Samson PL2404 - Manual (Page 24)

Using PFL/AFL
The PL 2404 provides two options for soloing input signals in headphones
connected to the front panel headphone jack—Pre Fade Listen (PFL) and
After-Fade Listen (AFL). The PFL/AFL switch in the main section allows you to
choose between these two modes of operation. Although they may at first
glance appear similar (and both are non-mix-destructive), there are in fact
several significant differences between the two.
The main function of PFL is to allow you to check that a signal is actually arriving
at a particular input. When the PL 2404 is in PFL mode and a channel Solo
switch is pressed in, the pre-fader (but post-EQ) signal of that channel alone is
routed to the headphone output if the Solo/Main switch is up (set to Solo mode).*
The Bus outputs, Main outputs, and Control Room outputs are not interrupted
during a PFL solo, so you can press any channel Solo switch even during
recording or live performance without affecting the main signal flow. This also
makes it possible for you to correctly cue up a tape or CD before bringing it into
the main mix.
The main drawback to using PFL mode, however, is that it does not allow you to
hear a signal in context. For one thing, because the PFL soloed signal is
monitored pre-fader, it may sound considerably louder or softer than it actually is
in the main mix (depending upon the current position of the channel Level control
and, for channels 1 - 3, the mic Trim control). Also, the Balance control has no
effect during a PFL solo—if the soloed channel has both its odd- and even-
numbered inputs connected, you’ll hear both inputs, panned hard left and right; if
only the odd-numbered input is connected, you’ll hear the signal monophonically.
Therefore, you may in some circumstances prefer to use AFL mode, which
provides in-context soloing. When the PL 2404 is in AFL mode and a channel
Solo switch is pressed in, the post-fader, post-EQ signal of that channel alone is
routed to the headphone output if the Solo/Main switch is up (set to Solo mode).*
Like PFL, AFL is non-destructive to your mix—the Bus outputs, Main outputs,
and Control Room outputs are not interrupted during an AFL solo. However,
over the headphones, you’ll hear the AFL soloed signal at its current level and in
its current pan position (if only the odd-numbered input is connected) or with the
correct relative levels of its two inputs as set by the Balance control (if both the
odd- and even-numbered inputs are connected). By pressing the Solo/Main
switch during an AFL solo, you can quickly compare the soloed signal on its own
with its impact on the overall mix.
In both PFL and AFL modes, you’ll hear the soloed channel with its EQ settings
and (if the soloed channel is one of channels 1 - 4) all effects being applied and
returned via the channel insert. Note that there is no provision for soloing signal
arriving via the PL2404 Aux returns.
LEDs in the meter section allow you to see at a glance which mode the PL 2404
is in. The leftmost LED (labeled “PFL”) lights steadily green when the mixer is in
PFL mode, while the center LED (labeled “AFL”) lights steadily red when the
mixer is in AFL mode.
* If the Solo/Main switch is pressed in (Main mode), connected headphones
will always receive the complete Main mix (including signal from the Aux
Returns) whether or not any channel Solo switches are pressed in.
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AFL
PFL SOLO
MAIN
SOLO
ON OFF