHT

SOLO CONTROL (ACTIVE LOW) EFX TO MAIN MIX +5 VDC L EFX SEND 2 EFX SELECT STEREO EFX RETURN 2 RIGHT TO LEFT MAIN

SOLO ON PFL

PHONES LEVEL EFX TO AUX 1 AUX SEND 1 BOTHELL MONROE

Block Diagram

EMAC DSP

EFX WIDE

EFX TO AUX 2 TO RIGHT MAIN R

AUX SEND 1 AUX SEND 2

WOODINVILLE EXIT

PFL SIGNAL TO LEFT METER

AUX SEND 2 EFX SEND 1 EFX FOOT SWITCH EFX BYPASS

SOLO OFF

MACKIE CFX MKII SERIES BLOCK DIAGRAM (#122104CJM/DF)

EFX SEND 1

SOLO CONTROL (ACTIVE LOW)

SOLO ON

RIGHT ASSIGN

RIGHT MAIN

LEFT MAIN
16220 Wood-Red 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: sales@mackie.com

CFX SERIES OWNERS MANUAL

AND WARRANTY REGISTRATION
12, 16, AND 20-CHANNEL MIC/LINE MIXERS WITH DIGITAL EFFECTS
12 CHANNEL COMPACT INTEGRATED LIVE SOUND MIXER

MONO PLUG STEREO PLUG

CFX12 MIXER
INSERT ALL THE WAY IN TO THE "SECOND CLICK" TIP OUT TO EFFECTS DEVICE RING RETURN FROM EFFECTS

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN
TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS EQUIPMENT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. DO NOT REMOVE COVER. NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.

WARNING:

SERIAL NUMBER

MANUFACTURING DATE

AVIS: RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE NE PAS OUVRIR
UTILISE UN FUSIBLE DE RECHANGE DE MME TYPE. DEBRANCHER AVANT DE REMPLACER LE FUSIBLE
REPLACE WITH THE SAME TYPE FUSE AND RATING. DISCONNECT SUPPLY CORD BEFORE CHANGING FUSE
CONCEIVED AND DESIGNED BY MACKIE DESIGNS INC WOODINVILLE WA USA MADE IN CHINA FABRIQUE AU CHINE COPYRIGHT 1998 THE FOLLOWING ARE TRADEMARKS OR REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF MACKIE DESIGNS INC.: "MACKIE", "EMAC", AND THE "RUNNING MAN" FIGURE PATENT PENDING
DIRECT OUT WITH SIGNAL INTERRUPTION TO MASTER
FOR USE AS AN EFFECTS LOOP (TIP = SEND, RING = RETURN)
OPTIONAL USES FOR INSERTS

120V, 50/60 Hz, 35 WATTS

STEREO EFX RETURN

EFX SEND

R 1 L R

TAPE TAPE INPUT OUTPUT

MAIN INSERT

MAIN OUT

12V 0.5A
BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL BAL/UNBAL (MONO) LINE IN LINE IN LINE IN LINE IN LINE IN LINE IN LINE IN LINE IN (MONO)

R R 1 L 2 R

UTILITY OUT AUX SEND SUB OUT

FOOT SWITCH

LEFT RIGHT

75Hz SUB OUT

INSERT

PHONES

U IC GAIN M

6 +50 LEVEL -15dB +30dB

LOW CUT 100 Hz U

LOW CUT 100 Hz

MASTER SEND

500 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K

+15 U EFX (EXT)

PRE FADER

PRE FADER EFX (EXT)

STEREO GRAPHIC EQ

EFX (EXT)

CFX 12 MIXER

PHANTOM POWER 48v U POWER STATUS

+15 U EFX (INT)

CUSTOM 32-BIT PRECISION DIGITAL STEREO EFFECTS PROCESSOR
EFX 2 (INT) RETURN MASTERS

U U U U

HI 12k

+15 U MID

+15 U HI MID 3k

EFX 2 SEND

TO MAIN MIX
AUX 1 AUX 2 EFFECTS TO MONITOR

+20 EFX 1 RETURN U

+1.5k FREQ 8k U LOW 80Hz

+15 U LOW MID 400Hz

150 100

+15 U LOW 80Hz

REVERSE GATED CATHEDRAL LG. HALL MD. HALL LG. PLATE MD. PLATE SM. ROOM

NORMAL EFX

DELAY 1 DELAY 2 DELAY 3 DELAY 4 CHORUS FLANGE PHASER SPRING

NORMAL

O O +20 TAPE LEVEL

(MUTES ALL CHANNELS)

BREAK SWITCH

0dB=0dBu

ZERO LEVEL SET

O O MAX PHONES LEVEL U

WIDE BYPASS
L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R
REVERBS DELAYS CHORUS/FLANGE/PHASER
O O +10 UTILITY OUT LEVEL

DAMPING DEPTH

ASSIGN MUTE

dB dB 10 5

dB 10 5

ASSIGN

STEREO

MAIN MIX

U U 20 30

U 20 30

SOLO PFL
12. Damage Requiring Service This Mackie 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 Mackie product; or C. This Mackie product has been exposed to rain; or D. This Mackie product does not appear to operate normally or exhibits a marked change in performance; or E. This Mackie product has been dropped, or its chassis damaged. 13. Servicing The user should not attempt to service this Mackie product beyond those means described in this operating manual. All other servicing should be referred to the Mackie 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.
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 clair avec point de flche l'intrieur d'un triangle quilatral est utilis pour alerter l'utilisateur de la prsence l'intrieur du coffret de "voltage dangereux" non isol d'ampleur suffisante pour constituer un risque d'lctrocution. 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 l'intrieur d'un triangle quilatral est employ pour alerter les utilisateurs de la prsence d'instructions importantes pour le fonctionnement et l'entretien (service) dans le livret d'instruction accompagnant l'appareil.
Pour prvenir les chocs lectriques ne pas utiliser cette fiche polarise avec un prolongateur, un prise de courant ou une autre sortie de courant, sauf si les lames peuvent tre insres fond sans laisser aucune pariie dcouvert.
15. Grounding or Polarization Precautions should be taken so that the grounding or polarization means of this Mackie product is not defeated. 16. Power Precaution Unplug this Mackie product during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time. Note that this Mackie product is not completely disconnected from the AC mains service when the power switch is in the OFF position. 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.

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

1. Read Instructions All the safety and operation instructions should be read before this Mackie product is operated. 2. Retain Instructions The safety and operating instructions should be kept for future reference. 3. Heed Warnings All warnings on this Mackie product and in these operating instructions should be followed. 4. Follow Instructions All operating and other instructions should be followed. 5. Water and Moisture This Mackie 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, swamp or salivating St. Bernard dog, etc. 6. Cleaning Clean only with a dry cloth. 7. Ventilation This Mackie 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. 8. Heat This Mackie product should be situated away from heat sources such as radiators, or other devices which produce heat. 9. Power Sources This Mackie product should be connected to a power supply only of the type described in these operation instructions or as marked on this Mackie product. 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 Mackie product. 11. Object and Liquid Entry Care should be taken so that objects do not fall on, and liquids are not spilled into, this Mackie product.

ABOUT THIS MANUAL

Absolutely most important page: Before you start engineering, please read the Quick Start section on page 5. Its a list of steps that will familiarize you with the CFX Mixer and help you set up a basic performance. About those blue numbers: Youll notice numbers in blue circles, like. Every feature on the CFX Mixer has this: one of these numbers assigned to it. Whenever a feature is mentioned, described or illustrated, its number will be right next to it. Please write your serial number here for future reference (i.e., insurance claims, tech support, return authorization, etc.):

Purchased at:

Date of purchase:
Part No. 820-104-00 Rev. C 1/Mackie Designs Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in China.

CONTENTS

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS...2 INTRODUCTION...3 ABOUT THIS MANUAL..3 QUICK START..5 APPLICATIONS DIAGRAMS.6 PATCHBAY FEATURES..8 MIC...8 LINE IN..8 INSERT..8 EFFECTS: SERIAL OR PARALLEL?.9 STEREO LINE IN..9 MAIN OUT..9 SUBWOOFER OUT..9 MAIN INSERT..9 UTILITY OUT.. 10 SUB OUT.. 10 AUX SEND.. 10 EFX SEND... 10 STEREO EFX RETURN. 10 TAPE INPUT.. 11 TAPE OUTPUT... 11 PHONES... 11 EFX FOOTSWITCH.. 11 LAMP.. 11 AC POWER INPUT.. 11 POWER SWITCH.. 11 POWER STATUS.. 11 CHANNEL STRIP FEATURES.. 12 PHANTOM POWER.. 12 TRIM.. 12 ZERO LEVEL.. 12 LOW CUT.. 12 AUX... 12 PRE FADER.. 13 EFX 1 (EXT).. 13 EFX 2 (INT).. 13 EQ... 13 PAN... 14 MUTE.. 14 ASSIGN.. 14 FADER... 14 SOLO PFL.. 14 MASTER SECTION FEATURES.. 15 MAIN MIX FADER.. 15 METERS.. 15 RUDE SOLO.. 15 STEREO GRAPHIC EQ. 15 TAPE LEVEL.. 16 BREAK SWITCH.. 16 PHONES LEVEL.. 16 UTILITY OUT LEVEL.. 16 SUB FADERS.. 16 LEFT/RIGHT SUB ASSIGN.. 16 AUX MASTER SEND.. 17 EFX 1 MASTER SEND. 17 EFX 1 RETURN.. 17 EMAC EFFECTS PROCESSOR.. 17 EFX 2 SEND.. 17 TO MAIN MIX.. 17 EFFECTS TO MONITOR.. 18 PRESET SELECT.. 18 TIME/RATE.. 19 DAMPING/DEPTH.. 19 WIDE.. 19 BYPASS.. 19 CLIP... 19 GENERAL PRECAUTIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS. 20 APPENDIX A: Service Info.. 20 Warranty Service.. 20 Troubleshooting.. 20 Repair... 21 APPENDIX B: Technical Info.. 21 Specifications.. 21 Block Diagram.. 22 Contributors and Colophon.. 23 CFX SERIES LIMITED WARRANTY.. 23

Dont forget to visit our website at www.mackie.com for more information about this and other Mackie products.

QUICK START

We know you cant wait to get the show on the road. Who has time to read a booooring manual? Thats fine the CFX Mixer is designed to set up quickly and operate intuitively but please, READ THIS PAGE!

ZERO THE CONSOLE:

1. Turn everything off, including the mixers POWER switch and PHANTOM POWER switch. 2. Channel strip TRIM, AUX, EFX, and Fader down. 3. STEREO GRAPHIC EQ sliders centered. 4. MASTER AUX and EFX SENDS, and EFX RETURNS down. 5. Channel strip EQ and PAN controls centered. 6. Channel strip ASSIGN 1-2 and MUTE switches down. 7. Channel strip LOW CUT, PRE FADER, and ASSIGN 3-4 switches up. 8. SUB 1 ASSIGN LEFT, SUB 2 ASSIGN RIGHT down; all other SUB ASSIGN switches up. 9. MAIN MIX and SUB Faders down.

1 RETURN

ZERO LEVEL SET MAX PHONES LEVEL U

BYPASS

MAKE THE CONNECTIONS:
1. Connect your amps outputs to your speaker inputs (unless, of course, you have powered monitors). 2. Plug all the sound system components into suitable AC outlets, properly grounded and capable of delivering adequate current. 3. Using XLR or TRS cables, make connections from your mixers MAIN OUT to your amplification systems line inputs. 4. Make connections from your microphones and instruments to the mixer: Connect balanced microphones to the mono channel MIC jacks. (For condenser microphones, engage the PHANTOM POWER switch, located just above the meters.) Connect line-level instruments (synthesizers, guitar effects, direct boxes) to the mono or stereo channel LINE IN TRS jacks. 5. Turn all the power switches on, leaving the amplifiers switch for last. 6. Turn up the MAIN MIX Fader to the 30 label, for now. Well crank it up later on. 7. Turn up SUB Faders 1 and 2 to unity gain (U label).

SET THE LEVELS:

1. Choose one of the microphones or instruments you connected. Make some noise. If its a microphone, sing at your normal singing volume. If its a synthesizer, play it at its normal output level. 2. While making noise, turn up that channels TRIM until the adjacent ZERO LEVEL starts blinking. 3. Disengage (up) that channels MUTE. 4. Raise that channels fader to unity gain (U label). You should be hearing your noise now. 5. If necessary, apply channel EQ changes. (You may need to compensate for level changes with the channel fader.) 6. Repeat steps 1 through 5 for the remaining active channels. 7. Stop making noise. Everyone: start making music.

Channel Path Dry Signal(s)

STEREO LINE IN

These balanced inputs are designed for stereo or mono, balanced or unbalanced signals, from 20 dB to +20 dB. These TRS inputs can be used with just about any professional or semipro instrument, effect or tape player. 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 will cause the signal to appear on both sides.

R 1 L 2 R

UTILITY OUT AUX SEND

(MONO)

UTILITY OUT
The signal at these TRS outputs is postfader only, so they cannot be used as traditional stage monitor cues. Theyre intended to patch into effects device inputs; hence the name EFX. See EFX 1 (EXT) and EFX 2 (INT) for more information. Note: The EFX 2 signal path also feeds the CFX Mixers internal EMAC EFFECTS PROinputs. If youre using EMAC and CESSOR just one outboard processor, patch that processor via EFX SEND 1 for independent control of the effects send level. We recommend going into a stereo reverb in mono and returning in stereo. We have found that on most stereo reverbs the second input just ties up an extra EFX send and adds nothing to the sound. There are exceptions, so feel free to try it both ways. If your effects device is true stereo all the way through, use EFX SEND 1 to feed its left input and EFX SEND 2 to feed the right input.
The stereo signal at these TRS jacks is the , but with one same as at the MAIN OUT important difference: , the mix is After the MAIN MIX Fader consent through the UTILITY OUT LEVEL trol, allowing you to set levels as desired without disturbing the main mix level.
In live sound applications, these TRS jacks can be patched into one or two stereo amplifiers, thereby allowing you to control levels. independently via the SUB Faders to Alternatively, use the MAIN OUT feed the amplifiers and one stereo SUB OUT pair to feed a recorder. In studio applications, these outputs can be used as four separate paths to feed four tracks of a multitrack recorder. and SUB ASSIGN for See ASSIGN more information.

AUX SEND

To create a stage monitor mix, with levels set independently from the main mix, patch these TRS jacks into your monitor amplifier inputs. These jacks can also be used to feed the inputs of an effects device. and PRE FADER for more See AUX information.
Patch the outputs of external parallel effects devices to these inputs. Note: The EFX 2 return signal is combined with the signal from the CFX Mixers internal EMAC EFFECTS PROCESSOR. If youre using EMAC and just one outboard processor, patch the outboard processor via EFX 1 RETURN for independent control of the effects return level. 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 will cause the signal to appear on both sides.

TAPE INPUT

Patch the outputs of your intermission entertainment here. Any line-level mono or stereo device can be used: tape, CD player, television for more audio, etc. See BREAK SWITCH information. When connecting a mono device (just one cord), youll need a Y-splitter RCA adapter. It turns a mono output cord into two cords; so both the left and right tape input jacks can be patched. This adapter is widely available.

EFX FOOT SWITCH

You can connect a normally-open foot switch SLEEVE SLEEVE TIP TIP to this connector to duplicate the function of switch, located in the EMAC the BYPASS. Closing the switch RCA UNBALANCED WIRING EFFECTS PROCESSOR connection causes the EFX BYPASS indicator to light and mutes the effects. Note: When a foot switch is plugged into RING (RIGHT) the FOOT SWITCH jack, the BYPASS switch TIP (LEFT) is disabled. SLEEVE (SHIELD) switch, this Just like the BYPASS TRS HEADPHONE WIRING affects only the internal EMAC EFFECTS PROCESSOR and not any device plugged into STEREO EFX RETURN 2. TIP

TAPE OUTPUT

Use these jacks to capture the entire performance to tape. The signal at these jacks is the but bemain mix, after the MAIN INSERT. The main mix fore the MAIN MIX Fader signal will be present at these jacks regardless of the position of the MAIN MIX Fader.

SLEEVE (GROUND)

The stereo signal at these jacks is the same , but with two imporas at the MAIN OUT tant differences: , the mix is After the MAIN MIX Fader control, sent through the PHONES LEVEL allowing you to set levels as desired, without disturbing the main mix level. is engaged, When a channels SOLO PFL the main mix signal at this output will be replaced by the solo signal, allowing the engineer to audition channels without disturbing the main mix. The stereo PHONES jack will drive any standard headphones to very loud levels. Walkperson-type phones can also be used with an appropriate adapter. Note: Please see the Safety Instructions on page 2 for information on hearing protection.
This BNC-type connector will accept almost TS FOOTSWITCH WIRING any of the widely available 12VDC 0.5 amp gooseneck lamps, made by Littlite and others. If your work involves mixing in the back of dark theaters, this lamp will likely become your best friend.

AC POWER INPUT

This IEC Socket is where you connect the supplied AC linecord to provide AC power to the CFX Mixer. Plug the cord into a suitable AC outlet, properly grounded and capable of delivering adequate current. If you happen to lose the AC linecord, replacements are available at any office/ computer supply store.

80Hz and below. Peaking means that only a selected hill of frequencies surrounding a center hilltop frequency is affected by the EQ control. Everything in moderation (including moderation): with EQ, although you can bring a sound to life, you can also screw things +15 up. If you max the EQs on every channel, +10 youll get mix mush, not to mention driving +5 your mix levels near or beyond clipping. So equalize subtly; use the left sides of the 10 knobs (cut) as well as the right (boost). 15
This control provides up to 15 dB of boost or cut at 12kHz and above, and it is also flat at the detent. Use it 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.

10kHz 20kHz

+15 +10 +5
15 20Hz 100Hz 1kHz 10kHz 20kHz

EFX 1 (EXT)

EFX 1, designed for feeding the inputs of parallel effects devices, behaves exactly like an AUX send, but its always in post-fader mode: Any changes made to the channel controls will affect the EFX signal. The PRE FADER switch has no effect on the EFX sends.

MID EQ

EFX 2 (INT)
EFX 2 is identical to EFX 1 with one big difference: In addition to feeding the EFX SEND jacks, it also feeds the inputs to the EMAC EFFECTS PROCESSOR. If youre using EMAC and just one outboard processor, patch the outboard processor via EFX RETURN 1. You can use EMAC and an outboard device via EFX 2; just remember that the sends (EFX 2 (INT) , EFX 2 SEND ) and returns (TO MAIN MIX ) control two devices. The PRE FADER switch has no effect on the EFX sends; theyre always post-fader.
Short for midrange, this knob provides 15 dB of boost or cut, also flat at the center detent. Midrange EQ is often considered the most +15 dynamic, because the frequencies that +10 define any particular sound are almost +5 always found in this range. You can create 0 as many interesting and useful EQ changes by turning this knob down as well as up. 15 The mono channels employ a semi20 parametric mid-sweep EQ. In addition to being able to set the amount of boost, you can aim that boost at a specific frequency; anywhere from 100Hz to 8kHz. The stereo channels employ a 2-stage fixedfrequency MID EQ. HI-MID is centered at 3kHz; LOW-MID is centered at 400Hz.

Mid EQ

Low EQ

LOW EQ

This control provides up to 15 dB of boost or cut at 80Hz and below. The circuit is flat (no boost or cut) at the center detent position. This frequency represents the punch in bass drums, bass guitar, fat synth patches, and hightestosterone male singers. When adding boost to the channels low EQ, simultaneously engaging the LOW CUT switch can create an audible low frequency boost without boosting stage rumble, mic handling clunks, and breath pops.
The CFX Mixer has low shelving, mid peaking, and high shelving EQ. Shelving means that the circuitry boosts or cuts all frequencies past the specified frequency. For example, boosting the LOW EQ knob boosts bass frequencies at
GAIN (FADER) PAN 1-2 INPUT TRIM

LO CUT INSERT

"POST" SIGNAL "PRE" SIGNAL
PRE-POST AUX 1 TO AUX 1 MASTER SEND LEVEL AUX 2 TO AUX 2 MASTER SEND LEVEL
TO EFX 1 MASTER SEND LEVEL EFX 2 TO EFX 2 MASTER SEND LEVEL EFX 1
Pre vs. Post Auxiliary Signal Flow Diagram

Stereo Channel

PAN adjusts the amount of channel signal sent, left versus right, to the SUB OUTs (and ultimately the MAIN OUTs via the SUB ASSIGN switches). On mono channels, the knob places the signal somewhere between hard left and hard right. On stereo channels, it works like the balance control on your home stereo, by attenuating one side or the other. With the PAN knob hard left, the signal will feed SUB 1 and SUB 3 (assuming the channels ASSIGN switches are engaged). With the PAN knob hard right, the signal will feed SUB 2 and SUB 4 (assuming the switches are engaged). channels ASSIGN With the PAN knob set somewhere in between, the signal will be shared across both sides of the mix.
nal. Subtle adjustment of the channels fader positions is the key to a finely-tuned mix. knob is set Typically (providing the TRIM correctly) the fader position will be positioned somewhere between 0 dB (U) and 30 dB. If you have a fader set all the way up, adding 10 dB of gain, thats usually a sign that your TRIM knob is set too low. Conversely, if the fader is set way down, your TRIM may be set too high. U LIKE UNITY GAIN Mackie mixers have a U symbol on almost every level control. This U stands for unity gain, meaning no change in signal level. Once you have adjusted the input signal to line-level, you can set every control at U and your signals will travel through the mixer at optimal levels. Whats more, all the labels on our level controls are measured in decibels (dB), so youll know what youre doing level-wise if you choose to change a controls settings.

MAIN MIX FADER

As the name implies, this stereo fader controls the levels of signals sent to the main. The outputs: XLR and TRS MAIN OUT TAPE OUTPUT RCA jacks also receive the main mix, but before the MAIN MIX Fader. Signals feeding the MAIN MIX Fader, after passing through the STEREO GRAPHIC EQ , , MAIN INSERT , include: SUB ASSIGN STEREO EFX RETURN 1 and 2 (including the EMAC EFFECTS PROCESSOR ), and TAPE INPUT. All assigned SUB Faders and EFX RETURNs that are not turned fully down will appear in the MAIN MIX. The fader, set fully up, provides 10 dB of gain. A U unity gain point is just below that. When set fully down, the main mix is effectively muted. This is the fader to pull down at the end of the song when you want The Great Fade-Out.

RUDE SOLO

This infamous flashing LED (Light Emitting Diode) serves two purposes - to remind you switch is enthat at least one SOLO PFL gaged, and to let you know that youre mixing on a Mackie. switch affects Engaging a SOLO PFL and Meters. these features: PHONES No other outputs are affected in any way. Although the SET THE LEVELS section of QUICK START (page 5) will get your levelsetting tasks accomplished, using the meters in PFL SOLO mode lets you really tune in. Instead of one flickering LED, you can make use of the 12-segment VU display in the meters. How? Just engage a SOLO PFL switch and watch the meters. WARNING: SOLO is prefader and taps the channel. signal before the fader If you have a channels fader set well below U (unity gain), SOLO wont know that and will send a unity gain signal to the PHONES output. That may result in a startling level boost in your headphones.

48v POWER STATUS

ZERO LEVEL SET CLIP

METERS

The CFX Mixers peak metering system is made up of two columns of twelve LEDs each, with thresholds ranging from 30 dB up to , CLIP (+22 dBu at the TRS MAIN OUT +28 dBu at the XLR MAIN OUT). The meters display the main mix, post MAIN MIX Fader , unless a SOLO PFL switch is engaged. When a SOLO PFL switch is engaged, the meters will instead display the solo infor). mation, at unity gain (pre channel fader Why, you ask? The meters, being a tool for the engineer, must display what the engineer is lisoutput. tening to via the PHONES You can get a good mix with the meters peaks flashing anywhere between 20 and +10 dB. Most amplifiers clip at about +10 dB, and some recorders arent so forgiving either. For best real-world results, try to keep your peaks between 0 and +7. You may already be familiar with +4 (+4 dBu=1.23V) and 10 (10 dBV=0.32V) operating levels. Basically, what determines the operating level is the relative 0 dB VU (or 0VU) chosen for the meters.

O O O O O O O O

EMAC effects, with their levels already determined by the channels EFX 2 (EXT) knob, youll typically set this knob near the U mark and then leave it alone.
CATHEDRAL: Dense, smooth reverb with very long tail, long pre-delay, and late reflections. Tails are very warm with some additional high-end reflections imitating the stone walls of a cathedral.
MD. HALL LG. PLATE MD. PLATE SM. ROOM
CHORUS FLANGE PHASER SPRING
Delays There are four delays available with one, two, three, and four repeats. TIME/RATE controls the time between repeats, with the fastest repeats at the 0 position and the
slowest repeats at 10. DAMPING/DEPTH controls the damping, with the darkest tone at 0 and the brightest tone at 10. Since the delay effect is not stereo, it is not affected by the WIDE switch. DELAY 1: One repeat. Works best for slapback delay used in country and swing guitar, and for rockabilly and some country vocals. Delay range is adjustable from 5ms to 524ms. DELAY 2: Two repeats. Provides a fuller, more dramatic effect for rock and gospel vocals, acoustic guitar, and wind instruments such as flute. Especially effective for some finger-picking styles. Delay range is adjustable from 5ms to 524ms. DELAY 3: Three repeats. An excellent delay for slow, bluesy vocals and melodic flute music. This delay usually works best when the channel EFX send is set at less than halfway. Delay range is adjustable from 5ms to 524ms. DELAY 4: Four repeats. This is for very dramatic delay effects, particularly for enhancing long vocal notes and dramatic instrumental note-chopping effects. Be sure to set the channel EFX send at about halfway. Delay range is adjustable from 5ms to 524ms. Modulation Effects These include Chorus, Flange, and Phaser, and are generally used for enhancement of instrumental music. However, Chorus adds a dramatic effect to vocals as well. The WIDE switch is very effective at dramatically increasing the strength and thickness of a modulation effect. For example, using WIDE on Chorus mimics a multi-voiced chorus effect. TIME/RATE controls the effect Rate, which is the speed of the sweeping effect. Fully counter-clockwise produces the slowest sweeps and fully clockwise produces the fastest. DAMPING/DEPTH controls the effect depth, which is the strength of the sweeping effect. Fully counter-clockwise produces the lightest sweeping effect and fully clockwise produces the thickest. CHORUS: Provides a soft, ethereal sweeping effect. Perfect for enhancement of electric and acoustic guitar and bass. Also adds a dramatic effect to vocals, particularly group harmonies and choirs. The channels EFX 2 (INT) should be set halfway or higher. Rate is adjustable from 0.5Hz to 30Hz. Depth is adjustable from 0% to 100%. FLANGE: Creates a strong sweeping effect, particularly effective on rock electric guitar, lead and rhythm. The channels EFX 2 (INT) should be set halfway or higher. Rate is adjust-

AC Power Distribution

The majority of AC outlets encountered in homes and clubs (in the U.S.) are served by a 240VAC center-tapped service entrance transformer. This provides two phases of AC power on either side of the center tap, at 120V each. If lighting is used in a show, it is preferable to power the lights from one leg of the service, and power the audio equipment from the other leg. This will help minimize noise from the lights coupling into the audio (particularly if SCRs, or light-dimmer switches, are used). In order to minimize ground loops, the safety grounds for all the outlets should be connected to a common (star) grounding point, and the distance between the outlets and the common grounding point should be as short as possible.

APPENDIX A: Service Info

Warranty Service
Details concerning Warranty Service are spelled out page 23. If you think your CFX Mixer has a problem, please do everything you can to confirm it before calling for service. Doing so might save you from the deprivation of your mixer and the associated suffering. Of all Mackie products returned for service (which is hardly any at all), roughly 50% are coded CND Could Not Duplicate, which usually means the problem lay somewhere other than the mixer. These may sound obvious to you, but theres some things you can check. Read on.

Bad Output

Are the SUB ASSIGN switches set correctly? and SUB Are the MAIN MIX Fader Faders turned up? If its one of the MAIN OUTs , try unplugging all the others. For example, if its a TRS MAIN OUT, unplug the associated XLR outputs. If the problem goes away, its not the mixer. If its a stereo pair, try switching them around. For example, if a left output is presumed dead, switch the left and right cords, at the mixer end. If the left speaker is still dead, its not the mixer.

Troubleshooting

Bad Channel
Is the ASSIGN switch set correctly? Is the channel Fader turned up? On mono channels, try unplugging any INSERT devices. Try the same source signal in another channel, set up exactly like the suspect channel.
Turn the channel Faders , EFX 1 RETURN and EFX 2 SEND down, one by one. If the sound disappears, its either that channel or whatever is plugged into it, so unplug whatever that is. If the noise disappears, its from your whatever.
Our favorite question: Is the POWER switch on?

Repair

Service for the CFX Series mixers is available only at our factory, located in sunny Woodinville, Washington. Service for Mackie mixers living outside the United States can be obtained through local dealers or distributors. If your mixer needs service, follow these instructions: 1. Review the preceding troubleshooting suggestions. Please. 2. Call Tech Support at 1-800-258-6883, 8am to 5pm PST, to explain the problem and request an RA (Return Authorization) number. Have your mixers serial number ready. You must have an RA number before you can obtain service at the factory. 3. Keep this owners manual. We dont need it to repair the mixer. 4. Pack the mixer in its original package, including endcaps and box. This is very important. When you call for the RA number, please let Tech Support know if you need new packaging. Mackie is not responsible for any damage that occurs due to non-factory packaging.

17.2"/437mm

CFX12 WEIGHT 17.8 lbs. (8.1 kg)

Output Impedance

Main Output, Insert Output, Tape Output, Sub Output, and Effects Sends: 150

Digital Effects

Resolution: Number of Presets: 16-bit, 2-channel 16

21.4"/ 544mm

CFX16 WEIGHT 21.0 lbs. (9.5 kg)
Channel Level Set LED (Sensitivity)
0 dBu (normal operating level)

VU Meters

Main L/R 12 segments: Clip, +10, +7, +4, +2, 0, 2, 4, 7, 10, 20, 30
CFX20 WEIGHT 24.3 lbs. (11.0 kg)

Disclaimer

Since we are always striving to make our products better by incorporating new and improved materials, components, and manufacturing methods, we reserve the right to change these specifications at any time without notice.

16.2"/412mm

15.7"/399mm

4.6"/117mm

2.1"/53mm

SUB 1 OUT

Block Diagram CFX Series

SOLO CONTROL

+48 VDC

R POWE TOM HAN

LEFT ASSIGN
SOLO INSERT TRIM Hz HPF LOW CUT LEVEL SET LO MID FREQ HI 80 12K FADER 3-4 MUTE SUB 2 OUT PAN 1-2
RIGHT ASSIGN MAIN INSERT TAPE OUT LEFT BREAK LEFT ASSIGN 250500 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K 3 MAIN LEVEL PRE-P0ST AUX 1 SUB 3 OUT RIGHT ASSIGN TAPE IN LEFT SUBWOOFER OUT 1 MAIN OUT LEFT
MIC/LINE IN MONO CHANNELS

AUX 2 EFX 1 EFX 2

RIGHT MAIN

LEFT MAIN

TAPE LEVEL LEFT ASSIGN TAPE IN RIGHT RIGHT ASSIGN SUB 4 OUT

75 Hz LPF

MAIN LEVEL 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K BREAK 1

LO LEFT

MID MID HI 12K 1-2 3-4 LEFT ASSIGN TAPE OUT RIGHT

MAIN OUT RIGHT

LINE IN STEREO CHANNELS

TRIM LO MID MID HI 12K

PAN MAIN

3K RIGHT

RIGHT ASSIGN STEREO EFX RETURN 1 LEFT AUX 1 PRE/POST PFL SIGNAL TO PHONES
AUX 2 EFX RETURN 1 EFX 1 STEREO EFX RETURN 1 RIGHT RUDE SOLO LIGHT UTILITY OUT LEFT
EFX 2 +5 VDC EFX SEND 2 EFX LEVEL SET EFX BYPASS SOLO CONTROL (ACTIVE LOW) EFX TO MAIN MIX +5 VDC L EFX SEND 2 STEREO EFX RETURN 2 RIGHT PHONES LEVEL EFX TO AUX 1 AUX SEND 1 BOTHELL MONROE TO LEFT MAIN SOLO ON PFL PHONES STEREO EFX RETURN 2 LEFT FROM EFX TO MAIN MIX SOLO OFF UTILITY LEVEL UTILITY OUT RIGHT

EFX SELECT

EMAC DSP
EFX TO AUX 2 TO RIGHT MAIN R

AUX SEND 1 AUX SEND 2

WOODINVILLE EXIT
PFL SIGNAL TO LEFT METER SOLO OFF
EFX WIDE AUX SEND 2 EFX SEND 1 EFX FOOT SWITCH EFX SEND 1 SOLO CONTROL (ACTIVE LOW) SOLO ON