For recording, I use a PC/Windows system running Cakewalk SONAR 8.5 with an M-Audio Delta 1010LT sound card. This gives me 8 input channels. I typically have recorded using the direct out capability on the channel Inserts of the Mackie mixer. By inserting a 1/4″ mono plug only half way (to the first click) the Mackie provides a direct out, without interruption of the signal through the channel. Unfortunately, the ZED mixer does not provide this capability.

I have performed this modification only on a ZED 12-FX mixer. However, it should be applicable to all mixers in the ZED series. There will be differences in the removal of the channel cards on some of the other ZED series mixers.

This article describes a modification to the mono channel of the ZED mixer to add a direct output function. This modification is not approved by Allen and Heath. As an unapproved modification, this may void your warranty.

The ZED Mixer INSERT

The diagram to the right shows the connections to the INSERT socket on the ZED mixer. Each of the three connections in the socket have contact closures to provide a signal path when no jack is inserted.

When inserting a 1/4″ jack into the INSERT socket, you can hear 3 distinct “clicks”. At the first click, the tip of the jack is contacting the sleeve of the socket, which is a ground connection.

At the second click, the tip of the jack is contacting the ring of the socket, which is the return connection. At this point, the signal is interrupted, and any input presented to the channel does not flow to the channel. An internal connection in the channel strip will now connect the tip and sleeve of the return connection.

At the third click, the tip of the jack is contacting the tip of the socket, which is the SEND for the INSERT. The ring of the socket is the RETURN.

Note that this modification is for the Mono channels only.  Allen & Heath does not provide INSERT connections for the Stereo channel on the ZED mixer. So, there is no simple way to create direct outs from the Stereo channels.

The Modification

As you can see from the schematic diagram above, when no jack is inserted the Send signal flows through the contact closures of the tip and ring connections. When a jack is inserted to the ring connection, however, the connection is opened and the Send signal no longer flows to the Return.

The modification I applied is to provide a jumper across the pins I have designated as 3 and 4. This provides a path for Send to Return when a jack is inserted to the second click. This also will place the Send signal on the tip of the inserted jack, providing a direct output to the channel. This is shown in the schematic diagram here.

When a jack is inserted all the way, the contact closure on the tip position will open, interrupting the internal signal path, and operating as a standard INSERT.

Tools and Skills Required

While the modifications presented here are moderately simple, they should not be attempted by someone who is not skilled in soldering electronics hardware. It should also be noted that this modification is not approved by Allen and Heath. As an unapproved modification, this may void your warranty.

Proper precautions should be taken to prevent damage to the unit from static electricity. A ground strap should be worn when working on the unit.

The following tools are needed:

• #1 Phillips Head Screwdriver
• T10 Torx Driver
• 7/16″ Nutdriver
• Soldering Iron
• Flat Head Screwdriver

Opening the Mixer

The bottom of the mixer is removed to access the channel cards. I use a thick foam pad in the table to protect the knobs as I place the mixer upside down. Remove the 12 Phillips head screws with the #1 Phillips head screwdriver. The bottom can be removed and set aside.

Remove the Knobs and Front Panel Connectors

For each of the mono channels you are modifying, remove all the control knobs. Use the flat head screwdriver to pry the knobs up gently, then pull them off. Note that if you are modifying channel 6, you will need to remove channels 4 and 5 as well.

Use the T10 Torx driver to remove the 2 screws for the XLR connector. Use the 7/16″ nut driver to remove the nuts on the two 1/4″ connectors and on each of the rotary controls.

You do not need to remove the slider. This will stay in place for this modification.

Remove the Ribbon Cable

A ribbon cable connects to all the channel cards. Remove this from the mono channel cards to allow their removal.

Remove the Channel Cards

The channel cards can now be removed from the unit. They each have wires connected to the slider which is still connected to the front panel. Be careful to not pull on these wires as the channels are removed.

It may be best to remove one at a time, perform the modification, and then return it to the chassis. Unfortunately, due to the mounting of the power supply, channels 4, 5 and 6 may require that the adjacent cards (lower channel numbers) also be removed.

Channel 6 is the hardest to remove. With channels 4 and 5 removed, pull it up slightly, and tilt toward the lower channel numbers.After the knob shafts have cleared through the front panel, rotate the card to bring the solder side upward. The images to the right show this sequence.

Apply the Mod

Now that you have the mixer disassembled and the channel cards removed, this is the easy part. Solder a wire across the two middle pins of the INSERT socket as shown in the photo on the right. Do this for each of the mono channels you wish to.

When the mods are complete, reassemble the mixer by reversing the steps.

Using the Direct Out

The direct out is an unbalanced signal. Use a standard 1/4″ jack and plug it in the INSERT socket only to the second click.

The direct out taps the signal after the input gain stages and after the 100 Hz high pass filter. It is pre-EQ. in my system, I use a recording snake to connect the 6 channels with direct outs to 6 audio inputs of my M-Audio sound card.

This feature is intended to be used by merchants who operate both an online store as well as a traditional, brick-and-mortar retail establishment. Customers can go to the merchant’s store online and place an order, or simply walk in and purchase products in person.

Retail vs. On-line products

At Lucienne’s, the point of sale operation required that several products be added that are not available at the on-line store. Cups of coffee don’t ship very well. With Volusion, I added an additional product category called “Retail Products” which are not displayed on the web site. This is done by checking the “hidden” box in the category’s “Basic Category Info” field.

Now products are added that are included in the “Retail Products” are somewhat available, but the operator has no direct method to find them on the POS page. Volusion does provide a secondary method for product selection on the POS screen, using UPC labels.

Using the UPC Code Field

To allow use of UPC codes, one simply adds a numeric code to the UPC Code field on the Product entry, in the Vendor Information section. Now the operator can simply type in the UPC code on the POS screen to select the product.

Of course, typing 12 digit numeric fields is not as easy as you might like. Certainly not as easy as I might like. The better method is to use a bar code scanner to read in the bar code directly. This leads to the next challenge; printing the bar code.

Bar Code Generation

The Volusion Product page has a link to “Generate Barcode” next to the UPC Code field. This brings up a window that will display a barcode from a numeric entry. Unfortunately, the displayed barcode is an amalgam of images for the thick and thin white and black bars. The image cannot be saved as a single image. A snapshot from the window will likely yield a fuzzy image that is not readable. Which leads me to wonder what the value of this tool is.

The Volusion information for the UP Code indicates:

Enter a numeric value into this field to assign a UPC or I25 code to a product in your Volusion store.

Note that UPC codes configured for your Volusion store’s products must have 13 digits. For UPC codes with less than 13 digits, precede the UPC number with one or more zeros until your UPC code meets the 13 digit requirement.

I25 codes must contain an even number of digits.

To generate a scanable bar code for a product’s UPC or I25 code, click on the Generate Barcode next to this field, enter your UPC or I25 code and click the available Generate button.

However, in reality there appears to be no checking on the data entered. I have tried using alpha characters and this field and the Volusion system accepted the data. This could allow simpler manual entry in the POS page. A downside to using alpha coding is that the bar code scanner might not be able to read it. In my case, the Code 39 ASCII barcode format is not readable. This leads me to a choice of easier manual entry, or ability to scan. I have chosen use of a scanner.

Generating Scannable Barcodes

As mentioned above, the Volusion Barcode Generator is no help in creating an actual scannable barcode. I was able to find several free on-line barcode generators:

• http://www.barcoding.com/upc/
• http://www.barcodesinc.com/generator/index.php
• http://www.bcgen.com/linear-barcode-creator.html
• http://barcode.tec-it.com/
• http://www.terryburton.co.uk/barcodewriter/generator/

There are others as well.

Printing a UPC Scan Sheet

Once the UPC Code entries have been created in the Volusion system and the barcodes have been generated, a Scan Sheet may be created to ease the data entry. Using Microsoft Word, I used a simple table to list the various products that we sell over the counter. One column of the table contains the product description and another column contains the barcode image. The sales person now can use the POS screen to create a shopping cart by scanning the appropriate entries.

To allow flexibility, I added a “Misc Sale” product definition, which has a price of $0.01. If any sales are made which do not directly correspond to a defined product, then the Misc Sale entry is chosen, and the sales person can enter the price manually. POS allows the operator to override the price on any items.

Over the past few weeks, I have drawn up my own equipment lists. I have a spreadsheet of the needs for each band; how many microphones, which microphone, where to put the direct lines, monitor configurations. I have stage drawings for each band. And I have my master equipment list to keep track of everything that needs to get loaded.

Over the past few days I have collected equipment from various sources. A monitor system from Bound for Glory, main speakers and amp from The Cornell Folk Song Society. One or two personal loans. Together with my own equipment, I created a system to meet the needs of the show.

I spent the morning today loading the truck. Speakers, stands, amps, cables. I ran through my checklist and verified that I loaded all the equipment.

If I had my druthers (and I don’t) every band would provide me a tech sheet that details all their needs. I would have a stage plot drawn up for each band and would be able to quickly reset mics and stands. But the reality is that even when the tech sheets and stage plots are provided, they are often incorrect by the time of the show. I expect for each band to be asked for changes. Perhaps a friend is in town and they asked her to join in for a couple of tunes. Perhaps the band has changed and they have not updated their sheets. Whatever the case, I’ll be making changes as we go and we all make do.

The key is that whatever the surprise they throw, the sound crew needs to adapt.So, along with the list of equipment I know I needed, I added in the extras. A few extra microphones and cables. DI boxes. Stands. Adapters of every shape and size. Tools and duct tape. I expect equipment to fail, so I make sure I have backup plans. If I need something, I make sure to have two of them.

With luck, I’ll be able to adapt to the changes as they come.

Update:

The festival ran smoothly, with a the exception of a couple rain showers that had me pulling back the outdoor speakers to bring them under cover.  One band showed up with 4 people, when I expected two, but after a little conversation I was able to accommodate them. All in all a good weekend.