The digitalized pages - Both are originally DIN A4 sheets, digitalized with 300dpi in b/w and converted into interlaced GIF pictures.
The routing in the current block diagram ignores any attenuations of the auxes that are (Aux 4) or can be (Aux 3) routed post fader by the crossfader section including the VCA crossfader itself and the VCFs as well. In this current block diagram, a stereo channel output that is attenuated and/or filtered by the crossfader section can still appear unattenuated and unfiltered on a post-fader aux. A solution was already suggested in the Any problems? section of the first page, but the costs are the deciding factor if VCAs, VCFs and aux buses are multiplied. The price will probably decide how "post" an aux can be.
The headphones section in the block diagram has a little error: the stereo to mono sum-OP is directly connected to the PFL-bus. Of course it should be fed with the output of the two OPs at the top of the headphones section instead (the OPs that feed the &qupt;PFL-Out" in the block diagram). Nevertheless I think that the intention of the circuits is even clear enough.
Auxes 3 and 4 are represented by two different lines, although
their circuits are not very different. In fact the only difference
is in the handling of stereo auxes 3 and 4
in the input channels. The master sections of auxes 3 and 4 are absolutely
identical.
Auxes 1 and 2 are allready represented by a single line as they are
identical inputs and outputs.
The assignment for the left VU meter (showing Mix/pre master, Master 1 or Master 2) is only shown for the left channel due to the limitations of the original DIN A4 sheet...
The pre/post-EQ switch is shown internal in the block diagram but it is featured on the front panel in the front panel picture. The latter can be preferred because there is enough free space due to the reduction of aux controls in mono and stereo channels.
AFL switches on master and aux outputs are not shown in the block diagram, because a differentiation of PFL and AFL signals is not planed. Signals from any AFL switch are just routed to the PFL/AFL-bus just like the PFL signals.
On thing in the block diagram that can't found on the front panel is a mono switch for the two stereo aux sends 3 and 4. It could be either located on the rear panel or operated internal by the output jacks similar like in the stereo inputs of some GL mixers: With only a connector in the left output jack the switch is closed so that this connector receives a mono signal. If and how this mono switch should influence the AFL signal from that aux send is discussed at the end of this page in the new ideas section.
Control LEDs are not included in the block diagram, only on the front panel layout.
The front panel layout of the master section features a mono output control which
is not featured in the block diagram. Could be used for a connection to
a sound sensitve light controller.
By the way (light!) - there is also a XLR-connector
(could be changed to BNC or whatever) and a dimmer for a gooseneck-lamp.
A feature not necessarily revolutionary but very useful!
The sizes for my suggested layout are:
Basically if there are some buttons at a different place compared with the prototype don't take this too serious. With the prototype in front of my eyes I would have probably copied nearly the whole button layout apart from the ungrouped layout of the aux AFL section. But that is obsolete now anyway, because my version 1 features an aux routing with a "stereo channels to aux" control for auxes 1 and 2.
All switches are equiped with control LEDs except the following:
The two control LEDs for the crossfader assigment in the stereo channels
don't show which buttons are pressed (assign or select), they
show the result of this selection (X, Y or none).
Two additonal LEDs are located on the edges of the crossfader itself. These
"assigned"-LEDs are illuminated if there
is any channel assigned to the associated crossfader side.
When none of these two LEDs is illuminated any change in the whole crossfader
section including crossfader and VCFs will not have any effect on the mix.
And there will be also no signal on the headphones when in crossfader-split-cue
mode.
The control LEDs for the VCFs are located above the switch and even sligtly moved from the switch to the VCD knob itself. This was made to guarantee that the LEDs are still visible when the user is operating the VCF-control or -switch. But I as far as I can remeber, this was already the case on the prototype.
An important thing on a DJ mixer is that the "On Air"-switches
have an On Air-function and not a mute function.
Both are identical internal
but the On Air mode including a LED that is active when the channel is active,
not when the channel is muted, satisfies the demands of
a DJ mixer.
The control LEDs for the VU meters are described
in the VU meter section.
Ideas about the LEDs in the headphones section can be found
in the following PFL and AFL handling section.
The PFL routing drawn in the block diagram is concentrated to show the realisation of the features pre-mix, master-split-cue and crossfader-split-cue.
The headphones section features level control, pre-mix-control, a PFL mono switch and the two split-mode switches for crossfader- and master-split-cue. The two LEDs near the split-mode switches and a third one next to the pre-mix-control show which mode is selected and which controls are selected and active:
The headphones jack is located at the edge of the front panel so that the headphones cable doesn't hang over the mixer's control knobs.
The layout of the stereo channels is one version descibed on first page. Auxes 1 and 2 are removed from each stereo channel and compensated by the "stereo channels to aux"-control in the master section of auxes 1 and 2. The gained area is used for an added balance control, an additional Pre/Post-EQ switch for aux 3 and of course for a more spacious layout of the EQ section.
The master module (on the front panel)
features two stereo masters, one mono output, the aux send section,
the headphones section, the VU meters and
the crossfader curve control.
The current arrangement of the controls is only a
rough sketch because the final selection of controls to be featured in the
master module isn't made yet.
The controls in the aux send section are just as described in
the monitoring of
the first page,
featuring a "stereo channels to aux" control.
The block diagram and the front panel layout features a smooth fading between
constant loudness, dipless and cutting-type crossfader curce.
With the curve control set to the most right postion, the crossfader has a constant loudness
curve. Turning clockcounterwise to the 12 o'clock position the characteristic curve
fades into a dipless curve. Or in other words: The "dip" in the center position
of the crossfader is faded vom 6 dB to 0 dB. From the 12 o'clock the the most left position,
the "dipless area" around the center of the crossfader increases from just
the center to an
area from ¼ to ¾ of the crossfader length.
This is as far I know the crossfader curve control at some Vestax mixers
behaves. Citronic also offers a seamless crossfader curve control on
the Pro-10, but with constant
loudness at the left position of the control.
The minimal but nevertheless sufficient (cutting-type excluded, those people should then go for a smaller battle mixer anyway) crossfader curve control would just consist of a switch that lets the user select between a constant loundess and a dipless crossfader curve.
The left VU meter normally shows the pre-fader
master signal because this is the relevant signal to be metered for
constant level mixes (e.g. when recording mix-tapes or -CDs).
With the "master to meter" switch pressed the left VU meter shows
the AFL (post insert/post fader) signal of the master selected by the 1/2-switch.
The AFL on the masters is needed to set or chech the level of the PA system.
Once the level is set a good DJ doesn't touch the master fader during the rest
of the night.
The right VU meter always shows the PFL signal which includes also some AFL signals
on this mixer. This signal is not affected by the master-split-cue and pre-mix controls
in the headphones section (in the block diagram that are points E and F).
As an option there is a switch that assigns this VU meter to
the both sides of the crossfader just like the headphones in crossfader-split-cue mode
(signals from points C and D in the block diagram).
Because of the similarity of these two split-modes, the crossfader-split-VU ode
of the right VU meter should be
activated automatically whenever the crossfader-split-cue mode is selected in the
headphones section. This saves one button on the front panel and
makes operation much quicker. Nevertheless a LED near the VU meter
should be kept to indicate the crossfader-split-VU mode of that VU meter.
Otherwise panic might arise because when watchting the VU because
"the left channel failed..."
Just some things that haven't been discussed on the first page, but that are already included in the block diagram or the front panel layout.
The (internal) "PFL on left/right ear" switch should be located
on the front panel as soon as a single Club Wizard is used by various DJs.
When a Club Wizard is used (and carried around to every location)
by always the same DJ an internal switch
is okay, but when installed in a club with many guest and resident DJs
one has a problem:
Not every DJ prefers the left ear for the PFL signal, though this
seems to be the majority.
(I've noticed that
because I'm some kind of a strange DJ: I don't smoke and I use the right ear
when I only use one side of the headphones. Many other DJs smoke and use
the left ear...)
Other switches like the (all new?) Post/Pre-balance selector should probably better stay internal, as they might be too confusing for many users.
For the end of this version 1 page some ideas that haven't found their
way in the block diagram or the front panel layout.
The first one (With or without mics) is not really new, but the described features
can be realized with minimal additional costs through the current layout of
the mix buses.
The second one
(Crossfader flash) is maybe already included, but it's not necessarily
visible in the front panel layout because I had some difficulties
drawing a flashing LED ;-)
To realize the "stereo channels to aux" control for auxes 1 and 2, there
are separate mix buses for stereo and mono input channels. Another feature
that has been already included in the block diagram is an (internal) with/without
mics switch to select the signal that feeds the headphones section.
But there are also further features that require separated mix buses:
| "Air-check" names a recording that contains only that parts of a live radio programme that are relevant for control purposes. Usually the recorder is triggered whenever the presenter's microphone input is on air. With a device that enables pre-trigger recording or at least instant recording the signal from the mono mix bus could be used to start the recording, too. |
| Output | Master | music only | mics only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master 1 | Always! | no | no |
| Master 2 | yes* | yes | no |
| DJ-Booth | yes* | yes | no |
| Record | yes* | yes | no |
| Lights (mono) | yes | yes* | no |
| Aux | yes* | yes | yes |
Playful minds (obviously I am one, because this is my idea) could imagine the
crossfader-split-cue LED to flash when no channel is assigned to the crossfader.
Or even to flash in a different way (faster or with another on/off-ratio) when
there are only channels assigned to one side of the crossfader.
This would only require a bit of cheap TTL-type wiring, but the result would
be really impressing.
Maybe it's because I got once got stuck on an Ecler Sclat 8
because I scratched and cuttet using the crossfader without any success:
The crossfader wasn't assigned to any channel. Just like I said in the
preface: ...PFL- and other
important buttons without control LEDs.
One might think about a signal from a PFL switch disabling all
AFL signals like on other Allen & Heath mixers.
But with consideration of the majority of the upcoming users
of the Club Wizard, who are probably not so used to FoH-mixers,
such a priority handling maybe should better not implemented.
The split-modes of the headphones section allready includes
some kind of priority handling (see PFL and AFL handling section),
so there would be a further priority handling of the PFL signal
before it has even reached the headphones section.
This could cause some confusion... probably a not so good idea.
The problem of post fader auxes combined with the crossfader section
has already been discussed in the
Any problems? section of the first page.
The current block diagram ignores that problem at first
(see comments to the block diagram),
but looking at the routing of the input channels some new ideas appear:
The proposed Club Wizard version 1 features stereo channels as well as stereo auxes and
stereo PFL'ing.
In the mono channels this led to a separate panorama control
for aux 3. In fact aux 3 could get the panorama information via
the main panorama control in that mono channel. Either electrical (only in post fader
mode) which would require an aux 3 level control in stereo and (if kept) the
aux 3 panaroma (for pre fader routings) control before the level conrol.
Or mechanical by controling
aux 3 pan control and the channel pan control via the same knob. The latter
would require absolutely no changes in the current wiring and all options
like pre/post switches are kept for aux 3. Furthermore another control knob
on the front panel could be removed. The layout will be much clearer:
4 controls for 4 auxes.
In the stereo channels quite similar: Aux 4 already gets its balance
information from the main balance control of that channel. Aux 3 is at the moment
without
any balance information when in pre-fader mode, in the post-fader mode there is
a pre/post-bal switch. (In fact the basic idea about the whole
pan/bal problem with auxes and PFL originated while adding that internal Post/Pre-Bal
switch to the block diagram.)
To get balance informations in every mode the (mechnical) solution is similar like in
the mono channels just with balance controls instead of panorama controls.
Nevertheless the first thought should always be for what the auxes are used and for
what the balance/panorama conrols are used. Then it should be checked if
and how the usage of balance/panorama should influence the auxes (the other way round
is obviously not under discussion!).
After all this one can decide what kind
of routing should be selected and what circuits are choosen to realize
the desired routing.
- That's it for the auxes so far!
Another thing smiliar to the auxes' problem are the points where the PFL signal
of a channel is taken.
In the current input circuits that are (for mono channels just replace "Bal"
with "Pan"):
Making balance/panorama available at the PFL bus is not as important as the balance/panorama
problem on the auxes. Why? Because the PFL is just what the DJ hears (of course only
in the case nothing is connected to the PFL output at the rear of the mixer...)
while the auxes (more likely...) influence what is finally heard as result
of the DJ's work.
With this in mind the costs have a very certain influence on the
decision if the necessary circuits are installed or not.
Just a result of the previous routing discussion:
The send outputs of auxes 3 and 4 should behave like mono auxes when the
output is only used as a mono signal. The required switch in the aux send
citcuits is already included in the block diagram.
As the AFL routing is not yet included and fixed
in the block diagram, different options should be taken into consideration,
apart from what is possible through the design of the send circuits.
If there is a user selectable mono switch on the rear of the mixer
the AFL signal should also be permanently mono.
If the mono switch is operated via the aux send output jacks there a two
useful versions:
Especially the last two routing sections (auxes and PFL) leave us with two general questions:
Carsten Warnk
warnk@warnk.de
phone +49-531-34 15 82
mobile +49-177-2 66 33 66
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Available pages: introduction, first page, version 1 (current).
Text created on March, 10th 1999
HTML last updated on March, 12th 1999
