Help with Mackie Onyx 16 and SD recording

[RitterSport]

Hello!

My friend (and bandleader, singer, etc.) has a Mackie Onyx 16, just purchased a few months ago. We're trying to use it as a mixer and to record to the SD card, and we're both very new at this kind of thing.

I put my bass through a DI box, and out from there to the mixer and to a bass amp. We don't necessarily want the bass going through the main speakers (typically, my JBL EON 715s), but we do want it on the recording. So, what we've done is go from the aux/monitor outs to the speakers, rather than the Main out, and then cut the bass to zero on the monitor lines, while keeping it on the main line. However, when we do that, the bass doesn't show up in the recording.

Looking at the block diagram on page 9 of this (https://mackie.com/img/file_resources/Onyx_Series_SS.pdf, warning, PDF), it seems to me that if it's going to the Mains, then it's going to the SD card. I don't see how cutting it out on the aux/monitor could possibly affect it. When I listen with headphones, I hear the bass, but it's not on the recording.

Anyway, I don't have it handy, so I'll take any suggestions and then try them out next time he and I are together. I'm really baffled.

 

[Krisfield]

Perhaps this applies to your situation...

"The SD recording signal path is pre-main fader, so the PA system volume may be offset if need be. However, the catch is that the main fader needs to be set to unity so you know how hot the recording signal to SD card is showing on the meters."

Mackie Onyx 16 Manual

 

[RitterSport]

I'm hoping to get my hands on the mixer tonight at rehearsal and I should have some time to play with it tomorrow. I don't think that's my issue -- it's going to the mains, but not to the aux/monitors

 

[Krisfield]

It does sound confusing as to what you're doing.

 

[RitterSport]

No luck getting my hands on the mixer yesterday - we went to a new rehearsal space and he left it at home.

Anyway, what I'm trying to accomplish is to record the bass (and drums, if we have them and they're mic'd) to the SD card, but not have them go through the main speakers. So, what we do is connect the aux/monitor outs to the main speakers and cut the bass (and drum) tracks to zero on the monitor out lines. We have them up on the main sliders. Maybe I need to just connect a couple of cables to nowhere on the output?

Edited to add - no, that can't be it because the singers and guitar get recorded.

 

[RitterSport]

I just got the mixer in my hands and it seems to work as expected. I don't know what we're doing wrong with our live setup. In fact, if I SOLO every channel but the bass, then I can use the control room and the monitor outs as outputs -- two speakers, two monitors. The bass still goes to the recording, but not to the speakers. Anyway, thanks for taking a look. We have a show tomorrow night, so maybe it will work this time.