Samson MPL 1640 - Manual (Page 24)

22
Using PFL Solo
The MPL 1640 provides PFL (Pre-Fade Listen) solo switches for each of its six-
teen input channels. The main function of PFL is to allow you to check that a
signal is actually arriving at a particular input. When a PFL(solo) switch is
pressed, the pre-fader (but post-EQ) signal of that channel alone is routed to the
headphone output and to the meter. The Main Mix outputs are not interrupted
during a PFL solo, so you can press any Solo switch even during recording or
live performance without affecting the main signal flow. This also makes it possi-
ble for you to correctly cue up a tape or CD before bringing it into the main mix.
Be aware, however, that PFL solo does not allow you to hear a signal in context.
For one thing, the soloed signal is monitored pre-fader, so, depending upon the
current position of the channel fader and input trim, it may sound considerably
louder or softer than it actually is in the Main Mix. Secondly, the soloed signal is
always monitored monophonically—even if it’s actually panned off to one side.
Finally, the PFL soloed signal appears without any outboard signal processing
being applied via the Aux sends and returns (however, any signal processing
being applied by a channel insert routing is heard). Note that there is no provi-
sion for soloing signal returning to the MPL 1640 Aux returns.
The meter display allows you to see at a glance whether or not a signal is
currently being soloed—the bottom left LED (labeled “PFL”) lights steadily red
whenever one or more channels is soloed. If you are monitoring over head-
phones and you don’t hear a sound from the MPL 1640 when everything else
seems to be functioning correctly (i.e. meter is moving, connectors are plugged
in, etc.), a likely reason might be that one or more of the channel PFL (solo)
switches may be accidentally pressed in—so check the PFL LED in the meter
section before panicking!
PFL
ON
OFF
STERE0 PFL
LEFT
RIGHT
PFL PHANTOM POWER
-20 -10 -6 -3 0 +3 +6
-20 -10 -6 -3 0 +3 +6