MACKIE CARBON Premium USB Condenser Microphone Owner’s Manual

MACKIE CARBON Premium USB Condenser Microphone

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

1. Read, follow, and keep these instructions. Heed all warnings.
2. Do not expose the microphone to extreme cold or heat.
3. Do not expose the microphone to rain, use it in water, or in damp or wet conditions.
4. Do not expose the microphone to any excessive dust and other foreign particles.
5. Keep the microphone clean by washing outside with a dry cloth.
6. Keep the microphone in the case when not in use.
7. Never attempt to disassemble the microphone.
8. Mackie cannot be held responsible for any damage caused by improper use or modifications of the microphone.
9. Exposure to extremely high noise levels may cause permanent hearing loss. Individuals vary considerably in susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss, but nearly everyone will lose some hearing if exposed to sufficiently intense noise for a period of time. The U.S. Government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has specified the permissible noise level exposures shown in the chart. According to OSHA, any exposure in excess of these permissible limits could result in some hearing loss:
10. This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules for the U.S. and the ICES-003 for Canada.
    Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
    (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and
    (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Correct disposal of this product: This symbol indicates that this product should not be disposed of with your household waste, according to the WEEE directive (2012/19/EU) and your national law. This product should be handed over to an authorized collection site for recycling waste electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). Improper handling of this type of waste could have a possible negative impact on the environment and human health due to potentially hazardous substances that are generally associated with EEE. At the same time, your cooperation in the correct disposal of this product will contribute to the effective usage of natural resources. For more information about where you can drop off your waste equipment for recycling, please contact your local city office, waste authority, or your household waste disposal service.

LIMITED WARRANTY

Please keep your sales receipt in a safe place.
This Limited Product Warranty (“Product Warranty”) is provided by LOUD Audio, LLC. (“LOUD”) and is applicable to products purchased in the United States or Canada through a LOUD-authorized reseller or dealer. The Product Warranty will not extend to anyone other than the original purchaser of the product (hereinafter, “Customer,” “you” or “your”).
For products purchased outside the U.S. or Canada, please visit www.mackie.com to find contact information for your local distributor, and information on any warranty coverage provided by the distributor in your local market.
LOUD warrants to Customer that the product will be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use during the Warranty Period. If the product fails to conform to the warranty then LOUD or its authorized service representative will at its option, either repair or replace any such nonconforming product, provided that Customer gives notice of the noncompliance within the Warranty Period to the Company at: www.mackie.com or by calling LOUD technical support
at 1.800.898.3211 (toll-free in the U.S. and Canada) during normal business hours Pacific Time, excluding weekends or LOUD holidays. Please retain the original dated sales receipt as evidence of the date of purchase. You will need it to obtain
any warranty service.

For full terms and conditions, as well as the specific duration of the Warranty for this product, please visit www.mackie.com.
The Product Warranty, together with your invoice or receipt, and the terms and conditions located at www.mackie.com constitutes the entire agreement, and supersedes any and all prior agreements between LOUD and Customer related to the subject matter hereof. No amendment, modification or waiver of any of the provisions of this Product Warranty will be valid unless set forth in a written instrument signed by the party to be bound thereby.

FEATURES

PROFESSIONAL QUALITY

• Crystal clear vocals, instruments, and more will take your recordings to the next level
• Legendary Onyx mic preamp circuitry provides crystal clear sound and ultra-low noise

5 SELECTABLE POLAR PATTERNS

• Stereo
• Cardioid
• Bi-directional (Figure 8)
• Super-cardioid
• Omni

USB-C CONNECTIVITY

• Onboard USB interface plugs directly into your computer for fast, easy recording
• Class-compliant connection, no driver needed

ONBOARD HEADPHONE MONITORING
Headphone output with independent volume control offers a convenient monitoring solution

ONBOARD GAIN CONTROL AND MUTE

• Optimize the microphone’s output for your computer and/or DAW
• Mute button allows you to switch off the mic while still hearing your computer’s output

RUGGED CONSTRUCTION
Built-like-a-tank™ reliability ensure consistent performance for years to come

YOUR NEW CONTENT CREATION GO-TO
Engineered for recording music, podcasts, live streams, and online content creation

INCLUDED SOFTWARE

• Pro Tools® | First and Waveform™ OEM professional software and plugin packages included
• The Musician Collection for ProTools | First includes 23 plugins like BBD Delay, Eleven Lite, 304E EQ, and 304C Compressor
• The DAW Essentials™ Bundle for Waveform OEM includes 16 powerful plugins like Equaliser, Compressor, Reverber8, and Limiter

BIT RATE / SAMPLE RATE: 16-BIT / 48 KHZ

INCLUDED ACCESSORIES

• Mic stand
• USB-C cable

INTRODUCTION

The EleMent Series Carbon Premium USB Condenser Microphone delivers professional studio quality and versatility for content creators, gamers, musicians, and beyond.
Featuring 5 selectable polar patterns, Carbon can be optimized for vocals, rooms, stereo, two person interviews, and more. Onboard controls for gain, mute, and headphone volume make it easy to dial in your sound and control your monitoring.
Get recording fast with included Pro Tools® | First and Waveform™ professional software.
Also, the included stand makes it easy to capture great recordings anywhere.
Get out there and be heard with the Carbon Premium Condenser Microphone.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

PC
WINDOWS XP PRO, XP HOME, VISTA, 7, 8, 10 USB 1.1 / 2.0 (64 MB RAM MINIMUM)

MAC
MAC OSX (10.1.11 OR HIGHER)
USB 1.1 / 2.0 (64 MB RAM MINIMUM)

1. USB-C Port
   Connect the USB-C side of the included USB cable to the microphone and the USB-A side to the computer’s USB port.

2. Phones Jack
   This 1/8″ connector supplies the output to stereo headphones. The phones volume is controlled with the phones knob located on the front of the mic.

3. Phones Knob
   This knob is used to adjust the volume at the phones output from off to max. Make sure that this knob is fully off [counter-clockwise] before beginning.

4. Mute Switch
   The mute switch does just what it sounds like it might do. It mutes the mic signal! A red LED located just inside the mic will illuminate when engaged.
   NOTE : The mute switch mutes only the mic input. Any signal coming IN from the computer will still be heard through the headphones regardless of the state of the mute switch.

5. Gain Knob
   The gain knob adjusts the input sensitivity of the microphone, allowing signals from the outside world to be adjusted at optimal levels.

6. Pattern Knob
   Polar patterns illustrate how sensitive a microphone is to sound received via different angles from the central axis. Rotate the knob to the desired polar pattern.
   Stereo: Sound is picked up from the left and right sides of the microphone.
   Applications – Field recordings, filming, instruments.
   Cardioid: The front of the microphone is the most sensitive, while sound from the surrounding area remains isolated.
   Applications – Podcasts, voiceovers, vocals, instruments.
   Bi-directional (figure 8): Sound is picked up from the front and rear of the microphone, but not the sides. Applications – Interviews, vocal duets, instruments.
   Super-cardioid: Similar to cardioid, but with a narrower pickup, isolating the surrounding sound even more. Additionally, there is some pickup in the rear of the mic.
   Applications – Close mic’ing instruments, filming.
   Omni-directional: Sound is picked up equally from every direction, not needing to be aimed directly at the sound source.
   Applications – Conference calls / meetings, field recordings, symphonies.

7. Standard Microphone Stand Mount
   If you prefer to use the microphone on a standard microphone stand, carefully remove it from the included desk stand and hand-tighten to a standard thread count stand mount until snug.

GETTING STARTED

1. Read and understand the Important Safety Instructions on page 3.

2. Turn down all knobs.

3. Disengage all switches.

4. Connect the USB-C side of the included USB cable to the microphone and the USB-A side to the computer’s USB port.
   NOTE: Do not use a USB hub, keyboard’s USB port, etc. Plug directly into an open USB port on the computer.

5. Connect headphones to the headphone jack on the bottom of the mic.

6. Computer setup instructions [plug-and-play, no drivers required!]:
   Mac: System Preferences > Sound > Input (and Output) > USB Microphone
   PC: Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound > Playback (and Recording) > USB Microphone (make default). Make sure the input and output levels of the computer are un-muted and up.

7. While playing music from your computer, slowly rotate the phones knob clockwise. This will confirm that playback goes through the microphone’s headphone jack.
   NOTE: Your ears are important to us!
   Be careful of permanent hearing damage. Lower the volume on your device. Even intermediate levels may be painfully loud. Always turn the volume all the way down before connecting the headphones or doing anything new that may affect the headphone volume. Then turn it up slowly as you listen carefully.

8. Open up your favorite DAW and start a new session.

9. While speaking into the mic, disengage the mute switch and slowly rotate the gain knob clockwise until the input level meters on the DAW bounce between green and yellow.
   NOTE: The mute switch mutes only the mic input. Any signal coming IN from the computer will still be heard through the headphones regardless of the state of the mute switch.
   NOTE: This is a side address mic and works best when speaking into the side of the mic, not the top.

10. While most DAWs work (relatively) the same, the path to recording may be different. As such, refer to your DAW’s manual on how to open new sessions, create tracks, select the Carbon mic, arm tracks and the best part… recording! Have fun!

Technical Specifications

NEED HELP WITH THE MICROPHONE?

• Visit www.mackie.com and click Support to find: FAQs, manuals, and addendums.
• Telephone 1-800-898-3211 to speak with one of our splendid technical support chaps (Monday through Friday, normal business hours, Pacific Time).

19820 North Creek Parkway #201 • Bothell, WA 98011 • USA Phone: 425.487.4333 • Toll-free: 800.898.3211
Fax: 425.487.4337 • www.mackie.com

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