Well, I don't really dance, and I don't consider myself the devil, so I think you're relatively safe. Just consider what you need and stick to that.
I really want to do, like, a video tutorial before I sell it. This will have to suffice for now.
Here are scans I took of the input module jack plate and dress panel to create cue sheets:
If you study those for a bit you can see that:
There are 2 line inputs with their own trim pots.
Those line inputs can be sourced as the channel input, LINE 2 can be sourced to either pair of AUX groups (like the M-500 line input), and furthermore either line input can be sourced on the monitor buss. I'd have to study it a bit more to confirm that you could monitor all 36 inputs at once...I had it figured out at one point...but for now how about a more realistic scenario like 16 tape returns and 12 mics? Okay...Say you've got 12 mics plugged into the 12 channels, and you want to monitor those along with line inputs 1 & 2 on channels 1~8 and be able to have a stereo mix of those 28 inputs...one way to do it is:
- Set the channel INPUT switches to MIC
- Set the AUX 3/4 source switches on channels 1~8 to LINE 2...the AUX 3/4 controls are setup as LEVEL and PAN on the concentric stacked pot which is nice, so you set your LINE 2 TRIMs, and then set your levels and pans in the AUX 3/4 section. AUXes 3 & 4 are summed at the BUSS MASTER pots at the top of channels 11 & 12, and you can sniff those in the MONI section of those channels...
- Set the source select switches in the MONI section of channels 11 & 12 to BUSS...this will send the sum of the LINE 2 sources you picked up in the AUX 3/4 section of channels 1~8 to the MONITOR buss...sweep the PAN of MONI on channel 11 hard L, and the PAN of the MONI on channel 12 hard R...this will maintain the stereo field you setup for LINE 2 inputs 1~8 in the AUX 3/4 sections of those channels.
- Set the MONITOR source select switches to LINE 1 on channels 1~8, and set your levels and pans to taste.
- Now you have a stereo mix of mic inputs 1~12 on the stereo buss (assuming the channel faders are up and the channels are open), and a stereo mix of LINE 1 inputs on channels 1~8 on the monitor sections of channels 1~8, and a sum stereo mix of the LINE 2 inputs 1~8 via the AUX 3/4 sum on the BUSS MASTER being sourced via the channel 11 & 12 MONI section.
- Now, the easiest way to monitor all this is to hit the MONI TO STEREO switches in the monitor sections for channels 1~8 and 11 & 12, which will dump whatever you have sourced in those monitor sections straight to the stereo buss post fader (so you STILL have complete control of your mic mix with the channel faders and channel pans, independent control of those 8 LINE 1 inputs via the monitor section level and pan pots, and independent control of the 8 LINE 2 inputs via AUX 3/4 level and pan pots), and it all gets summed to the master fader.
- Over in the master section in the CONTROL ROOM source select switchrack you hit ST (stereo buss) and *bam* you're monitoring all 28 inputs simultaneously...we could easily take that to 32 just by using the LINE 1 and LINE 2 inputs on channels 9 & 10 in the same way.
There are other ways to do it.
Need to apply EQ? You only have 12 EQ sections, okay? One for each strip, BUT, you can select whether that EQ is applied to the INPUT source of the strip, OR the monitor buss of the respective strip! If you didn't need the EQ for the mics on channels 11 & 12 for instance you could hit the EQ MONITOR switches in the EQ sections of channels 11 & 12 and now the EQ section effects the monitor busses on those channels and not the mics sourced by the INPUT switch.
What about if you were wanting to be recording the 12 mics to an 8-track machine at the same time via the 8 PGM groups and wanted to be able to toggle back and forth between your nifty 28 channel mix and the mix of what was going to the 8-track machine? It can easily be done with the punch of one button. I won't go into detail right now but it is done using the REMOTE section of the mixer...wicked powerful tool.
Need quick control of isolating certain sources or muting certain sources? Easy...every frickin' AUX buss, monitor section, PGM group, input source has a solo or mute switch...you can just about pick out what you need to grab at any time.
We haven't even discussed the master section yet...haven't even talked about the EQ section itself with the 4 bands (hi and lo swept peaking bands and two fully parametric mid bands and TWO hi pass filters and one low pass filter...phantom power, phase reverse, pad...flexible metering.
Serious...did you ever have that experience with the M-500 series where you went "Are you
serious??" when you got your head around the flexibility and features? The M-__ is a whole new "Are you FREAKING
KIDDING?!?!" planet once you start to grasp the features.
Just for fun here are pdf composites of the jack panels and control surface panels:
Backplane
Control Surface
I wanna see. Is any digital gear going into it? At least do some photoshop work and humor us 
.jpg)
