Standard audio terminology: TRS, 48V phantom power, side‑chain, loopback, OTG, XLR, gain, fader
Q1: How do I turn the sound card on?
Press and hold the power button for 3 seconds to power the unit on or off.
Short‑press the button to cycle through lighting effects; there are 10 colour modes in total.
Q2: How do I turn on the Bluetooth function?
Bluetooth is enabled by default after startup, and the Bluetooth indicator flashes slowly. If Bluetooth is disabled, press and hold the BT button for 3 seconds to restart the Bluetooth module.
Q3: How to connect a phone or computer via Bluetooth?
Once Bluetooth is activated, turn on Bluetooth on your phone or computer, search for Maonocaster E1 Pod, and tap to pair. You can play backing tracks once pairing succeeds.
Note: Bluetooth only transmits backing tracks and cannot carry microphone audio. Please connect to your computer or phone with a USB cable for vocal input.
Q4: What is the effective Bluetooth connection range of the E1 Pod?
Approximately 10 metres with no obstructions.
Q5: Does the E1 Pod need charging?
Yes. Charge the unit with a USB cable connected to the DC=5V port or USB port on the rear of the sound card.
Q6: Can the DC=5V port of the E1 Pod transmit audio data?
No. The DC=5V port is for charging only and does not support audio data transmission.
Q7: What is the LINE OUT port used for?
It is a 3.5 mm TRS line output for connecting powered speakers or mixing consoles.
Q8: What is the HEADPHONE port used for?
3.5 mm TRS headphone output for independent monitoring. Its output level is globally controlled by the OUTPUTS knob.
Q9: What does the SIDE CHAIN button do?
The SIDE CHAIN button enables or disables the ducking mode. A short press toggles the function on or off. A green light means ducking is active, and an ice‑blue light means ducking is disabled.
Q10: What does the NOISE REDUCTION button do?
It controls the on/off status and level of the built‑in noise reduction function. Noise reduction effectively lowers background ambient noise and improves vocal clarity. Short‑press to cycle through modes: Off → Level 1 Noise Reduction (green light) → Level 2 Noise Reduction (blue light) → Off.
Q11: What does the MONITOR button do?
It turns microphone real‑time monitoring on or off. Short‑press once; the button lights up green to indicate monitoring is enabled. Short‑press again to disable monitoring. Monitor only affects the microphone signal heard in headphones and does not change the vocal signal sent to the computer.
Q12: What does the USB LOOPBACK button do?
It enables or disables the USB loopback function. Short‑press once; the green indicator lights up to show loopback is activated. Short‑press again to turn it off. When disabled, audio sent to the device can only be heard via headphones and will not be recorded. Turning this function off avoids unwanted echo.
Q13: What are the sound pad buttons (A / B / C / D) for?
They store and play custom sound effects, opening remarks, background music clips or ambient sounds to boost podcast and live‑stream engagement. Short‑press any sound pad button; the button flashes green and enters recording mode.
A single recording can last up to 30 seconds. Short‑press the same button again during recording to stop and save the custom sound effect. Short‑press the button at any time to trigger and play the saved sound. Please note that a new recording will overwrite the original preset sound on that pad and cannot be restored.
Q14: What does the MIC GAIN knob do?
It adjusts the microphone input gain level and controls the strength of the microphone signal entering the device’s preamplifier.
Q15: What does the OUTPUTS knob do?
It globally adjusts the volume of all analogue outputs of the unit, including LINE OUT and HEADPHONE. When Stream mode is enabled, the OUTPUTS knob also controls the digital output volume of USB‑PC and USB‑OTG, keeping headphone monitoring volume and live‑stream output volume synchronised at a 1:1 ratio.
Note: The OUTPUTS knob only governs output volume and does not affect input gain or recording level. The recording level is adjusted separately with the MIC GAIN knob.
Q16: What are the four‑channel faders (MIC / BT / USB / OTG) for?
These four independent volume faders control the mix level of four separate audio sources respectively: MIC fader – microphone; BT fader – Bluetooth; USB fader – USB‑PC; OTG fader – OTG.
Note: The faders only adjust the mixing balance and do not change the original input gain of each channel. Input gain is set by the MIC GAIN knob.
Q17: The sound card indicator lights do not turn on after connecting to a computer？
Replace the USB cable🔌: You must use the original USB‑C cable. Generic USB‑C cables may only support charging without data transfer, or suffer incompatibility due to different protocols.
Change the USB port🖥️: When connecting to a desktop PC, use the rear USB ports on the host. Front panel USB ports often deliver unstable power supply.
Q18: No sound is recorded on the computer after connecting a condenser microphone？
Check whether the 48V phantom power on the sound card is switched on. Turn it on if it is disabled.
Q19: The computer fails to recognise the “E1 Pod” after connection？
Check the cable🔌: The connected USB‑C cable must support data transfer, not charging only. The included original USB‑C cable is recommended.
Check the port💻: Try different USB ports on your computer. Download the latest driver from the official website and restart your PC after installation. For Windows PCs, open Device Manager, go to sound controllers, check whether E1 Pod is disabled and enable it if necessary.
Q20: How to turn on microphone monitoring?
To listen directly to your microphone sound, enable the【MONITOR】button on the E1 Pod. Disable it if monitoring is not required.
Q21: No sound during recording or live streaming when the E1 Pod is connected to a computer？
Check whether the gain knob and MIC fader on the sound card are turned up. Turn on the【MONITOR】button if you need to hear microphone audio through headphones.
Verify that the input volume is not set too low or muted inside third‑party recording or streaming software. Confirm that E1 Pod is selected as the audio input device in your computer sound settings and check the input volume bar.
Q22: Does the E1 Pod support USB microphones via USB cable?
No. Microphones can only be connected with an XLR cable.
Q23: Backing tracks cannot be monitored when wired headphones are plugged into the microphone？
Audio can only be monitored via the sound card. Sound cannot be monitored through the microphone itself.
Q24: Does the E1 Pod require companion software?
No.
Q26: How to fix distorted loud audio (peaking)?
1、Check whether the gain knob on the sound card is turned up too high. Overloaded sound triggers red LED indicators on the panel. Turn down the knob or activate auto‑gain to set a proper input level.
2、Check your computer sound settings and lower the audio input level if it is too high.
Q27: Will a dynamic microphone get damaged if 48V phantom power is accidentally turned on?
Safe under standard operation: When using a compliant XLR cable, the 48V supply forms no current loop and normally causes no damage.
High‑risk operations: ⚠️ Hot‑plugging the microphone while 48V is active; ⚠️ Using non‑standard cables. ✅ Good practice: Always switch off 48V before plugging or unplugging microphones.
Q28: Do the built‑in controls on a microphone still work after connecting it to the sound card?
When connected via XLR, the microphone’s own mute, monitoring and volume controls are inactive. All functions are controlled by the sound card.
Q29: Which devices work with the 48V phantom power switch?
Condenser microphones, some active ribbon microphones and active DI boxes.
Q30: What devices can connect to the MIC port?
It accepts microphone‑level signals only. It supports XLR and 6.35 mm TRS plugs, but all inputs expect mic‑level signals. Line‑level or instrument‑level (INST) signals are not supported.
Q31: No sound with OTG connection to a mobile phone？
Confirm that your phone supports OTG audio and turn on the OTG switch. Replace the OTG cable and test again.
Q32: How to set up the E1 Pod with OBS?
1、Open OBS and add an “Audio Input Capture” source.
2、Select the E1 Pod as the audio input device.
Q33: Can the E1 Pod charge a mobile phone?
No. The DC 5V port only supplies power to the sound card itself and cannot reverse‑charge your phone. Make sure your phone has sufficient battery before live streaming.
Q34: Can I connect an electric guitar for recording?
No, it is not supported.
Q35: How to mute vocal monitoring and hear only backing tracks?
Short‑press the MONITOR button until the indicator turns ice‑blue. Vocal monitoring will then be disabled.
Q36: The microphone produces buzzing / hissing noise？
Move the microphone away from interference sources: keep mobile phones, routers, RGB lights, computer towers and mice away. Dynamic microphones are sensitive to magnetic interference.
Check cables: swap in a new XLR cable for testing. Lower the gain: set the Gain knob roughly between the 2 o’clock and 3 o’clock positions; avoid maximum gain.
Q37: How to reset the frozen E1 Pod?
Use a toothpick to press the reset pinhole inside the headphone jack, then press and hold the power button for 3 seconds to power it on.
Q38: Backing tracks still feed into the live stream even after USB LOOPBACK is turned off？
Loopback control only applies to audio from USB input. Backing tracks played via Bluetooth or OTG are not affected by the USB LOOPBACK button.
Q39: What is the battery life of the E1 Pod?
Approximately 6 hours.
Q40: Basic specifications of the E1 Pod?
Q41: What is the normal operating environment for the E1 Pod?
Do not use or store the device at temperatures below 0°C or above 45°C.
Q42: Battery indicator status of the E1 Pod?
Q43: Bluetooth indicator status of the E1 Pod?
Q44: Monitoring volume suddenly drops and the unit powers off unexpectedly. What causes this?
When battery capacity falls below 20%, the device may automatically reduce output volume or shut down to protect the battery. Please connect a charger promptly.
Q45: When the E1 Pod is connected to an iPhone using the official Apple USB‑C to Lightning cable, the phone fails to recognize the device and cannot output backing tracks or live‑stream audio.
Cause：The official Apple USB‑C to Lightning cable provides insufficient power supply and cannot drive the device. Recommendation：Use an official Apple adapter for the connection instead.
Q46: How do I mute the microphone on the E1‑Pod?
The E1‑Pod does not have a dedicated physical mute button. You can pull the fader all the way down, or turn the MIC gain knob to 0 to cut off the microphone input signal.