The Sound Bullet is a pocket size audio signal generator along with a built-in wiring testing and verification unit. It is rechargeable via a Micro-USB socket and has female and male XLR connectors at each end of its indestructible cast-metal body.
I received one directly from the company in Italy and it went to work right away here at my studio to troubleshoot a broken mic cable problem that came up during a session. It will verify that any XLR cable is correctly wired pin-to-pin, not crossed or reversed, shorted, or open. In addition, you can check that there is phantom powering present on mic lines in the standardized range of the 44 to 52-volt DC. If phantom power voltage is low, the LEDs will flash.
Designed to be very handy in the field, Sound Bullet has a built-in signal generator that outputs either a 1kHz tone or pink noise out of the male XLR connector at a switchable level of -40, -20, or -10dBu level. I use this function to make sure a mic cable’s signal actually gets to the correct mic preamp and for matching all 64-channels of analog interface input levels.
You can verify audio signals coming into the female XLR via the small built-in audio amp with miniature monitor speaker or silently, over headphones plugged in.
This small audio amp and speaker are very handy when you lose an audio signal down a multi-core cable. You can turn on the Sound Bullet and verify that you have a solid connection and good phantom powering at the same time between the stage box and back at the mixer.
Sonnect Sound Bullet also has a ¼-inch unbalanced output jack and comes with a special adapter to test direct boxes and other unbalanced lines using either the 1-kHz tone or pink noise signals. This is awesome for on-stage troubleshooting to make sure all are working before the talent shows up!
I just love the Sound Bullet! It actually tests with an audio signal and is small, compact and easily fits in my pocket. It comes with a belt holster, USB charging cable, and instructions. It sells for $250 MSRP.
