Microphone Problems

  • Thread starter Thread starter ReggieIsDead
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ReggieIsDead

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Ok - new to the home recording thing. I've been using an Alesis multimix4 with GarageBand to record my guitar both with direct input and line level from my amp's headphone out. This works great.

Tonight I received a used SM58 microphone I purchased on eBay and plugged it in using the XLR to TRS plug it came with - no sound. So I tried an XLR to XLR - no sound. I can hear a faint sound when the gain for the channel is ALL the way up and I tap on the mic (no voice at any level/distance is audible). I opened the mic up and checked the connections at the base of the capsule and the back of the XLR pins and everything looks good.

Am I missing something here or did I just get a dud? Any help is appreciated.

CW
 
I don't believe the Alesis multimix4 has any preamps. You are taking a mic level signal to a device that expects line level. You need some sort of device with a preamp such as an interface or an outboard preamp. That is why you can only hear signal when the gain is cranked up all the way.
 
Well, the XLR to TRS would never work...the quarter inch socket is looking for line or instrument level, not microphone level which is something like 50dB lower.

However, the XLR to XLR should work.

Just to confirm, when you say you have the gain all the way up, are you talking about all three gain controls? You should have the channel gain and the main gain control both at about the 3/4 mark (or a bit higher) then bring up the gain trim next to the XLR socket.

If it doesn't work that way, try the other XLR socket on the mixer just in case there's a fault on one input. Trying another mic cable wouldn't hurt either.

But, if you rule everything else out, the mic could be faulty.
 
Yeah it has two preamps on the multimix 4. Has your multimix worked flawlessly in the past?
 
phriq said:
I don't believe the Alesis multimix4 has any preamps. You are taking a mic level signal to a device that expects line level. You need some sort of device with a preamp such as an interface or an outboard preamp. That is why you can only hear signal when the gain is cranked up all the way.
Click to expand...


If it's THIS ONE it has two mic pre-amps.
 
The multimix 4 USB at you linked to is the one I have and it does have preamps. I've only had it for a week or so but the guitar in and the line level in both work flawlessly.

With regard to the gain controls, ive tried every position on the channel gain for the XLR input, and every combination of the master volume, channel volume, etc.. I don't ever get more than two meter LEDs lit and even that is only when the mike is laying near other equipment and it gets static.

Any other ideas?
 
Make sure that no 1/4" jack is plugged into the inst/guitar input on the same channel as the xlr mic connector.
It looks like the xlr mic input is disabled if a 1/4" jack is plugged in.
 
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