My Behringer Xenyx 802 Problem

Today I went out and made two purchases: I spent $50 on a Behringer Xenyx 802 mixer and I spent $5 on a new pair of sunglasses. So far I'm much happier with the sunglasses. I hooked up my microphone to the MIC Line In and I connected the Main Out to my Audigy line in. Then I recorded an audio track in MC3. When I went to play it back I heard nothing. This was especially troubling because I was almost on key, which is rare.

Can someone tell me why my vocal did not record? I did some additional testing in MC3. I monitored the audio track and adjusted the volume control while I watched the level meters. As I slowly adjust the volume it goes from nothing to (in one click of the level) to completely too loud. I can't get the volume adjusted to any point in between. It's too much (and clipped) or nothing.

I also tried connecting Ctrl Room Out to line in on Audigy. The same problem occurs. I should note that I got the last 802 at my local Guitar Center and it was an open box return. Is it damaged? Is it connected wrong? Am I cursed?

Steve

Well, I think I've answered my own question. I checked an earlier post by RobertB and he included this helpful image of the connections. He clearly shows the MIC plugged into the large three-pronged plug. Now I have to make a trip back to a store which will sell such an adapter.

The sunglasses were really a great purchase.

Hold off on that trip a bit, Steve,
Is your mic plug like a normal guitar plug (tip/sleeve)?
My mic's happen to have the XLR connections, but that in itself isn't a deal breaker. The XLR and the 1/4" both go through the preamp.
Have you tried it in both 1 and 2?
On your mixer, you have a preamp trim, a channel level, and the main mix level. Where do you have these set?
When you adjust the level you mention, where are you doing that?

ORIGINAL: RobertB

Hold off on that trip a bit, Steve,
Is your mic plug like a normal guitar plug (tip/sleeve)?
My mic's happen to have the XLR connections, but that in itself isn't a deal breaker. The XLR and the 1/4" both go through the preamp.
Have you tried it in both 1 and 2?
On your mixer, you have a preamp trim, a channel level, and the main mix level. Where do you have these set?
When you adjust the level you mention, where are you doing that?

Robert

My mic plug does look like a normal guitar plug. I think they call it a 1/4" plug. I only tried it in 1, but I wouldn't expect 2 to be any different. I think the problem is that the Audigy has no MIC IN, only LINE IN with no preamp. So I think it needs me to use the fat plug which says MIC PREAMP. I'm guessing that the LINE IN on the mixer does not use the preamp.

The LED's on the Xenyx are lighting up so that the green ones stay pretty solid, and the yellow one flashes occasionally. The volume level problem shows itself in MC3. The volume level stays very low unless I scream into the MIC when it jumps to completely RED. The channel and master levels are set approximately like your photo, and I've tried adjusting them. I've also tried adjusting the level in MC3. I don't remember adjusting the PreAmp trim. Maybe that's what I'm missing.

The Audigy Out is not connected to the mixer because I don't have a cord available. However, I assume that only means I can't monitor the sound from my computer through the mixer. I'm just using the speakers. I don't think that would affect the problem I'm having. Any suggestions?

Steve

The LED's are indicating that the level should be OK in the mixer. The signal is not getting into the track at the right level. You should see a fairly distinct and "large" wave form being displayed....taking up 50% or so of the track window. If that is not happening....you are losing the signal somewhere. I have not had this issue with MC4 so I have not messed with any settings...BUT...with my old Cakewalk Pro 8 I had to adjust the levels every time I switched between recording and mixing. I had to open the Windows volume control window that gave me access to my record levels and playback levels. It was necessary for me to set the record input levels correctly every time in order to get a decent level recorded into my tracks. If I neglected that...the signal was either to weak (couldn't hear it) or it was to strong (everything clipped).

I do not know if this is the problem you are having, but it might be. It might depend greatly on the sound card too.

steve - open your Soundblaster mixer applet and move the slider for the LINE input down about 1/2 way and see if that helps.

Steve,
Backing up a bit, you are right that we ordinarily wouldn't expect different results from input 1 or 2 at the mixer. However, since this was a returned item, and we don't know what the reason was for the return, the idea was to check that both inputs do, in fact, work.

You need to understand that as I adjust the mic level on MC3 it goes from nothing to too much in one smallest unit of adjustment. There is no in-between.

This suggests that you actually have two problems.
1. Low input level (which is being duscussed)
2. a feedback loop.

The level slider in MC does not affect the incoming signal. It only affects Playback level. This tells us that the output is being fed back to your input. I suspect the tiny adjustment you are making is just enough to cross over the threshold where feedback sets in. Do you have Input Echo turned on? Turn that off. Now the volume slider should have no effect when you move it. We're not done yet.
Since you don't have anything routed back to the mixer, we can rule that out. This leaves the SB as the prime suspect. (Feedback through the speakers is a possibility, but seems unlikely at this point)
Open you SB Applet, and make sure "What-u-hear" is not selected as a recording source. This must be done in the Recording control, not Playback control. Do select the line-in as Beagle suggested.
That should break the feedback loop, and you should be able to adjust your record level smoothly.
Let us know if that helps.

No, that's what we're trying to tell you. you have to use the sliders on the mixer AND in the soundcard's software mixer to control the INPUT LEVEL.

you don't HAVE to have a mixer, but the LINE INPUT of the soundcard's software mixer is always what is the final control of the input level.

how you would know if you're clipping or not would be to simply look at the level indicators in MC as it's being played back (even during recording you're still playing back).

when you're ready to look at it again, Steve, check the PLAYBACK and RECORDING TIMING MASTERS and the DRIVERS to make sure the Audigy is selected for each.

Robert

I turned off my computer and ate dinner. When I started my computer again and hooked up my microphone it was working again. Obviously Music Creator was hungry. I'll try to remember that next time.

So I hooked up to channel 2 on the mixer and got the same behavior: all or nothing. I also experimented with the level slider in MC and it appears you and Beagle are correct: it doesn't affect the input level.

Then I opened the SB soundcard and "What-u-hear" was not selected. I selected line-in and I tried reducing the volume level in SB. That appears to have an effect. However, now the volume level in MC always stops at about 2/3 (in the green) but it also sounds distorted, just not as loud.

Any ideas what is happening? In the spirit of your great Behringer image I decided to include screen shots of my current setup just so you can be sure everything looks right. I hope these show up:

OK, thanks for the pix. The #2 Level on the mixer looks too hot. This could introduce some distortion.
I can't quite see the indicator on your Trim knob. Just guessing, but try that around the 2:00 position.
Your level in MC actually looks ok. It could be a little higher, and we can get that with the SB mixer. Much of the distortion is probably coming from overdriving the Mixer levels.
Do those little yellow triangles give you drop-down menu's in the Surround Mixer? Especially the Record? It looks like the mic input is selected for recording, even though it is Xed out at the bottom. Yet the Record seems to indicate that Line In is selected. Kind of a puzzling mixer control.
That control would appear to be at the heart of the problem, and I may ask you to try some different things in the next few minutes.

Robert & Beagle

So basically you're saying that I need to pay attention to the details. That's a problem I have to work on in myself. Sometimes I get frustrated and just say "This thing is broke". I'll modify the levels and make the pan and track input consistent with the single input I'm using. I'll adjust those settings and report back later. I have to go to the grocery store in a few minutes.

I do some of my best problem solving when I go the bathroom. I went 20 minutes ago and I was thinking "If the MC level maxes out at 2/3, but it sounds distorted that may be telling me that somewhere before it gets to SB or MC the signal is already distored (ie, in the mixer preamp)." I guess that's basically what your suggestions are telling me. I think I had Preamp Trim at 100% (undiscernable in the image) so that may be where the distortion originates.

Thanks mucho,

Steve

A couple of thoughts here. 1. the volume levels in the audigy mixer is to low. 2. as was mentioned you need a stereo cable from main out to line in. 3. get stereo cable for line out to tape in

What U Hear will add the track you're recording plus the tracks you've already recorded all into the same track. It records "what you hear" in the monitor on the track you're recording.

My mixer nightmares continue. I'm getting the all or nothing microphone levels again and I think that I have all the settings as discussed above. I've selected Left Sound Blaster Audigy for my input. I've panned the microphone to the left. The Preamp trim, Level 2, and Main Mix are all about 2 o'clock on Behringer, the mike switch is on, and my frustration level is about 120% tonight.

I've discovered one new behavior that should be a clue to someone who understands MC. If the audio engine is on I get the all or nothing microphone level. I can't get any level in between. But when I turn off the audio engine I get absolutely no volume level on the microphone audio track.

Any ideas? I thought maybe I could actually finish my first digital audio song tonight, but we are now at 30 hours of futility and counting.

Steve