Audio Recording

I received an inquiry about a problem relating to connecting a mixer, using a soundcard and getting the microphone to work:

Ok so I have the xenyx 502 mixer; an UCA 202 sound card and I’m running audacity at the moment to record. So my problem is this when I plug my microphone into my mixer with the standard XLR cable the mixer doesn’t pick it up. Now I have the sound card plugged into the computer via USB, the mixer connected to the sound card via RCA cables running from the cd/ tape output of the mixer to the input of the sound card. I think I have everything hooked up right but when I plug the microphone in; it’s not working. None of the lights on the mixer light up except for the power light. Do I need to get a different program to record on, or am I not hooking this thing up right, I thought I had to press the cd/tape to mix button and turn on the main mix knob before it would pick up the microphone but it’s still not picking it up, I’m so frustrated. Help if u can. Thanks.

My reply: Assuming the mentioned recording gears are fully working and not damage, I can say that there might be a problem with the connection to your digital audio workstation (computer with Audacity recording software). First, you need to understand the signal path. It starts from the microphone then to your mixer for signal conditioning and then finally to your soundcard in your PC for recording. Also your soundcard sends signals to your studio monitors/speakers. While this sounds so simple, the actual implementation and wiring connections can be tricky. Let’s do it one by one highlighting the best practices:

Connecting Microphones Properly to your Mixer

Step1.) You have not mentioned what type of microphones you are using. Remember that condenser microphone requires external phantom power supply unit to operate. In new releases of Xenyx 502, it now includes a +48 volt phantom power supply. The +48V LED will light up when the phantom power is on. If you cannot find a +48V LED on the mixer, then it does not have a built-in phantom supply. In this case, you need to buy a separate phantom power supply for your condenser microphone. If you connect a condenser microphone to XLR input without phantom power then it won’t sound because it needs to be powered externally. You can start by connecting the microphone to your Xenyx 502 XLR input. According to the mixer manual, you should take note of the following:

a.) With the mixer turned off and phantom power switch off, connect the microphone to the XLR input. After connecting, switch on the mixer and then turn on the phantom power switch (if you are using a condenser microphone).

WARNING: Never use unbalance XLR connectors (pin1 and pin3 shorted) when connecting to the Xenyx502 XLR input with phantom power supply on. This is how an unbalance XLR connector would look like (pin 1 and pin 3 connected):

Credits: scotaudio.com
You should ONLY use balance XLR connection. On the other hand, if you are using dynamic microphones such as SM58, it does NOT need to be phantom powered. Then connect it directly to the XLR input of the mixer using the supplied microphone XLR cable.

Connecting Mixer Output to UCA 202 Sound Card

Step2.) Connect CD/Tape Output of the mixer to the input of your UCA 202 sound card. Take note that you will be using RCA to RCA cables for this. Connect it as follows. In this configuration, do not press the cd/tape to mix button on the mixer.

Step3.) Connect the USB cable of the soundcard to your computer. And also connect the sound card output to your studio monitors. Make sure your computer operating system supports USB audio. UCA 202 comes with drivers on it; make sure you have this fully installed in your computer before using the sound card. You can see the ASIO audio drivers available here:
http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/UCA202.aspx
(scroll down near the last section of the page)

Installing Sound Card Drivers, Getting Audacity to Work and Troubleshooting

Step4.) Configure your Audacity to accept inputs from the sound card (provided you have installed the required drivers). Troubleshooting tips:

No microphone sound – make sure your microphone is phantom powered if it is a condenser microphone. Check if all microphone levels are not muted/set to 0 and make sure you turn on the main mix volume to some level. Try using Main Mix Output instead of CD/Tape Output if nothing works. Main mix outputs are two mono outputs (utilizes ¼ jack instead of RCA output). See screenshot below:

To connect this main mix output to your sound card, you need a ¼ in to RCA cable, see screenshot below:

Also, do not press any switch on the mixer such as cd/tape to mix button. That’s it; your mixer should now be able to pick up the microphone input to your studio monitors. You can then start recording it in Audacity. You do not need a separate program for this to work. Good luck.