Troubleshooting Live Sound: Solving Unexpected Problems

What do you do when live sound goes wrong? Something's not coming through the console — mic's in, cable's plugged in, and you have no idea where to start. Here's the methodical approach that actually finds the problem fast. *What You'll Learn:* Why starting in the middle of your signal chain makes troubleshooting worse How a cheap cable tester (like the Behringer CT100) can save your show How to isolate problems between the source, cables, and console — step by step What console settings (like limiters and phantom power) silently kill your signal GET THE GEAR: Behringer Cable Tester: https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-CT10... Whirlwind Q-Box Audio Tester: https://aboveavl.com/products/qbox-au... Shop for all your equipment needs at Above AVL: https://aboveavl.com We've got a team of experts (not salespeople - just helpful techs who know this stuff who can help you find the right thing tailored to your needs, quote it out, and get it into your hands at your personalized price. Grab Your FREE Guide: "3 Mistakes Everyone Makes When Buying Audio, Video, and Lighting Gear": https://lp.aboveavl.com/3-mistakes-guide WANT TO GO DEEPER? Want to master stage lighting, audio, and video? Join our Above AVL Academy for in-depth training and tutorials, plus access to our community forum: https://lp.aboveavl.com/academy-sp ABOUT LEARN STAGE AUDIO: Learn Stage Audio is part of Above AVL, founded by David Henry. We cover the practical side of live sound — mixing, signal flow, gear selection, and everything in between — so you can run better audio at your next show, service, or event. FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:   / aboveavl     / aboveavl   COMMENTS & QUESTIONS: We love hearing from our community! Feel free to ask questions, share your experiences, or request future topics. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic. We're here to help each other learn! However, creating these videos takes a TON of time and effort, and I am not always available to answer questions here personally. In the Above AVL Academy, we offer premium support to answer member questions alongside step-by-step video training: https://lp.aboveavl.com/academy-sp Many questions can also be answered by simply searching the Above AVL blog via the Search Bar at https://articles.aboveavl.com/blogs. The Gear We Use: https://articles.aboveavl.com/video-e... Thanks for watching! Hope you learned something new today. David (Above AVL Founder) *TIMESTAMPS:* 00:00 Introduction 01:48 Cable Testers 02:23 Troubleshooting 04:02 Test Tone (Identifying Mic Issues) 06:11 If the test tone did not work (Possible Cable Issues) 07:34 Testing Other Patch Points 08:47 Limiters 10:18 Closing