01/03/14, 00:23Everything you were Afraid to Ask about Cables

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Everything you were afraid to ask about Cablesfor your home or project recording studio

by Tweak

One of Tweak's jungles of cables, in fact, one of the more orderly ones.

Putting together a home studio requires a mind that can visualize, in a second, the signal flow ofthe entire studio from every remote piece though interfaces, patch bays, mixers, your computer and then

the seemingly thousands of virtual cables and switches inside each computer application. To become themaster of your recording studio, whether it is large or small, you must always know where your signal isand know how to get it where you need it (to your recorder, most of the time). We connect signals topieces of gear with cables. To maintain the integrity of the signal, we need to understand which cables touse to connect our gear. This page is designed to answer all the cable issues a home or project studio islikely to confront and get you past the common misunderstandings newbies have.

The glossy ads in the trade magazines always show gear in it's ideal pristine state, shiny, new, and neverwith cables connected. Perhaps this is a psychological point, to make the prospective buyer get a senseof how nice it would be to have this box sitting there. In the real world, however, there are a tangle ofissues for installing almost anything. Most of these entanglements are cable related. With each piece youbuy, the living sea of cables behind tables and racks get denser and more knotty clusters develop, makingthe act of even tracing a cable from origin to destination a matter of great intricacy.

The more cables you have the harder they are to control. You think, "oh, I need a patchbay" to controlthem all. But the patchbay itself will generate even more cables. Then you think, I got it, I'll use cableties. But these lead to problems of making sure all the cables have the right length, which again leads tobuying more cables to get all the lengths even. You might refrain from getting more gear so as not toupset the fine cable job you did.

A little story: Large Rig Blues

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A little story: Large Rig Blues

You buy a midi module to add some sounds. As soon as it's out of thebox, you go digging for cables and a place to put it. Lets see, ohshoot, my MIDI interface is maxed out, now I have to go through aMIDI thru. You look and the closest usable thru is 12 feet away andyou have one MIDI cable left and its 8 feet long.

But! You have a 15 footer somewhere else where it only need 6 feetand you decide, let's swap them out. But as you peer behind yourmidi interfaces the cables are so tightly packed, flowing over andunder each other... you can't read the numbers on the back. You pullout 3 cables only to realize you disconnected the ins when you werelooking for an out.

You find the 12 footer at last, but can't pull it out unless you remove 6adjacent cables. Trouble. Now you have 9 cables out and you knowyou this is going to take a while and yep, at 5am there you aretroubleshooting the MIDI interface, trying to get your sequencerworking again.

Moral of the story: Use different colored cables, never unplug morethan one cable at a time, unless you label it. If you have a choicebetween buying short or long cables, going longer may help you outif you have to move the gear farther away someday, but will makemore of a mess.

Of course, when you purchased your new MIDI module you were notthinking whether you had any mixer channels open. Who has mixerchannels going unused? No one. But that's another problem. Patchbay city here we come.

Common Analog Cables

The XLR cable (3 prong) This is a commonmicrophone cable. May also be used as a linelevel cable for gear that has balanced ins andouts.These cables can go long distances, even toanother room if required

.

The TRS "Tip-ring-sleeve" cable (2-conductorplus ground) This is a cable for balanced signalsjust like the XLR above, it just has differentconnectors. Note that TRS cables are typicallyused for mono, not stereo, signals in most studiogear. The exception being the headphone jack.

CBI makes a nice 20 gauge TRS cable (below)and a less expensive 24 gauge. Like theXLR these cables can go long distances,even to another room if required.

CBI 16 X 4 Audio Snake with NeutrikConnectors

The TS "Tip-sleeve" cable (2 conductor "phone jack") This cable is forunbalanced signals. These cables should be keptas short as possible. Keep them under 12 feetand away from power transformers (wall warts)or they may pick up dreaded hum and ruin youraudio signal.

The RCA Cable ("home stereo" cable) Becauseeach cable in the RCA pair (as shown below) onlyhas 1 conductor plus ground, it is for unbalancedsignals, just like the TS cable above. Keep themas short as possible.

CBI 8-Channel TRS to TRSSnake

Tweak: I recommend these with no hesitation. Great for 8x8 audio interfaces

The Insert Cable (TRS to mono "Y" cable). Insert jacks on mixers are not balanced. Basically, on the TRS end, it carries both the inputand the output of the mixer channel with acommon ground. These cables allow you to inserta device in the channel's path, like a compressor orEQ or to carry the signal to a patchbay where

A variation on this is the Soundcard 1/8" stereoplug to dual RCA. Its very helpful with consumergrade soundcards and some laptops. Keep them as

What is a Snake? A snake is a bunch of cablesbundled together in one casing. This helpskeep the cable jungle a little more under controlby only having one thick cable to step on or trip

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EQ or to carry the signal to a patchbay where

devices can be conveniently patched in.

Keep them as short as possible.

grade soundcards and some laptops. Keep them as

short as possible.

by only having one thick cable to step on or tripover, rather than 8 or 16. High quality snakesfor XLR cables are expensive and include a"stage box" where the mics and otherinstruments are connected. Multi track snakescan be found in many types from TRS to TRSto TS to TS, RCA to TS, and TRS to TS (aninsert snake). These come in varying qualities. One problem with inexpensive snakes is thatone of the 8 cables may go bad and you arestuck with loose ends hanging out. I really likethe CBI snakes for wiring mixers to audiointerfaces

You can also rollyour own if you aregood with asoldering iron

Insert to direct out cable. Sometimes we want touse the inserts on our mixer as a direct out andonly take the signal going out of the channel andnot return a signal to it (like when we want toconnect a soundcard to the mixer). You can do theold trick of sticking in a TS cable halfway (to thefirst click) or get one of these.

The Elco Cable (56 pin connector to 16 TRS)For professional multi-track recorders

What is a combo jack?

Note that the combo jack allows you to connecteither XLR -or- 1/4" cables. (The 1/4" connectionmight either be HiZ (high impedance, i.e.,"instrument level" like guitar or "line level" likekeyboards, tape decks, external processors, etc.)

How do I connect a Patchbay?

Here's the standard normal procedure. Connect aninsert cable in the insert jack of the mixer. Theoutput of the Mixer goes in the bottom rear of thebay and goes out the top rear of the bay back tothe Mixer. If nothing is connected to the frontjacks of the patchbay, this signal will just passthrough and back. To take the output of thechannel from the front of the bay, you insert acable in the bottom front jack. To patch anothersignal into the mixer to replace the existing signal,you patch a cable into the upper front jack.

Most Dangerous Cable. TS to Dual TS.Never use this to connect 2 sources to 1 input.You can use it to split 1 output to two outputs.

What is an XLR jack?

What is a 1/4 " Line Input

What is an RCA line input?

Common Digital CablesStereo (2 channel) digital cables

A: These are all different methods of sending 2-channel (stereo) digital audio data down a cable toanother device. Note, this is DATA, not an analogsignal. The data bypasses all analog circuitry tomake the perfect clone of the original data.

AES/EBU requires acable with microphone(XLR) connectors. Thismethod is used a lot

S/PDIF: (Stands for the Sony/Phillips DigitalInterface) There are two types: Coaxial andOptical. So when some says they are connectingvia S/PDIF, you should then ask, Coax orOptical? Coaxial requires a cable with RCAconnectors. They look just like common "homestereo" connectors.

Optical is another flavor ofS/PDIF and has the squareconnectors called TOSLINKconnectors. These are alsoknown as ADAT lightpipecables and Fiber Optic Cables

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method is used a lotwith pro gear. Common

lengths for these pathways is from 3-15 feet. Canyou use a Mic cable as an AES/EBU cable? Weare advised not to. If you are in a jam, video-ratedcable may work.

In fact, sometimes you can get a high qualitystereo cable to work if the run is short. The limiton length is 6 meters or 19.8 feet which is fine forthe home studio.

Multi-Channel Digital Cables

The three main methods of multi-channel digitalaudio transfer are Roland's R-BUS, Tascam'sTDIF or Alesis ADAT Optical. They differ fromS/PDIF and AES/EBU because they send 8channels instead of two channels. ADAT is nowcommon on audio interfaces, digital mixers andmic preamps. TDIF and RBUS are used in Tascamand Roland products respectively.

TDIF and RBUS Cables

R-BUS and TDIFcables look the same;both use a 25 pinconnector, just like a large serial port cable.

ADAT "light pipe" uses TOSLINK (optical)cables, the same cable as opticals/pdif. (Confusing, yes! but I assure you it istrue). But, again, when connected to ADAT i/othese carry 8 channels of digital audio. ADATis a wonderful thing. Get comfortable with it. I Hosa Fiber Optic Cable

Sync Cables

ADAT Sync. This is a 9 pin D-subcable that look like a small serialcable connector. It sends MTC(MIDI Time Code) and othersynchronization signals. Note:

Many devices can send and receive MTC on MIDIcables.

Word Clock Cables. These are 75 OHMcables (like TV cable) but have the"press and twist" BNC connector whichyou may have seen on the back ofolder computer monitors.

Hosa BNC 75-Ohm Male to Male Word ClockCable If you are using two audio interfaces word clockkeeps them in sync.

Word Clock T adapter. Helps you extend theword clock sync signal to more than 1 device

Computer Interface Cables

USB (Universal Serial Bus) cables connect MIDIinterfaces and some audio interfaces as well.

Firewire cables are increasingly being used toconnect audio interfaces as well as Camcordersand digital video equipment.

SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface)Cables come in many types. Samplers by E-Mu use the "old" 50 pin Centronic connectors. Don't confuse these with the 50 pin "half pitch"SCSI III connectors which are smaller.

Inside the computer or sampler you will typicallyfind 50 pin internal SCSI cable

Other SCSI devices may use the DB25 "Mac"connector which looks identical from the outside

There are also DB68 pin SCSI III connectors. These have 68 pins and are common on SCSI hard

The MIDI Cable (5 pin DIN cable)

All Hosa MIDI cables feature precision-molded terminations for a tight, positive fit.All 5 pins are discretely (individually) wired,with one conductor forming the high-densityspiral shield. Length under 50 feet is not anissue

Hosa Standard MIDI Cable (Black)

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KRK KNS Headphone Replacement Cable

Priced from 10.00

Audio Technica AT8311 Value MicrophoneCable (XLRF to 1/4 in. TRS)

Priced from 10.95

CBI 14-Gauge Speaker Cable

Priced from 10.95

CBI Braided Instrument Cable (Black)

Priced from 10.95

CBI Braided Instrument Cable (Red)

connector which looks identical from the outsideto a 25 pin serial cable. These are also called SCSIII connectors.

These have 68 pins and are common on SCSI harddrives and SCSI cards. So what if you have aDB50 SCSI connector on your card and need toconnect a 50 pin Centronics connector? You gotit, SCSI adpater City, here you come.

Common Adapters

CBI RCA Female To 1/4-inch Male Connector

CBI 1/4-inch Female To RCA MaleConnector

This adapter features a 2-conductor1/4 in. female to RCA male.

Tweak: The world's most useful adapters

Hosa Coupler - 2 Pieces (Female RCA to FemaleRCA) Tweak: The budget studio's friend. Heh, Iused to use 3 of these to make a long cable. (Notrecommended for critical uses.)

CBI XLR Female To 1/4-inch TRS MaleConnector

CBI XLR Male To 1/4-inch TRS Male Connector

Tweak: with both of the above you can use anXLR mic cable as a balanced TRS line level cable

Behringer CT100 Cable Tester Theintelligent, CPU-controlled CT100accepts virtually any connector type:XLR, mono and TRS phone (1/4 in.,

1/8 in., TT), RCA and MIDI. It shows which inputpin is connected to which output pin. SeparateLEDs indicate proper shield connection andphantom power presence. The CT100 also offersan installed cable test mode and a continuitycheck plus a test tone generator.

Behringer PX2000 Ultrapatch Pro Behringer'sUltrapatch Pro PX2000 is a brilliantlyconceived patchbay that enables you to get yourstudio or rehearsal room connections organizedand get you one step closer to the effective,professional working method you crave.Whether for a complex studio matrix or amodest patching solution for smaller setups, theUltrapatch Pro is an investment you'll neverregret.

Q) What is thedifference betweenbalanced andunbalanced

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Priced from 10.95

CBI Braided Instrument Cable (Vintage Tweed)

Priced from 10.95

Hosa Astro Grip Cable Organizer Tape

Priced from 10.95

Hot Wires MP Combo Power and Audio XLRCable

Priced from 104.99

Hot Wires Banana to 1/4-Inch Speaker Cable

Priced from 11.49

Hot Wires Speaker Cable

Priced from 11.49

Audio Technica AT8313 Value MicrophoneCable

Priced from 11.95

Hosa OPM300 Premium Fiber Optic Cable

Priced from 11.95

Pro Co Silent Knight Instrument Cable

Priced from 11.95

KRK Headphone Extension Cable

Priced from 12.00

Monster Cable Monster Standard 100Instrument Cable (Straight with 1/4 Inch Plugs)

Priced from 12.10

DiMarzio Jumper Cable

Priced from 12.45

CBI Braided Instrument Cable (Blue)

Priced from 12.95

CBI Braided Instrument Cable with Right Angle(Vintage Tweed)

unbalancedconnections?

A)TS--tip and sleeve(1 conductor plusground) is forunbalanced signals.TRS--tip ring sleeve(2 conductor plusground) is for balancedsignals. With balancedcables, you can travellonger distanceswithout picking up humor noise...

Note: It is the signalthat is unbalanced ornot. Using a TRS orXLR cable does notmake an unbalancedsignal balanced. However, if you use aTS (or RCA cable withadapters) on balancedsignal, the signal willbecome unbalanced. Keep in mind that both

the source anddestination gear mustpass balanced signalsand you must use TRSor XLR cables tomaintain the balancedconnection.

Ok, many of you are still in trouble. Let mespell it out.

Balanced gear|TRS or XLR cable|balanced gear = balanced connection

Balanced gear|TRS or XLR cable|unbalanced gear = unbalanced connection

Balanced gear|TS or RCA cable|balanced gear = unbalanced connection

unbalanced gear|TRS or XLR cable|unbalanced gear = unbalanced connection

Q) Can you plug anunbalanced TS pluginto a balanced TRSjack

A) Yes. In most casesthere is no problemwith doing so. If themanufacturer says youcan use unbalanced orbalanced it is fine.

Q) Does that make the unbalanced gearbalanced

A) No. All three connectors mustbe solid to realize the benefits of abalanced line signal.

Q) How can I makemy unbalancedsynth Balanced?

A) With adirect box, orline levelshifter, theunbalancedsignal isconverted to abalancedsignal.

Q) Can you use an XLR to TRS cable andkeep a balanced signal path?

A) Yes. Thegear can't tell.

Q) Can I use an XLR Mic cable as abalanced instrument cable with TRSadapters?

A) Yes. It is done all the time inpro studios and on stage.

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Priced from 12.95

CBI Braided Instrument Cable with Right AnglePlug (Black)

Priced from 12.95

CBI LowZ Microphone Cable with NeutrikConnectors

Priced from 12.95

CBI Standard MIDI Cable

Priced from 12.95

Hosa 6-Pin FireWire Cable

Priced from 12.95

Monster Cable Standard 100 Speaker Cable(Straight with 1/4 Inch Plugs)

Priced from 12.95

Pro Co Excell Dual Right-Angle InstrumentPedal Cable

Priced from 12.95

Rockman ROCK CK Interconnection Cable Kitfor Ace

Priced from 12.95

Rolls CS1000 Cable Scanner and SpeakerTester

Priced from 129.95

CBI 12-Gauge Ultra Duty Power Series SpeakerCable

Priced from 13.95

Hosa CRA-Series Patchbay Cables - 1.5 feet(RCA to RCA x 8) (Model CRA845)

Priced from 13.95

Middle Atlantic Wall Mount Patch Cable Hanger

Priced from 13.95

Shure C15HZ Microphone Cable (15 Ft)

Priced from 13.95

Q) Are "Guitar

cables" the same as"instrument"cables?

A) Yes. Both areTS cables.

Q) Can I connect myXLR mic to mysoundblaster 1/8"phone jack?

A) Yes, you can makeit happen withadapters, but you willdefeat the balancedsignal. The Mic willlikely hum and soundlike garbage.

Q) Is a headphone balanced?

A) No, it uses a TRS cable but ina different way. A balanced audiosignal only carries one monochannel of audio. A headphonejack carries 2 signals for stereoand both these signals areunbalanced. Make sure you getthis straight as it is perhaps themost embarrassing way to showoff your noob-ness.

Q) Can I connect myturntable to the RCAtape in jacks on myMixer?

A) No. Theturntable is avery weaksignal thatneeds apreamp and aground.

Q) Can I connect my line level tape deckoutputs to the instrument level HiZ jackson my audio interface?

A) Usually Yes. Turn down the trimsas low as you can. If there is novariable trim knob (like on ultra cheapgear) then the tape deck might be toohot.

Q) Is it wise to runtwo signals to asingle jack on mymixer with a "Y"cable?

A) No. You risk addingnoise and hum and thegear does not like it. You might evendamage your gear. Its arule: Never force twooutputs into an input(that is why we usemixers).

Q) Are plastic molded plugs worse thanthose with metal housings ?

A) Yes. You can't repair those with plasticmoldings. With good quality metal housingsyou can re-solder the leads when they break,and cables nearly always break near the plug

or where the strain relief is.

Q) Ok then, Can Isplit the output of adevice with a Y cableto go to twodestinations.

A) Yes. That is fine. Acommon use of this isto split a mono effectssend to go to both theleft and right input ofan effects box.

Q) Can you use a TRS to TRS cable with1/8" (headphone) adapters and connecta stereo soundcard output to a stereomini disc input?

A) Yes. No problem

Q) Can I use an RCA

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CBI 22 Gauge Microphone Cable Spool

Priced from 134.95

CBI 14 Gauge Speaker Cable Spool

Priced from 139.95

CBI 16-Gauge Speaker Cable

Priced from 14.95

CBI Economy Speaker Speakon to 1/4 in. MaleCable

Priced from 14.95

CBI HiZ Microphone Cable

Priced from 14.95

Get Next Matches

The MIDISport Uno is a 1x1 MIDI interfacethat is totally portable, hot-swappable, andpowered completely by your computer's USBport. Drivers support all Windows operatingsystems 98SE and higher, as well asMacintosh OS 9 and Mac OS X. M-AudioMIDISport UNO 1x1 MIDI Interface withCables and Connectors

Q) Can I use an RCAcable as a digitals/pdif coax cable.

A) If it is well shielded,it might work. With acheap cable, the datamay get garbled andyour computer willsend up alert boxessaying "unknownformat", or "wrongsample rate", orsomethingunintelligible. Ideallythese digital cableshave 75ohm cable inthem (like your TVcable). You could makeone out of extra TVcable you have layingaround.

Q) Can I use a DB25 serial cable as aSCSI cable?

A) I've done it. However, some db25 do nothave all 25 pins connected. These won'twork. Also, premium SCSI cables havespecial shielding (which is why they are sothick) and a limit on length. So if you use a25 foot DB25 modem cable you are asking forbig trouble.

Q) Can you hear thedifference betweenquality analogcables and cheapones.

A) Yes. When thecheap ones break.

Q) Do you think cable ties are a goodidea?

A) Makes things neater and might let youvacuum more often, but is also harder to ripapart when one cable goes bad or needs tomove.

Q) Is the ADATtoslink connectorthe same as a s/pdiftoslink connector?

A) Yes. The samecable may be used too.

Q) Is it true that ADAT cannot handlesample rates over 48kHZ?

A) For 8 channel transmission, yes, butmanufacturers use two methods to workaround this. The ADAT lightpipe cable has alimit to much data can be transmitted throughit. Audio interface makers often solve thisproblem by only letting you use only 4 of the8 inputs and outputs at the 96kHz rate. Thenewer alternative that is appearing is to addadditional ADAT ports to split the load. Thisare often called the "dual SMUX" protocol.

Q) is there an adapterfor ADAT cables thatcan give you 8separate digitaloutputs?

A) Not inexpensively. There is no commonadapter for this task. Aconversion boxes existfor this task but theyare quite expensive.

Q) Are there RBUS, TDIF and ADATadapters that allow you to go from oneformat to another?

A) As above, there are no adapters for thistask. However, there are conversion boxes forRBUS to ADAT and some audio interfacescan convert ADAT to TDIF and vice versa,like the MOTU 2408.

Q) OK then, is anADAT LightPipe thesame as an ADATcable the same as ahome theater"optical" audio cablewith toslinkconnectors?

Q) I am thinking if I buy super high qualityMIDI cables, my audio tracks will soundbetter, Any ideas?

A) Argh. You need to go here again. Dude, get it straight.

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A) Yes. All threeterms refer to the samecable. That is a FiberOptic cable with

toslink connectors. ADAT cable andLightPipe mean thesame thing. Note thatthere is also an ADATSYNC cable whichshould not be confusedwith the above. Thesync cable is used whenyou connect up two ormore ADAT recorders.

Dude, get it straight.

OK class, someone got it wrong so

stand up and

Lets all Sing:

Audio.... does... not.... go .....down....a.... MIDI..... cable

It..ne-ver...does

It ne--ver did

It ..ne--ver...will...

Lol

Many cable questions and answers are in the studio central forums. Search the forums Or enter the Studio accessories and Cables Forum

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Cool Links:

Soldering and making you own cables by James at www.music-in-your-ears.com

Tutorials on Cable Building and LOTS more at Shavano Music Online

Tweak's Articles on Essential Studio Concepts

Hooking Up AudioMIDI Basics

The Many Functions of MIDI DataThe Audio Interface

Signal Flow Computer-based StudioSignal Flow of an MPC Hip Hop Studio

Signal Flow of a MultiTrack StudioAssembling Your Studio Rig

Studio setup in a Nutshell5 Hot Tips

Building a Quiet RoomUnderstanding MIDI Interfaces

The War on HumMultiple Video DisplaysLatency and how to Deal

Word ClockTimeCode

Everything About CablesDigital Audio Converters

Bit Depth and Sample RateStudio Monitors

Impedance for MusicicansHow to setup a PatchbayRoom Acoustics Basics

Studio Monitors Price ListAcoustic Products

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Acoustic ProductsCatalog of MIDI Interfaces

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