Mic / Cable

The second piece in the chain

If you can confirm that the sound is coming out of an instrument, or want to make sure it's not a mic issue, the next piece in the chain would be the cable and mic.

When working with an instrument, try plugging a different instrument that you know works into the cable that is questionable. For example, if bass guitar is working but not acoustic, plug the bass guitar into the acoustic cable, do you still get no sound, or does it work? Or, plug the not working guitar into a working channel. In this instance, plug the acoustic guitar into the bass channel that works to ensure you're getting sound out of the instrument.

While it seems simple, this is often a quick check that can help you rule out one piece in the chain and focus on what might actually be going wrong.

Some Common Mic / Cable Issues:

• If it's a condenser mic, do you have 48v or phantom power turned on for that channel?
• The battery is dead in a guitar
• Accidentally plugging a 1/4" cable into an input, rather than output
• Plugging a cable into the "thru" rather than "input" on the DI box