M-1642
Fwuzeem Audio M-Series
What it is
M-1642 is a fixed 16-input, 16-output discrete-bus console with a Mackie-1642-style skeuomorphic front panel, a routable rear panel, and an internal patch-cable layer. It has 12 physical channel strips: eight mono strips for channels 1-8 and four stereo strips for channels 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, and 15-16. The channel, Aux, subgroup, monitor, tape, and Main paths are processed in the plug-in; the host still sees exactly 16 discrete inputs and 16 discrete outputs.
Controls & parameters
Channel strips
The following controls are present on each of the 12 physical strips. Stereo strips share one set of controls across their two logical channels.
| Control | Range or states | Default | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIC/LINE | MIC or LINE | MIC on mono strips; LINE on stereo strips | Selects the software input path and its console-drive character. The stereo line strips are fixed LINE. |
| GAIN | -20 to +50 dB, 0.1 dB steps | 0 dB | Input trim before the channel processing stage. |
| 75 low cut | Off or on | Off | Blends in the 75 Hz high-pass filter. |
| AUX 1, AUX 2 | 0.0 to 1.0, 0.01 steps | 0.0 | Channel send level to Aux 1 or Aux 2. |
| AUX 3, AUX 4 | 0.0 to 1.0, 0.01 steps | 0.0 | Channel send level to Aux 3 or Aux 4. The host parameter metadata calls these Aux 3/5 and Aux 4/6. |
| PRE / Aux Shift | Off or on | Off | Off is post-fader send. On selects the pre-fader, post-EQ source for the sends. |
| LOW 80 | -15 to +15 dB, 0.1 dB steps | 0 dB | Low-shelf EQ at 80 Hz. |
| MID | -15 to +15 dB, 0.1 dB steps | 0 dB | Mono mid peak band. |
| FREQ | 100 to 8000 Hz, 1 Hz steps | 800 Hz | Mono mid-band frequency. |
| LOW MID | -15 to +15 dB, 0.1 dB steps | 0 dB | Stereo-strip low-mid peak band at a fixed 400 Hz. |
| HI MID | -15 to +15 dB, 0.1 dB steps | 0 dB | Stereo-strip high-mid peak band at a fixed 2500 Hz. |
| HI 12k | -15 to +15 dB, 0.1 dB steps | 0 dB | High-shelf EQ at 12 kHz. |
| PAN or BAL | -1.0 to +1.0, 0.01 steps | 0.0 | Constant-power pan for mono strips; balance for stereo strips. |
| Channel fader | -60 to +10 dB, 0.1 dB steps | 0 dB | Channel level. |
| MUTE | Off or on | Off | Removes the strip from its audible channel, subgroup, Main, Aux, and solo paths with a short ramp. |
| SOLO | Off or on | Off | Adds the strip to the console solo mix used by Control Room and Phones. It does not mute or replace the Main bus. |
| ASSIGN 1-2 | Off or on | Off | Sends the strip to subgroup pair 1-2. |
| ASSIGN 3-4 | Off or on | Off | Sends the strip to subgroup pair 3-4. |
| ASSIGN MAIN | Off or on | On | Sends the strip directly to Main Left/Right. Assignments can be used together. |
Mono strips have a 3-band EQ: LOW 80, swept MID/FREQ, and HI 12k. Stereo strips have a 4-band EQ: LOW 80, fixed 400 Hz LOW MID, fixed 2500 Hz HI MID, and HI 12k.
There are 11 link buttons between the 12 strips. Each button links adjacent strips and is off by default. A linked group has one leftmost automation leader. Shared controls on the group follow that leader, including gain, low cut, Aux sends and PRE, EQ, pan/balance, mute, solo, assignments, and fader. Unlinking copies the current values to the released strip so its audio does not jump. The front-panel bridge between linked fader caps is a visual indication of the group.
Master section
| Control | Range or states | Default | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUBGROUP 1-4 faders | -60 to +10 dB, 0.1 dB steps | 0 dB | Level for the four subgroup buses. |
| Subgroup link buttons | Off or on | Off | Three buttons link adjacent subgroup faders. The left subgroup is the group leader. |
| AUX MASTER 1-2 | 0.0 to 1.0, 0.01 steps | 0.75 | Master level for Aux 1 and Aux 2; 0.75 is the unity setting in this control law. |
| STEREO RETURN 1-4 | -60 to +10 dB, 0.1 dB steps | 0 dB | Front-panel return controls retained for state and UI compatibility. They are not connected to a DSP input endpoint. |
| MAIN MIX fader | -60 to +10 dB, 0.1 dB steps | 0 dB | Main Left/Right level after the Main summing and subgroup return stage. |
| PHONES | -60 to +10 dB, 0.1 dB steps | -12 dB | Level for Phones A/B. |
| CONTROL ROOM | -60 to +10 dB, 0.1 dB steps | -12 dB | Level for the Control Room output. |
| TAPE IN | -60 to +10 dB, 0.1 dB steps | -12 dB | Level for the Tape In L/R source. |
| SOLO | -60 to +10 dB, 0.1 dB steps | -12 dB | Level for the solo monitor mix. |
| Monitor source buttons | Main, Tape, Sub 1-2, Sub 3-4 | Main on; others off | Adds the selected source to the Control Room and Phones monitor mix when no channel is soloed. |
| TAPE TO MAIN | Off or on | Off | Routes patched Tape In L/R into the Main bus. |
| Main meter | 12-segment Left/Right meter | n/a | Shows the post-master Main Left/Right level. |
Aux 3 and Aux 4 have output taps but no separate master parameters; their post-sum outputs run at unity. Console-wide solo switches Control Room and Phones to the solo mix. Solo does not alter Main Left/Right.
Rear panel and patchbay
The rear panel has 16 draggable input cables and 16 draggable output cables. The host bus count never changes when a cable is moved.
There are 28 input sockets:
- Eight mono XLR sockets for channels 1-8.
- Eight mono TRS sockets for channels 1-8.
- Two stereo-mic XLR sockets for 9-10 and 11-12.
- Four stereo-line TRS sockets for the left and right legs of 9-10 and 11-12.
- Four stereo-line TRS sockets for the left and right legs of 13-14 and 15-16.
- Two RCA sockets for Tape In Left and Right.
There are 37 output sockets:
- Main Left and Main Right on XLR, plus the matching Main Left and Main Right TRS sockets.
- Direct 1-16.
- Subgroup 1-4.
- Aux 1-4.
- Control Room Left and Right.
- Mono Out.
- Tape Out Left and Right.
- Phones A Left/Right and Phones B Left/Right.
The rear Cable Style drawer contains these controls:
| Control | States or range | Default | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cable body | FULL COLOUR or BLACK + RINGS | FULL COLOUR | Selects the global cable jacket rendering. Black cables retain coloured identification rings. |
| Connector finish | BLACK, SILVER, or GOLD | SILVER | Changes connector appearance only. |
| Cable weight | LIGHT, MEDIUM, or HEAVY | MEDIUM | Changes cable rendering thickness. |
| Input order | REVERSE R > L or REVERSE L > R | REVERSE R > L | Changes the displayed rear rack order and legends, not the audio route. |
| RESET INPUTS | Action | n/a | Restores factory input routes after confirmation. |
| RESET OUTPUTS | Action | n/a | Restores factory output routes after confirmation. |
| RESET ALL | Action | n/a | Restores factory routes, links, cable appearance, order, power, phantom, and Mono Out level. Notes are preserved. |
| POWER | Off or on | On | Applies a smoothed console mute envelope to the rendered outputs. |
| PHANTOM | Off or on | Off | Visual and automatable hardware state only. It does not supply electrical 48 V. |
| MONO OUT level | 0.0 to 1.0 | 0.75 | Level after the Main Left/Right fold-down to Mono Out. |
| Notes | Up to 160 characters | Empty | Rear-panel session or mixer notes. |
The console can be flipped between front and rear with the REAR TAB / FRONT TAB button or the Tab key. The flip is animated; Tab inserts text instead when the notes editor has focus.
Workflow / how to use it
- Load M-1642 in a host that can provide one 16-channel discrete input bus and one 16-channel discrete output bus. In the factory state, host inputs 1-16 are normalled to console channels 1-16, host outputs 1-2 carry Main Left/Right, and host outputs 3-16 are disconnected.
- On the front face, set the channel input mode, gain, low cut, EQ, pan or balance, fader, mute, solo, and subgroup/Main assignments. Use MIC on a mono or stereo-mic strip for the stronger simulated mic-pre character; use LINE for the line path.
- Build the mix. Use the four Aux send knobs and PRE controls for monitor or effect feeds, assign channels to subgroup pairs, and set the four subgroup faders. Use the Main fader for the final Main bus level.
- Set the Master section. Choose the Control Room and Phones source buttons, set Phones and Control Room levels, set Tape In and Solo levels, and enable TAPE TO MAIN only when a patched Tape In source should enter the Main bus.
- Patch the session. Flip to the rear, pick up an input cable, and drag it to a compatible XLR, TRS, or Tape In socket. Drag an output cable to a Main, Direct, Subgroup, Aux, monitor, Mono, Tape, or Phones socket. Repatching an occupied socket returns the previous cable to its rack.
- Use right-click on a connected cable to unplug it. On the front, dropping in empty space unplugs it. On the rear, dropping on the matching rack position unplugs it. Escape cancels an active drag and restores its previous route.
- Link adjacent strips with the
=buttons when controls should move as a group. Link adjacent subgroup faders with the three subgroup=buttons. The leftmost strip or subgroup is the automation leader; unlinking is no-jump. - Use the rear Mono Out knob, POWER and PHANTOM switches, cable styles, rack order, and notes as needed. Reset commands require confirmation.
Use cases
Live rehearsal mix
Feed the rehearsal channels into the fixed 16-channel input bus, use the eight mono strips for individual sources and the stereo strips for paired sources, then use Aux sends for monitor or cue feeds. The console-wide solo path lets an engineer audition channels in Control Room and Phones without changing Main Left/Right.
Outboard-style routing in-box
Use Direct, Subgroup, Aux, Control Room, Mono, Tape, and Phones output sockets as host destinations. This gives a DAW graph an outboard-style patch point while keeping the routing inside the plug-in and its 16x16 host contract. A host output cable can carry a Direct or subgroup tap to another in-box processor or to an external interface path.
Parallel subgroup processing
Assign a set of channels to subgroup 1-2 or 3-4, patch the subgroup output to host outputs, and process that stem elsewhere in the host. A second mix path can remain on Main. The subgroup link buttons provide matched subgroup level control when the paired faders should move together.
Aux send effects
Set a channel’s Aux send, choose post-fader or PRE operation, and patch the Aux output to a host output or an in-box effect path. Return the processed signal through a host input and a channel strip. Aux 1-2 have master controls; Aux 3-4 are available as unity post-sum taps.
M/S work through the patchbay
If the host provides Mid and Side as separate channels, patch them to two mono strips, set their pan and assignments, and route the resulting sources to the required Main, subgroup, or Direct outputs. M-1642 does not contain a dedicated M/S encoder or decoder; the patchbay supplies channel placement and bus routing, not M/S matrix math.
Console-drive character
Use the software MIC/LINE choice and the channel gain staging to compare the stronger MIC character with the LINE path, then sum channels through the console-style channel and bus stages. The MIC path uses about 3.6 dB more character drive than LINE before the nonlinear stage; connector finish and PHANTOM do not change the audio.
Specs & requirements
- Host layout: exactly 16 discrete inputs and 16 discrete outputs.
- Physical layout: 12 strips, consisting of eight mono strips and four stereo strips.
- Processing: zero reported plug-in latency and a zero-second reported tail.
- Formats: AU, VST3, and Standalone.
- Platform: macOS; the audio toolbox deployment target is macOS 10.15.
- MIDI: does not accept or produce MIDI.
- Identity: Fwuzeem Audio, manufacturer code
Fwzm. - Control smoothing: 0.025 s for continuous controls; 0.012 s for switches and route crossfades. These ramps are de-clicking behavior, not added plug-in latency.
Notes & caveats
- The 16x16 layout is strict. Stereo-only hosts and hosts that cannot provide all 16 discrete channels are not supported by this binary.
- The host’s 16-channel floor connection and M-1642’s internal patch cables are separate routing layers. Moving a M-1642 cable does not change the host bus count.
- PHANTOM is visual-only. It cannot apply electrical 48 V to already digitised host audio.
- STEREO RETURN 1-4 knobs are cosmetic/state-compatible controls in the current DSP. They have no host input endpoint and do not make a returned signal audible.
- MIC/LINE is a software UI choice, not a hardware preamp or impedance model. It changes the selected socket path and simulated console character; it does not turn a host input into a physical microphone connection.
- The Main meter follows the post-master Main bus, even when host output cables are patched to other sources.
- Tape In is an actual input patch destination. Tape To Main, Tape Out, Phones, Control Room, Mono Out, Direct, Subgroup, and Aux output taps are separate from the cosmetic Stereo Return controls.
- There is no dedicated M/S encoder or decoder. M/S workflows require Mid and Side to arrive as separate host channels or to be encoded/decoded elsewhere.
- Connector finish, cable body, cable weight, and rear rack order are visual state. They do not alter the audio path.