Troubleshooting Cables and Connections

A bad cable or a wrong connection causes a surprising number of audio and video problems.

Quick checks

Is each connector fully seated? XLR connectors click; TA4F mini XLRs latch; 3.5 mm locking plugs screw down; HDMI should push in fully.
Is the cable in the right jack? Check input vs. output and the channel number.
Swap the cable for one you know works. If the problem goes away, label the bad cable and take it out of use.
Look for damage: kinks, flattened spots, cuts, bent pins or loose connector shells.
Check adapters. Every adapter is another place for a loose connection.

Keep audio cables away from power cables and lighting dimmer feeds, and cross them at right angles.
Plug audio equipment into the same power circuit where possible.
Don't remove ground pins from power plugs to stop hum. That's unsafe.

Long HDMI and USB runs often fail without active cables or extenders. For projectors far from the booth, ask us about signal extension.

Coil cables over-under (or loosely), never tightly around your elbow. Store them dry, and retire cables that crackle.