Mackie CR-1604 VLZ need suggestions

[Lynn B]

Hi to all those who are experienced with the Mackie cr 1604 vlz. We are
in the process of installing this mixer in our church. We have 5 wired, 3
wireless, one cdr with simulateous record and playback, and one dual
cassette deck for playing back split track accompaniment.
We use one chanel of the mixer for front of house, and the other channel
for the floor monitor for the singers, this is the instrument music track.
Our biggest or most complicated part is the cdr hookup, and the tape.
All suggestions are welcome. Bye the way we feed the instrumental track
to the main speaker when the praise teem is singing. When the praise teem is practicing they want to hear the instrumental and the vocal track
together.
Thanks for any help. Lynn B

[cmchamp]

I'd run the board mono and use the mono out for the mains. Set your floor monitors up using an AUX send. I'd set up AUX 4 for that, that way, if you've got any EFX you want to use for vocal verb, you'll be able to use return 1 or 2.
You can then set up your your busses for seperate things. Buss 1 for preacher/speaking, buss 2 for lead vocals, buss 3 for background vocals and buss 4 for trax - instrumentalists.

I'd use the stereo outs to feed the CD-R and if you've got one handy, a compressor/limiter to keep the peeks down. Remember, however, to mute the CD-R playback channels when you're recording.

Feel free to give me a call, or email me directly if you need more help.

God Bless

[Ted]

Sorry about the delayed response, I was on vacation for Thanksgiving in New York and my trip was unexpectedly prolonged by inclement weather in the Cleveland area...

Anyhow, I'd agree that setting up the monitors on aux sends would be your best bet. You'll have more control that way. As to the problems you're having with the CDR, what specifically is wrong? If you want it and/or the tape to feed the system while your singers are singing, I'd just run each into a pair of channels on the mixer. And like Cory said, be sure to mute the channels their outputs are on while you're recording to either or you may get a nasty feedback loop.

-Ted

[Lynn B]

OK thanks for the replies. We have the Music track on line in #13, and the
line in Vocal on #14. we are using Aux send #1 to the monitor amp. The assign buttons are #1 Left and Right. #2 Left and Right. We are using a
Rat Shack switch box to select which unit is being used to feed the #13 and #14 line input, the cd playback, or cassette. We are using the rca tape outs to feed the cdr for recording. I have not played with the system
since the operator hooked it up. I do like what cory said about using the bus #1, #2, #3,and #4, for individual things like vocals, tracks, etc. I would like to eliminate the out rigger switch box for the tracks, from the tape or cd. I like the "acronym" KISS, Keep It Simple Simon. I believe that would require using four of the Aux inputs and panning the signal to
the appropriate buss. I know there is more than one way to do this. I would like to use the left main outs to feed the foh amp, and the Right to
feed the monitor. This it would seem to me to put the seperate buss to
better use, using all four of the subgroup faders to accomplish the combinations available. The goal in our case is to have the praise team, with the instrumental track to the foh, and the instrumental to the monitors, in a normal service. But in rehearsal have both the instrumental and the accompaniment vocals from the split tract sent to the praise team to let them hear the words as well as the instrumental on the split track accompanament. I hope this is not confusing. I believe this is a very relavent scenario in a lot of churches that use the Mackie CR-1604 vlz in a PA system.
OK. Bye the way we do have a couple of channels out and this is a common problem that i have read about on the Mackie forum, they have
a new ribbon connector that is better quality than the original. I am going
to see if i can get the part and change it myself as i am a technician and
experienced with changing this type of part, the hardest part is knowing
how to make to receptical release the ribbon. Ha Ha.

[EphICanIMite]

I would also agree with Cory. My church has the mackie 32-8, a larger but very similar mixer. We run mono and keep all of the sub-master assign buttons down. Feed you monitors out of and aux send. This is very helpful when set at post fader feed. The reason being is that if you get every thing set at unity levels, if the aux knobs are also at unity, the monitors should give the worship team a pretty close idea of what they are sounding like (level-wise) out of the mains.
If you want to run the split vocal track only through the monitor system, simply release the channel select button next to the fader.
I have my own 1604vlz and this works wonderfully as well.

[J Coley 1954]

Another thing to consider is coming from the tape out to the cassette deck, leaving a blank cassette in the recording side with rec ON but with tape paused. this will allow signal to pass through and you can use the cassette led meters and rec volume control to keep a clean signal. Then go from the cassette out into the CDR in and out of the CDR out to the tape in on the mixer. Then if you want to play a tape, just use the playback side of the cassette deck.

[JPoaps]

First I am not too technical but I can get by I have been working with sound for quite a few years. But this is the first time I have installed a sound system I got advise from the company that ssold the equipment except for the Mackie board which I own.

My question is I have aux 1 for the monitor send. Aux 2 to the eq, Aux 3 to the nursery speaker in the basement and finally aux 4 to the FM Phonic Ear system. My question is we also have a loop system for the hearing impaired. Can I do a Y connection from one of the aux sends to the amp that controls the loops sytem ? Or can I connect it to aux 5 or 6 send. Any suggestions would be helpful. If some one can email me I will send the diagram to you which may be more helpful.

Thanks, John

[cmchamp]

John:
Aux 1 to Monitors - got that
Aux 2 to EQ? not sure what you mean here.
Aux 3 can be used for your listening distribution - a simple distribution amplifier will 'split' the signal for the nursary, Phonic Ear and 'loop' system.
C.