Hosa Dual 1/4 to RCA cable hooking up Behringer Xenyx 802 mixer, UFO 202 interface?

[euphoriafish]

PROBLEM: I am trying to connect an XLR mic to a mixer to a USB audio interface to a laptop. I can’t get a monitor reading under Input in Sound settings in System Preferences in OS X.

I’ve used this equipment before so I know it works, but I moved it all from desk to desk without taking photos and now can’t remember how I hooked it up. I read the user manuals for the mixer and the audio interface but don’t understand them, and nobody seems to be using the kind of cable I have in their tutorial videos on Youtube.

Does it look like I need to move a cable or flip a switch anywhere?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Equipment:
Microphone: Samson C01 studio condenser (XLR cable plugged into channel 1 phantom connection on mixer)
Mixer: Behringer Xenyx 802
Cable mixer —> audio interface: Hosa dual 1/4” to dual RCA 2 channel cable? Not sure I know what it is so I included a photo below.
Audio interface: Behringer U-Phono UFO202 USB audio interface/preamp
Laptop: Macbook Air running OS X Yosemite
Software: Garage Band or Audacity

Photos:

My Hosa cable, mixer, and interface:



 

[ecc83]

Got all that kit (well, not a friggin' mac!)

Mic>XLR . Do the LEDs above Main Mix knob blink? (pan centre for now). If not must do at about -20.

Come out of Main Out jacks > Line in RCA on the 202. Plug AI into USB port. Now you need a mac person. In Windows it would show as being installed then you would need to find it in Sound Menus and set levels.

Can you play "Toob" stuff out of the Behringer's headphone jack. If so route its line outs to Tape/CD in on the mixer and try for it there.

It has to be said that the 202(222) is a very handy device for the money but you really should be looking at getting a proper AI. The Steinberg UR22 is my top rep at 100quid, best IMHO until the money gets silly is the NI KA6.

DO NOT however sell the mixer, never out of the way is a wee mixer!

Dave.

 

[mjbphotos]

From the photo, you've got the HOSA calbes plugged into the FX send/return jacks. Like Dave says, use the MAIN OUT jacks on the Xenyx and you shoudl be good to go. But do look at getting a real audio interface in the future.

 

[ecc83]

I missed that this is the PHONO UF0202 and that there is a ? by the LINE PHONO switch?

This simply means that you can plug in a turntable which uses a magnetic pickup and the Berry box will apply the correct equalization and amplification to it (in fact feeding a ceramic cartridge into such an input, by a strange quirk of electronical physics gives a near enough correct response) . "Line" is what you want for everything else.
Dave.

 

[euphoriafish]

Got all that kit (well, not a friggin' mac!)

Mic>XLR . Do the LEDs above Main Mix knob blink?

--Erm, blue power and red phantom power lights blink. Clip lights never have; it's relatively new and I don't understand what makes the clip lights blink. So... you recommend panning the Main Mix knob -20?

(pan centre for now). If not must do at about -20.

--I am an idiot. The knob was all the way left to -∞. Is that why it looked like no signal at all? Thank you. I needed someone to remind me how each knob maps to each pair of jacks.

Come out of Main Out jacks > Line in RCA on the 202. Plug AI into USB port. Now you need a mac person. In Windows it would show as being installed then you would need to find it in Sound Menus and set levels.

--Oh, it works! Now I get a reading and am OK. Thank you so much. It must be that I had the Main Mix all the way down.

Can you play "Toob" stuff out of the Behringer's headphone jack. If so route its line outs to Tape/CD in on the mixer and try for it there.

--"Toob" stuff out of the headphone jack? I don't understand how or why.

It has to be said that the 202(222) is a very handy device for the money but you really should be looking at getting a proper AI. The Steinberg UR22 is my top rep at 100quid, best IMHO until the money gets silly is the NI KA6.

-- Thanks for the advice! I gather that everyone who makes videos about this sort of thing on Youtube is using USB mixers with a built-in preamp and USB connection now.

And my 802 mixer without the USB connection has a preamp but the UFO202 has one also? I have no idea how these compare and don't know what the deciding factors are when choosing an audio interface. What am I looking for?

DO NOT however sell the mixer, never out of the way is a wee mixer!

Dave.

Thanks, I just got exactly the setup my art professor at university was using back in the day but with the UFO being a cheaper interface option than what he had. I have only had a little bit of instruction in audio recording and every time I try to set up it's like I am learning the beginner stuff all over again! Thanks so much for your advice.

 

[ecc83]

"Thanks for the advice! I gather that everyone who makes videos about this sort of thing on Youtube is using USB mixers with a built-in preamp and USB connection now. "

That actually makes a lot of sense! The small mixer+usb is frowned upon in the HR fraternity (DESPISED! Might be a better word!) and not without justification because many if not most examples of the device are noisy, hiss and throw up various whines and whistles. This is to do with poor implementation of the USB side and it is interesting that the 202 does not suffer these problems. Nor does my rather upmarket USB Allen &Heath ZED 10 mixer.

But yes! I can see that if you want a microphone signal (panned centre "stage") and possibly music or other sources playing in, a USB mixer is a cheap solution. This is a "broadcast" or PA situation except the final result is going online not "on air".

You ask what benefits a "proper" AI would confer? Good question! I am sure I shall get flack for it but I would say the pre amps in the Xenyx are AS good as most £100-£150 AIs and you have the added flexibility of "realtime" pan and EQ. If you found that you needed a quieter overall system then you could replace the 202 with a modest AI such as the Focusrite Scarlet 2i2 or the Steinberg UR22 ( M-A Fast track be good here Bobbs?) .
In such a case you would run the mixer Main Outs into the line inputs of the AI and enjoy a lower over all noise figure. But I very much doubt anyone at the other end of the "Tube" would notice!

So, nope! If this setup works for you, stay with it.

Dave.

 

[mjbphotos]

" I am sure I shall get flack for it but I would say the pre amps in the Xenyx are AS good as most £100-£150 AIs
Dave.

Not my experience. YMMV. However for live use, thye are mostly more-than-adequate. Just too damn weak and noisy for recording.

 

[ecc83]

Not my experience. YMMV. However for live use, thye are mostly more-than-adequate. Just too damn weak and noisy for recording.

Disregarding Arc's crack(tho'true!) I have actually measure the pres on a Xeny, my KA6 and an 8i6 and they all come up about the same for noise (Bob was also surprised)

I shall repeat the endeavour with my (polishes nails) Wayne Kerr Radford noise meter (thanks Blackstar) as soon as I am able and include the ZED 10. The WKR has prper weighting curves to boot.

Dave.