Mic Problems..

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amcneil

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I am using an ART USB DualPre..
I have a couple of mics that I am trying to get working to start some recordings.
Unfortunatly, I am getting no sound whatsoever from either of the mics.
No lights on the preamp, no nothing.

Please, any suggestions would be great, I'm on the verge of throwing everything out the window.

Thanks.
 
Easy now.
It's only this frustrating for a month or so.
What kind of microphones?
 
Do your mics require phantom power, and if so, are you supplying it?

Conversely, if you are using dynamic mics, it is possible that your ART pre simply does not provide enough gain.
 
ones an mxl v63m
the other is a behringer c-1? I borrowed it from a friend to see if the other mic was broken or something!

i believe they do, and yes i am supplying

the mxl is a condenser, but im not sure about the behringer.
 
The Behringer is a condenser and requires phantom power.
Do you know what that is?
 
yeah, i know what that is.
and i have the phantom power switch on, and im still not getting anything from the mics.
 
Both require phantom power, and the ART USB DualPre has phantom power, so make sure it is turned on.
 
So you have the phantom power turned on (preferably via the Art USB device) and the Art USB is plugged into your PC.
Are there drivers to install with this device?

Edit:
It will work with the USB audio device drivers built into Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP/Vista and Apple OS9.1/OSX computers with native USB support. No special drivers are needed.
Are you powering it through USB and what is your DAW?
 
Are you using a XLR cable? or are you using the 3 pin XLR at the mic end but a jack plug at the other? it needs to be a XLR to XLR cable.

Alan.
 
all the drivers are updated.
I tried to uninstall and reinstall all drivers.
I have the phantom power turned on via the preamp

im powering through the usb, but have also tried to power with an ac adapter. still nothing

using audacity, and i have another sony recording program, nothing on either.

and yes, im using xlr to xlr for both mics.
 
nope. no levels what so ever, its like the mic is not regitering with the preamp at all.
i get one light when i first plug it in, but then nothing after.
 
This could be a rare case where the interface is dead. Can you exchange it for another?

Hang in there, I know it's frustrating. But before long you'll be back in the saddle.

Does the manual have troubleshooting info and a support phone or URL?
 
i am in the process now of getting an exchange, just in case..
but it did not come with a manual, there is one online, but i've read through it, everything is kind of all over the place.

the art usb is providing the phantom power.
 

Did you follow these instructions:

USB OPERATION:
Connect your analog jacks and external power supply first. If you are using one of the analog outputs
for local low latency monitoring, connect that to your monitor system or headphones. Next, set the
front panel controls for proper operation as per the previous sections. Then connect the USB cable to
the appropriate input on your computer and lastly to the USB connector on the USB Dual Pre.

Once the USB connection is made and your computer is on, the USB interface circuitry will be powered
by your computer over the USB bus and the unit will automatically connect and try to set your
computer “Default Audio Device” to be “USB Audio CODEC”. Usually the computer will do this automatically
whenever a USB device is first connected, but it is sometimes necessary to make the selection manually.


The same settings may need to be made in your particular audio application as
well (Check your application instructions). These settings should be made while the two units are
connected and powered on. Select one of the following sound recording (input) settings:

WINDOWS 98SE: Settings => Control Panel => Multimedia
Choose the preferred device: “USB Audio Device”
WINDOWS XP: Settings => Control Panel => Sounds and Audio Devices => Audio.
Choose the mixer device: “USB Audio CODEC”
or Programs =>Accessories =>Entertainment =>Volume Control=> Options=> Properties
Choose the mixer device: “USB Audio CODEC”.
WINDOWS VIsta: Settings => Control Panel => Sound => Playback Tab and Record Tab.
Choose: “USB Audio CODEC”
Mac OS9.1+: Control Panels => Sound.
Choose: “USB Audio CODEC”
Mac OS10+: System Preferences => Sound.
Choose: “USB Audio CODEC”

Your computer audio output “Speaker” is now set to be the “USB Audio CODEC” and playback audio
is routed to the USB Dual Pre. This must be done while the USB Dual Pre is connected to the
computer and powered on. After the above settings are made, your computer will automatically
reconfigure itself back to these settings every time the USB Dual Pre is reconnected to the computer.
At this point your recording software will select and control which channels are being recorded and
which channels are being monitored.

There are many computer recording software packages available
today that allow for multi-track recording. If you are using multiple units and connecting more than
one over the USB bus, they will appear as “USB Audio CODEC 1”, “USB Audio CODEC 2”, etc. in
your recording application. Please refer to your recording software documentation for the best way to
assign channels and set recording and monitoring parameters.

Latency, the time delay between your audio input and the USB output to your computer, is very short
(under 2 milliseconds) in the USB Dual Pre. The latency of your recording software and computer
software drivers can be much more than this. Typically on a Mac the core audio interface has low
latency so this is usually not an issue. USB audio drivers that come with Windows can have enough
latency to cause a discrete delay when monitoring live. If this becomes an issue there are low latency
ASIO drivers available that can greatly reduce your Windows audio latency.

Two current resources for low latency ASIO drivers that will work with the USB Dual Pre are: ASIO4ALL - Universal ASIO Driver and
USB Audio - the low latency experience
 
I have it set up exactly like the manual says.
Everything is selected as default, green check marks next to everything, it even recognizes the mic, but i'm still not getting any sound.
I just installed the asio drivers, to see if the drivers i have are the problem and i still didn't get a sound.

The usb dualpre can run my music from my computer, but cannot record any sound from the microphones.
 
I have a weird feeling that something is going on with my computer, not the interface or mics..
I have "Realtek HD Audio Manager" on my computer, could this be interfering with the microphones or the interface?
 
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