Basic troubleshooting. Please help!

  • Thread starter Thread starter ODoodle91
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ODoodle91

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Hi guys,

So 8 years ago(ish) I got some recording equipment for Christmas just to put some music covers on YouTube. At some point I stopped using it but I've now pulled it out of a cupboard to play with again and, for whatever reason, I just can't get it to work.

The setup is super simple. I have a microphone connected to a Xenyx 802 mixer, which is connected via 1/4" Jack to a Macbook headphone port (via a 3.5mm adapter).

The microphone appears to be working (funky lights on the mixer whenever I speak into it) but the Macbook isn't registering any input devices beyond the internal microphone. Same issue with my Windows laptop.

Mixer 1.webp
Jack 1.webp

I feel like this is the same setup I had that used to work... but yeah sure isn't working now.

Please don't worry about patronising me - I know nothing about this stuff. Any help would be appreciated!
 
Doee the headphone output somehow double as a line input? If it does, there has to be some trick to telling that port to be an input instead of an output. (It could be as simple as plugging it in to the first lick)

It could also be a software issue, where you have to tell the computer to listen to that port, instead of the internal microphone.
 
Hi there,
What kinda of cable and adapter are you using? Balanced or unbalanced?

The two look like this.

Screen Shot 2014-11-18 at 14.24.07.webp
 
Farview said:
Doee the headphone output somehow double as a line input? If it does, there has to be some trick to telling that port to be an input instead of an output. (It could be as simple as plugging it in to the first lick)

It could also be a software issue, where you have to tell the computer to listen to that port, instead of the internal microphone.
Click to expand...

I'm not too sure on how to check to be honest - on the mixer it is plugged into a dedicated out port as far as I can tell. The laptop doesn't list it as an input device so there's no option to tell it to care about that over the internal microphone.

Steenamaroo, the cable leading from the output port to the laptop appears to be unbalanced at both ends. The adapter is a 1/4" to 3.5mm one, but I don't know how to check to see if that one is unbalanced/balanced.
 
I'm going to take a guess the Mac has a TRRS jack to serve as a combo headphone/mic. Is this computer new to the last time you used the mixer to record? The adapter and cables might be doing something goofy.
 

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ODoodle91 said:
I'm not too sure on how to check to be honest - on the mixer it is plugged into a dedicated out port as far as I can tell. The laptop doesn't list it as an input device so there's no option to tell it to care about that over the internal microphone.

Steenamaroo, the cable leading from the output port to the laptop appears to be unbalanced at both ends. The adapter is a 1/4" to 3.5mm one, but I don't know how to check to see if that one is unbalanced/balanced.
Click to expand...

Same check but smaller.
The adapter should have the same number of bands and conductors as the larger cable ends.
Arcaxis is definitely right about the mac and the same is most likely true of your Windows laptop.

It's meant to 'sense' what you've plugged in and act accordingly.
 
Steenamaroo said:
Same check but smaller.
The adapter should have the same number of bands and conductors as the larger cable ends.
Arcaxis is definitely right about the mac and the same is most likely true of your Windows laptop.

It's meant to 'sense' what you've plugged in and act accordingly.
Click to expand...

In that case I'd say the 3.5mm is balanced - it looks like the "standard stereo" headphone image arcaxis posted (except with black bands instead of white)... I take it they're not compatible? The adapter is the only "new" component in the setup as I lost the old one... so possible I bought the wrong thing.

Also both laptops do indeed use a combo-headphone/mic port... again I think the last PC I used this with had dedicated microphone input.

So I guess I should either buy an unbalanced adapted or the splitter that arcaxis posted (or both)?
 
ODoodle91 said:
again I think the last PC I used this with had dedicated microphone input.
Click to expand...


Yeah, that would make sense.
You have a few options.
You can try the right adapter as Arc suggested, you can get a cheap usb i/o like this to give you separate in and out like your old computer, you can switch your mixer for a USB mixer, or you can move to a better quality USB audio interface and forego the mixer all together.

If you go with the adapter it would need to be the splitter kind to give in and out, assuming you'll want to be able to monitor via headphones.
 
Great, thanks for the advice. I'll buy something and report back soon...
 
Someone beat me to the cheap USB dongle instead of the microphone jack, the Apple combo jacks are just going to be too much to figure out if you don't understand TRR(2)S.
 
Steenamaroo said:
Yeah, that would make sense.
You have a few options.
You can try the right adapter as Arc suggested, you can get a cheap usb i/o like this to give you separate in and out like your old computer, you can switch your mixer for a USB mixer, or you can move to a better quality USB audio interface and forego the mixer all together.

If you go with the adapter it would need to be the splitter kind to give in and out, assuming you'll want to be able to monitor via headphones.
Click to expand...

Ended up going with the USB adapter that you suggested and it worked a treat - microphone is up and running. Thanks so much for your help!

I probably need to play about with the levels on the mixer to get it sounding good with my guitar pickup, but it's certainly working properly. Thanks again!
 
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