4. Locate andidentify the hard-ware that came withyour Meter Bridge:

�� a. Two (2) slotted screws;� � b. Two (2) collar pieces (Notethat there is a smallpin protruding from

the bottom of eachcollar piece);�� c. Two (2) Allen head screws;�� d. Two (2) lockwashers;�� e. One (1) allen wrench.

5. Remove the plastic caps that coverthe Meter Bridge mounting holeson each side of the Console (Draw-ing A). Feed them to your boa.

6. Align the Meter Bridgewith the Console (B) and lower itinto place. Tilt the Meter Bridgeback until it isat rest againstthe Consolechassis (oryour tangle ofpatchcords).Make surethat the meterbridge'smountingholes line up

MB•16

MB•24

MB•32

MB•E

A

Congratulations on adding a MeterBridge to your Mackie Designs 8•BusConsole. Installation is very straightfor-ward and should take just a few minutes.The only reason we've included so manystep-by-step drawings is because our artdepartment wanted something to do ona rainy day1.

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS1. Locate the warranty card and fill it

out. If you bought your MeterBridge at the same time you pur-chased an 8•Bus series console, youdon't need to answer all the ques-tions on the card that came with theMeter Bridge. Just fill in the modelnumber of the Meter Bridge, serialnumber, purchase date and dealer,and your name and address.

2. Make sure that your 8•Bus Consolepower supply is turned off.

3. Remove the Meter Bridge from itsplastic bag. Save the bag. It's handyfor wrapping boa constrictors ormoray eels before popping them inyour freezer. Also, save the box.

B

MB•32/MB•24/MB•16/MB•E8•BUS METER BRIDGES

1And, since every day except four or five in August arerainy up here in the Northwest Rainforest, they had timeto do quite a nice job..

with the console's mountingholes.

7. Hand-insert one collarpiece into each side, withthe “teeth” pointing out(C). Occasionally, the endcaps of the Console will try

to interfere withthis step. Don't getupset. Simply loosen the CONSOLE endcap screws, install the collar and then re-tighten the screws.

8. Turn the collars by hand until you feel thepin seat itself (it will stop turning).

9. Slide one lockwasher onto each allen-headscrew.

10. Secure the collars by inserting an Allen-head screw on each side (C). Take care notto cross-thread the screws or strip thescrewheads. Tighten the Allen screwssecurely.

11. Using a hefty screw driver, install a flushscrew almost all the way into each side(Drawing D at right).

12. Raise the Meter Bridge as far forward as itwill go.

13. On the Console, locate the rubber plugsthat cover the Meter Bridge ribbon cable

MB•16 Meter Bridge

MB•E Meter Bridge

MB•24 Meter Bridge

MB•32 Meter Bridge

C

D

E

sockets. The 32•8 has five; the 24•8 hasfour; the 16•8 and MB•E each have three(see epic MondoDrawing E at the top).

14. Remove the rubber plugs and feed them tothe afore-mentioned boa constrictor.

13. Making sure that the plug and socket arealigned, firmly insert each ribbon cable intoits corresponding socket in the Console (F).Take care to make sure that the cable is nottwisted 180˚ (sounds insulting to cautionyou against something like this, but we'veseen it done.) Unless your fingers aremicrominiature, you'll probably need to usethe eraser end of a pencil to press down onthe plug and make sure that it is fullyseated (G).

16. Slide the new improved, slotted rubberplugs (that are pre-attached to the ribboncables) down until they fit snugly into therectangular Console holes (Drawing H).

17. Adjust the Meter Bridge to the desiredangle and tighten the screws.

18. Make yourself a sandwich. Wash handsbefore returning to work.

pin down

Bridge activity on Channel 1. Whoop withunbridled joy.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each channel ofthe Console. You'll probably want to stopwhooping after about the sixth or seventhchannel.

6. Assign the last channel you tested to theL/R MIX. Turn up the L/R MIX fader.Engage the L/R switch in the MONITORsection of the Console.

7. Confirm meter activity on both the MeterBridge VU meters and the console's L/RMAIN LED meters. Pan the channel left andright to confirm that all meters understandthis sort of thing.

A SHORT TEST-DRIVEThe point of this exercise is to make sure thatall the Meter Bridge channels (and all the LED'son each channel) work properly. Better nowthan later.1. Power up your 8•Bus Console. Confirm

that the following are alight:A. The console's power LED;B. The meter bridge's VU meters (unlessyou're installing an MB•E); andC. Either the TAPE or CHANNEL LED onthe Meter Bridge.If nothing lights up,turn the power offimmediately and re-check your connec-tions. If all is aglow,proceed to the nextstep.

2. If the MeterBridge TAPELED is on,press theSOURCEbutton belowit once to switch toCHANNEL. If theCHANNEL LED ison, switch it toTAPE and back toCHANNEL, toconfirm thatthe switch isbehaving.

3. Send a signalinto the mainpath ofConsole Channel 1. The –20 LED abovethe fader will let you know if you have doneso.

4. After makingsure that thechannel isnot muted,turn up thechannelfader. Con-firm Meter

F

G

H

continued on back page

TROUBLESHOOTINGIf a group of LED ladders doesn't respond,

there's a good chance that the correspondingribbon cable isn't pushed in all the way. Makesure that it is firmly plugged in.

If nothing responds, contact your dealer orMackie Designs Tech Support immediately.

METER BRIDGE OPERATIONYour meter bridge's ballistics and general

behavior is the same as the submaster LEDladders on the Master section of the Console.For the excruciating details, read the section onMETERING on page 11 of your 8•Bus manual.

When TAPE is selected on the Meter Bridge,the channel meters will show you what is com-ing out of your multitrack into your tape returns— before any signal manipulation in the chan-nel (but after the +4/–10 switching circuit). Thechannel meters should behave just like yourmultitrack's meters.

When CHANNEL is selected, the meters“see” the channel's direct output post-EQ,post-fader and post-mute. This is particularlyhandy for live mixing.

The VU meters on the MB•32, MB•24 andMB•16 “look” at the same signals as theconsole's L/R LED meters. You will notice thatthe VU meters and LED meters will not alwaysagree with each other. THIS IS NORMAL. TheLED meters read peak activity and will showevery dynamic nuance. The VU meters, de-signed in the Early Bronze Age, are slower torespond and therefore show an RMS or averagesignal level. This will usually be several dB lessthan the peaks shown on the LED meter.

Final suggestion: Turn your overhead lightsway down so that your Mackie system will looklike the Death Star from Revenge of the Jedi.Put baseball cards in the power supply fan tosimulate a warp drive.

Just kidding.

16220 Wood-Red Road NE • Woodinville • WA • 980721-800-898-3211 • FAX 425/487-4337Outside the U.S. call 425/487-4333www.mackie.com • E-mail: sales@mackie.com

©1999 Mackie Designs. Printed in USA.Part # 820-008-00 Rev B