Turn off any sound equipment that is currently powered on, starting with the power amplifiers.
Place your microphones and speakers where you will need them onstage for the production. Speakers that are placed on stage so the performers can hear themselves or other performers are called "monitors."
Plug each speaker, monitor and microphone into a dedicated sound circuit, which may be set into the floor or may be on a thick cable known as a "snake," which is comprised of many smaller cables. Each of these circuits or cable ends will be numbered. Write down the number of each circuit and which microphone, monitor or speaker it corresponds to.
Locate the cable ends near the sound board. These will be labeled with numbers that correspond to the circuits into which you plugged your items.
Plug each cable end that matches a microphone circuit into an "input" jack for one of the sound channels. The jacks are usually located at the back of the sound board. The channels are the numbered columns, usually labeled at the bottom of the board. Each one will contain a sliding switch, one or more buttons and one or more knobs. CD players and other playback devices should also be plugged into input channels.
Plug each cable end that matches a speaker or monitor into an "output" jack for one of the speaker channels. There are generally fewer output than input channels.
Assign each input (microphone) channel to at least one output (speaker or monitor). This varies by sound board and may involve connecting short cables from the input to the output channels on the sound board or a separate piece of equipment, or it may simply require pressing a button on the input channel to connect it to an output. Consult your user's guide for information on your sound board.
Turn on the power for the sound board and any auxiliary equipment then turn on the power amps.
Set each of the sliding switches on your board to the "unity" position, which is noted by a thick horizontal line or a zero.
Ask someone to start speaking into a microphone. Have him speak continuously as you test. Do not have him blow on or tap the microphone, as this can damage some types of microphones.
Adjust your overall speaker volume with the slider specific to each speaker. On some systems, there will be two sliders (one each for right and left) labeled "Main."
Adjust the volume with the slider on the channel specific to that microphone then move onto the next.
Adjust the pitch and tone for each microphone channel by gently turning the knobs in that channel's column from side to side until the sound is optimized. This pitch will differ relative to the person speaking or singing, so adjust this setting to the actual performer rather than another helper.
Adjust your levels during the performance by using the sliders and knobs. The sound will be different with a full audience in the room, so be prepared to increase the volume as necessary.
Determine whether the power is on for all equipment if you get no sound. If not, locate the proper switch and turn on the power. Some speakers have power switches on the physical speaker unit that must be on.
Press the button labeled "Phantom Power" if you are using microphones that require power to work and are not battery operated.
Press the small button over each channel as you test it. Most boards have individual mute buttons for each channel and some default to the mute setting. Both input and output channels must be unmuted for the sound to work.
Look for lights that flicker as you play music or someone is talking into a microphone. This indicates sound is being received by the mixer. Increase the volume on your sliding switches until you can hear the sound. Also look for a knob labeled "gain" on your input channel. Increasing the gain will allow the microphone to pick up more sound, but it will also pick up the surrounding noise. Adjust until you find a balance between the gain and volume slider.