How to Hook a Bass Guitar to a Mixing Board

Most modern bass guitars accept 1/4-inch plugs.

Most bass guitars have a jack that receives a 1/4-inch plug. This plug sits at the end of a cable and can be used in many other instrumental applications. This cable can then be run from the bass guitar to a direct-input (DI) box, which will allow greater control over the sound. The DI box can then be plugged into the mixer using an XLR cable.

Things You'll Need

• 1/4-inch cable
• DI box
• Mixer

Instructions

1. Plug a 1/4-inch cable into the output of your bass guitar.

2. Insert the other end of the cable into an input on a DI box. The DI box will allow greater control over the sound of your bass guitar.

3. Connect an XLR cable to the output of the direct input box and connect the other end to the input of the desired channel on the mixer.

References

• Sound on Sound: Using DI Boxes
• Musician's Friend: Direct Box