newbie at unsing analog mixers needs help fast!!!!signal flow problem

[beat_banger]

ok sup yall.. i am new to this board and it seems like a perfect place for me to be...
ok my problem is this...
i recently bought a tascam m216 mixer to route my various gear like the mpc3k, asr10, triton, and dbx266xl before i dump it into the digital realm..
my problem is that i have been using digital all time i have been doing this so its the first time i am using analog mixer..
can someone explain to me how to get signal into my mixer from my triton or turntable ???
i have the stereo outs of the mixer hooked up to my amp..my turntables hooked up to my dj mixer which in turn is hooked up to the mixer via its master output.
no signal..
i am doing all the usual like turning up my master fader, etc.. but still no sound..
help would be greatly appreciated
thanks

p.s. there is a pic of a similiar mixer not the actual one here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=23785&item=7318201366&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

 

[AlexW]

Where do you have the master output from your DJ rig hooked into the mixer? Into two of the channel inputs? Are these channels muted out? Are their faders up?

 

[battleminnow]

Let's take one item at a time. For example, your Triton.

You should be coming out of the master out on your Triton into a channel on the board, say channel one. If the mixer has a main input bus (little buttons next to the fader) push it in. Make sure your master fader and channel fader are not too loud. You should run out of the mixer's master outs into the amplifier, into the speakers, etc.

If you are not getting a signal, turn up the gain/trim knob usually located at the top of the channel strip.

Hope this helps.

 

[beat_banger]

Where do you have the master output from your DJ rig hooked into the mixer? Into two of the channel inputs? Are these channels muted out? Are their faders up?

ok i have the master output from the dj mixer hooked up to channel 1 & 2 of the mixer and my asr 10 hooked up to 3 & 4..
faders are up.. master faders are up...
gain is at unity level, so are all the faders...
there are these little buttons that say 1-2 and 3-4 which are i assume for the busses.. those are pushed in also...
still nothing...
grrrrrrrrr.
i wonder if this dude sold me a broken mixer...
but his feedback doenst seem like the type

 

[AlexW]

Seems strange. That should be working. Are the VU meters showing any indication of signal? You shouldn't need to have the buss switches in; only anything that would mute out the channel for some reason. I'm not familiar with that board, and the picture on the ebay auction you linked isn't clear enough to see anything very well.

 

[beat_banger]

lemme take a pic of the channel strip on my board so then maybe you folks can have a better idea...

 

[newatthis]

Also include a picture of the channel inputs for the mixer. (So we can see if it has 1/4" line in's or all XLR etc.

 

[beat_banger]

here is a link to some pics i just took of the mixer...
hopefully this will give you guys more of an idea how to help me out

http://sitekreator.com/cocotazo

thanks again

 

[The Ghost of FM]

To get signal into and out of your board, the following conditions must be present;

1 - A proper line level input must be available to plug into the 1/4" line input jack. A turntable with magnetic cartridge does not qualify and requires an additional phono pre-amp.

2 - The trim control must be set to 12:00 position as a rough adjustment.

3 - No other jack should be plugged into the channel strip in question; meaning don't plug a microphone and a line input into the same strip at the same time.

4 - The button near the top of the strip which says; TAPE, must not be pressed in.

5 - The assign buttons must be depressed to send the channel strip's signal to the associated 1-2-3-4 L-R master busses.

6 - The channel fader sliders must be up around the hash-mark, shaded range of the slider; means around 7 on the scale. This applies to the master faders as well.

7 - The monitor select switch must be pressed to the appropriate output for monitoring and the monitor level knob must also be up to about 7 on the knobs scale of 1 to 10.

8 - Your monitoring system must be connected to the appropriate monitor output jacks on the back of the mixer.

9 - Ensure that no SOLO buttons are pressed in on any channel as this will mute the board.

If after following these steps pretty much to the letter and no signal is passing through the board and the Vu meters don't move, you may have a defective board on your hands and you should seek out a qualified technician to have a look at it.

Cheers!

 

[Farview]

Sometimes above the master fader somewhere, there is a set of buttons. These buttons select what comes out of the master fader. You must have the right one pressed. You must also have the busses unmuted.

 

[beat_banger]

1 - A proper line level input must be available to plug into the 1/4" line input jack. A turntable with magnetic cartridge does not qualify and requires an additional phono pre-amp.

check.. already did that.. i have the turntable connected to a dj mixer and then the mixer's master output is hooked up to channel 1 & 2..

2 - The trim control must be set to 12:00 position as a rough adjustment.

check.. that has been done also....

3 - No other jack should be plugged into the channel strip in question; meaning don't plug a microphone and a line input into the same strip at the same time.

check...

4 - The button near the top of the strip which says; TAPE, must not be pressed in.

check./...

5 - The assign buttons must be depressed to send the channel strip's signal to the associated 1-2-3-4 L-R master busses.

i am in the dark on this... please elaborate some more... what assign buttons??
i dont see any assign buttons.. do you mean the little buttons that say 1-2 and 3-4?

6 - The channel fader sliders must be up around the hash-mark, shaded range of the slider; means around 7 on the scale. This applies to the master faders as well.

done..


7 - The monitor select switch must be pressed to the appropriate output for monitoring and the monitor level knob must also be up to about 7 on the knobs scale of 1 to 10.

another one that i am confused about.. please explain... what monitor select switch?? i see the monitor knob it says "mon" but dont see the select switch..

8 - Your monitoring system must be connected to the appropriate monitor output jacks on the back of the mixer.

check

- Ensure that no SOLO buttons are pressed in on any channel as this will mute the board.

where are the solo buttons???dont see them..

thanks again for your help folks...

 

[The Ghost of FM]

i am in the dark on this... please elaborate some more... what assign buttons??
i dont see any assign buttons.. do you mean the little buttons that say 1-2 and 3-4?

Yes. Those are the ones. Press them in.

another one that i am confused about.. please explain... what monitor select switch?? i see the monitor knob it says "mon" but dont see the select switch..

These are the buttons on the right side of the board that determine what you hear on your monitoring system which also includes headphones when they are connected to the mixer's headphone jack.

You'll want to have the orange one pressed that is labeled; STEREO.

where are the solo buttons???dont see them..

These are the buttons labeled PFL which stands for Pre Fader Listen. They are used to single out a channel or group of channels and isolate their signal to a special monitoring path that doesn't affect your recording mix. It is a feature mostly used in PA system work for playing live, in clubs and such.

If you don't already have the manual, now would be a good time to purchase one from TASCAM's parts department out in Montelbello, California.

Once you have the manual in your possession, all of what has been explained to you will be repeated but in much clearer language that has been proof read and edited by a team of professionals who actually got paid to do this shit!

Cheers!

 

[beat_banger]

ok i got siganl running thru the board...

but its coming out very faintly....
i turned the gain up, have the channel, buss, and master faders at unity gain.
have the channels assigned to 1-2.. i have stereo monitor select pressed in (little orange button)
and its still coming out faintly.. now this is whether i use my triton, my asr10, or my turntable(which is hooke up to my phono mixer...)
i know my amp is working because when i disconnect the mixer and plug in my dj mixer only into my amp with the turntable everything works fine.... same is true with my triton, etc..the xlr cables coming out fo the mixer are brand new.. just bought them in sam ash a couple of days ago... they are xlr to rca..
i have conclluded that i am either doing something else wrong which is unlikely....
or the mixer is damaged...which is also unlikely..
S#$%

 

[AlexW]

Are there knobs on the back where you plug the chords into the individual channels? These would be the preamps. If so, try raising the gain on them.

 

[thane1200]

ok i got siganl running thru the board...

but its coming out very faintly....
i turned the gain up, have the channel, buss, and master faders at unity gain.
have the channels assigned to 1-2.. i have stereo monitor select pressed in (little orange button)
and its still coming out faintly.. now this is whether i use my triton, my asr10, or my turntable(which is hooke up to my phono mixer...)
i know my amp is working because when i disconnect the mixer and plug in my dj mixer only into my amp with the turntable everything works fine.... same is true with my triton, etc..the xlr cables coming out fo the mixer are brand new.. just bought them in sam ash a couple of days ago... they are xlr to rca..
i have conclluded that i am either doing something else wrong which is unlikely....
or the mixer is damaged...which is also unlikely..
S#$%

GOOD LUCK! Hopefully you'll have the beats bang'in soon.

 

[The Ghost of FM]

Also ensure the PAD buttons are not pressed in as they will attenuate your incoming signal by 30db and if they are engaged, that would explain your weak signal.

Cheers!

 

[beat_banger]

could the p[roblem be that i am using xlr to rca cable???
i bought these at sam ash and didnt make them on ym own but could it be that since xlr is balanced and rca unbalanced where my problem lies...
for example my signal is really low and distorted but when i try to plug in the xlr cables the other upside down it doesnt go in but when it makes contact the signal gets louder.. its still distorted but louder....
i am deeply confused...
s#$%
this is really affecting my flow...
i cant do anyhitng now...

 

[Farview]

xlr to rca? what are you using these cables for? The input or the output?


"for example my signal is really low and distorted but when i try to plug in the xlr cables the other upside down it doesnt go in but when it makes contact the signal gets louder.. "

This sentence doesn't make sence. You can't plug an xlr in upside down, they only go in one way. Do you have a local music store that you can take this thing to and have someone hook it up and test it? There is some small bit of info that you are not telling us, it would take someone with a little experience about 5 seconds to fix.

 

[beat_banger]

ok i am using and xlr to rca cable because my amps inputs are rca only...this is the amp i have my monitors connected to...
ok now since the m216 outputs are xlr only........
i am using an xlr/rca cable that i purchased at sam ash....
i have connected the cable from the output of the mixer to the input of the amp..
do you understand what i mean now??
i dont know why you would ask
xlr to rca? what are you using these cables for? The input or the output?

as for this comment

"for example my signal is really low and distorted but when i try to plug in the xlr cables the other upside down it doesnt go in but when it makes contact the signal gets louder.. "

i was drunk and frustrated.. completely disregard that..
i azm losing my hair over this....arrrrrggghhh

 

[Farview]

I was asking about the xlr to rca because you mentioned that you were using the cable, but you didn't say where. I just didn't know if the cables were between the dj mixer and the board, the board and the monitors or what.

Here is something else to try, hit the PFL on the channel you are playing something in to. Look at the meters, are they reading anything? If yes, then the signal is getting into the board.

I'm wondering what the tape button does, try hitting that. (it is above the effect knob)

Have you tried to plug into different channels, maybe the one is bad.