Can you help me work my Mixer?

[Gex]

I have an Audio Centron AC-116 16 channel mixer. Its big, and blue, and has a ton of knobs, and thats ALL I really know about it.

It was a Garage Sale score for $30. I knew I was gonna get into recording, and that I would need a "Mixer" so I snagged it.


Now, I tried to work it tonight, by plugging my Radio Shack dynamic mic (which has an XLR plug, and I use a XLR -> 1/4" mono cable with it.) into the first channel's "INSERT" jack, pictured here:



and then I ran a Guitar Cable from the "SUM Unbalanced Out" pictured here:
. . .to my computer and plugged it though a 1/4" to 1/8" conversion jack into the Mic input of my computer.


Well . . the result sucked. Got nothing but hiss. What did I do wrong? where are the cables supposed to go? (and what is the proper cable to use?) Or is this old thing just far past its prime and needs to be retired?

I cant find a manual on the internet, without paying like $40 for a new-old-stock manual (which is more than I paid for the damn thing)

So I was hoping somebody could help me out here and tell me what I few of these things do.

Here's some additional pictures:





THANK YOU SO MUCH for any help you can give me.

[kennydoe]

insert is NOT input, plug into Hi-Z line

Mixer out to line in on the computer, not mic

then click on the speaker in your system tray (by the clock)
click options->properties
click 'the 'recording' bubble
a new mixer pops up, check the 'line in' box.
set appropriately

[Gex]

Cool.

What IS it used for then?

[kennydoe]

Insert is for running an effect to that specific channel (or group, if you use is on a sub-group channel).

i.e. if you were running a vocal on channel 1 and you wanted to compress the vocal, but that's all, you'd run an insert cable (a 1/4 TRS on one end and 2 mono 1/4" on the other)...the single end goes to the insert jack, the two monos are send & return.

~K