If you turn on the mixer without turning the volume and faders down, you could create loud feedback or damage the mixer and/or the speakers. The main volume control and faders usually have a different color than the other controls so you can easily tell them apart.
You can buy XLR cables from a music supply store or online. The number of inputs you can have on your mixer depends on how many channels it has. An 8-channel mixer can have up to 8 different inputs while a 32-channel mixer can have 32 sources.
You cannot plug an instrument into a line input on a channel that already has an XLR cable plugged into it. You can also buy audio cables for instruments that attach to a mixer with an XLR cable. Either will work for your audio.
Make sure that both your inputs and outputs are properly matched with the correct cables. You can get an audio interface and TRS cables online or from a music store. Interfaces allow you to play the audio from your mixer through speaker monitors or on a computer.
You don’t need to use headphones if you don’t want to.
Some mixers may have a switch labeled “phantom” which supplies electricity to microphones that require it. If you have a microphone that uses phantom power, also turn on the switch.
You won’t be able to hear anything through speakers or headphones yet because the faders on each channel are still turned down.
Don’t turn the fader more than ¾ to the maximum volume since it could create interference and make the audio sound muffled.
If the channel has a microphone attached to it, lower the bass and raise the treble to make it sound more prominent. If the channel has an instrument, try adjusting each of the knobs and playing the instrument to see how it affects the sound. There are no perfect levels for your mix since it depends on the audio sources and the sound you’re looking for.
You don’t need to raise the gain for every input you’re using. If you do, all of the audio sources will sound muffled.
If you leave all of your audio sources panned in the middle, then the mix may sound flat. You can turn the knob slightly away from the middle if you want the input to come through both speakers but be more prominent in one of them.
Pressing the audio won’t make the original input source stop working, but you won’t be able to hear it through the speakers or headphones attached to the mixer. You can mute multiple tracks at the same time if you want to.
Soloing a channel on a mixer allows you to easily make adjustments to specific instruments or vocals without lowering the faders on the other channels. You can solo multiple channels at the same time.
Make sure you’re using the auxiliary knob that matches the auxiliary channel you’re plugged into. You can send multiple channels to an auxiliary channel. For example, you may use an auxiliary channel if you’re a singer and want to hear the drums and guitars in a monitor so you stay on beat.
