Here is a simple checklist for setting up the PA with the mixer.
1 Setup the stage area
Connect the stage box to the power and the “Data 3” socket on the wall.
2 Plug mics and instruments into the stage box
Use 3 pin XLR cables to plug mics into the stage box.
Guitars and keyboards have to connect via a “direct inject (DI)” box (which is like a computer dongle). Ideally, use a “passive” DI box (eg a green Pro D1) for keyboards and an “active” one (eg black PAN02 or blue J48) for acoustic guitars.
Plug a jack cable (round barrel plug) into the “Input” on the DI box – not the “Link output” or “Thru”. Plug one end of a 3 pin XLR cable into the output and the other end into the corresponding socket on the stage box.
3 Connect mixer and power on
Connect the mixer to the power.
Connect the mixer’s sLink port to the “Data 3” port on the wall box [green arrow below].
Get two 3 pin XLR cables. Plug one end into 11 L and 12 R on the back of the mixer (middle row, far-left). Plug the other ends into Mic3 and Mic4 on the stage box [purple arrows above].
Switch on the mixer’s power – there is a round black push button on the back of the mixer, tucked between the power cord and the edge of the foam.
4 Switch the amps to “SQ on”
On the white wall box, press the button to turn SQ on. This changes the amp inputs from “café mode” (using the wall sockets and volume knobs) to “PA mode” (using the mixer).
5 Choose the mixer preset
If the mixer’s screen asks if you would like to load the default user, press “Yes”. You’ll see that the faders all reset to their usual starting positions.
6 Set channel levels
For each of the channels you’re using, check the mixer is receiving a signal (there will be signal lights flashing on the mixer). You may need to turn up the preamp gain if there is little or no activity on the mixer when you know sound is being sent to it.
Use the faders to set the volume for each channel. Remember that the host mics and the band are part of groups – the red group fader controls all of its members. So ensure the group fader is turned up to hear the individual channels. Later you can also mute the group to silence all of the individual channels.
7 Plug in the laptop sound
Use a 3.5mm mini-Jack to XLR cable to connect the headphone socket of the laptop to inputs 1 & 2 at the back of the mixer (top row, far right).
