1/4" Phone Jacks

starbuck26

New member
Just bought a while slew of cables to rewire my whole studio. I've never used any 1/4" Phone Plugs before, and was wondering if there are any issues I should worry about. I expect to use them to make connections through my patch bay, but wonder if their use would be inappropriate. Just a few quick thoughts, or even a "yeah that'll work fine" will be sufficient.

:D Cheers.
 
totally retarded.

Just after I posted that, I opened the zzounds.com box, and took a look at the package. In big, bold letters it says: "PATCH BAY CABLES." Is down syndrome contagious?

I feel very, very stoooopitt right now. Be gentle.

:p
 
There are probably.....

.....some holes on the front and back of the bay. Try putting them there.:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Don't feel badly. Most of us have asked foolish questions on occasion. Enjoy the patch bay.
 
Just bought a while slew of cables to rewire my whole studio. I've never used any 1/4" Phone Plugs before, and was wondering if there are any issues I should worry about. I expect to use them to make connections through my patch bay, but wonder if their use would be inappropriate. Just a few quick thoughts, or even a "yeah that'll work fine" will be sufficient.

:D Cheers.

Just after I posted that, I opened the zzounds.com box, and took a look at the package. In big, bold letters it says: "PATCH BAY CABLES." Is down syndrome contagious?

I feel very, very stoooopitt right now. Be gentle.

:p


I've read these posts 10 times and still can't make out what the hell you are getting at.
 
Actually, you will want to use the proper cable and not just blindly take a uninformed suggestion. If it is a balanced 1/4" patchbay you will want to use 1/4" TRS cables, if it is unbalanced, you will use the TS version. If it is TT, you will use TT cables etc...
 
Cross your fingers, plug things in & test it out. With a little luck she'll be jake.
 
Actually, you will want to use the proper cable and not just blindly take a uninformed suggestion. If it is a balanced 1/4" patchbay you will want to use 1/4" TRS cables, if it is unbalanced, you will use the TS version. If it is TT, you will use TT cables etc...

I am a little insulted by your comment
the most commonly used patchbay is for unbalanced cables

as a matter of fact I cant think od a single person who actually own a patch bay for balanced tip ring sleeve jacks.
in fact I can't think of a common purpose to even own a balanced patchbay.

I do however have a couple LXR strips in my rack;)
 
Having read a few of your posts now, I have come to beleive that you do not have very much real life expereince and love to just spew out stuff you have heard. Your statement concerning unbalanced and balanced patchbays certainly confirms my belief. In the professional world, and for that matter probably also in the majority of the HR world, BALANCED is standard. If you can't think of a reason to even have a balanced patchbay, then you obviously have never worked with any gear out there and so maybe should not be making comments and statements about it. BALANCED is pretty darned standard. In professional studios, TT patchbays are also very standard. TT cables are balanced cables as well. In fact, it would be rare to find an unbalanced patchbay in a professional studio unless it was there specifically for a piece of equipment or two.

Then again, I guess I should have expected this from the person who reccomends that guitars be recorded straight from a BOSS floorboard as opposed to an actual amp and mic. I guess maybe micing a cab is also extraordinarily rare?

What you should maybe consider is that it is OK to not know these things. There are some people here who can help you learn these things. However, if you decide to pretend that you already know them, those that do will figure you out very quickly and will not go out of their way at all to help you. I run into people like you all the time that just want to talk shop to make themselves look cool or to try and get me to hire them. In the end, I want absolutely nothing to do with those idiots. In EVERY case I would rather hire a person who admitedly does not know yet but exhibits the capacity and desire to learn.
 
Having read a few of your posts now, I have come to beleive that you do not have very much real life expereince and love to just spew out stuff you have heard. Your statement concerning unbalanced and balanced patchbays certainly confirms my belief. In the professional world, and for that matter probably also in the majority of the HR world, BALANCED is standard. If you can't think of a reason to even have a balanced patchbay, then you obviously have never worked with any gear out there and so maybe should not be making comments and statements about it. BALANCED is pretty darned standard. In professional studios, TT patchbays are also very standard. TT cables are balanced cables as well. In fact, it would be rare to find an unbalanced patchbay in a professional studio unless it was there specifically for a piece of equipment or two.

Then again, I guess I should have expected this from the person who reccomends that guitars be recorded straight from a BOSS floorboard as opposed to an actual amp and mic. I guess maybe micing a cab is also extraordinarily rare?

What you should maybe consider is that it is OK to not know these things. There are some people here who can help you learn these things. However, if you decide to pretend that you already know them, those that do will figure you out very quickly and will not go out of their way at all to help you. I run into people like you all the time that just want to talk shop to make themselves look cool or to try and get me to hire them. In the end, I want absolutely nothing to do with those idiots. In EVERY case I would rather hire a person who admitedly does not know yet but exhibits the capacity and desire to learn.
1052bae3.jpg


OH Never mind It is not worth arguing over
Good day.
 
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Oh my jesus.

Well, it turns out my original post was not as stupid as I thought. I went home wondering: "Is my patch bay balanced or unbalanced or what..."

That homeboy is BALANCED. So I better get some balanced patch cables...

Also, I realized firsthand the danger of bumping phantom power through a patchbay. I accidentally hit the +48v switch on my preamp when I meant to hit Pad. With the cans on. Definitely killed a frequency or two in my brain. :D

But not as much as kneeling in front of my JCM800 while playing a rage cover. :eek:
 
Also...

Having read a few of your posts now, I have come to beleive that you do not have very much real life expereince and love to just spew out stuff you have heard.

Isn't there a more constructive way to disagree? Gotta say, even though the info/opinion might have been off--I really have no idea, which is why I asked in the first place--the tone made me take a step back for a minute.

Wrong/Right/In-between, I appreciate everyone's effort on this board to help answer questions. If you're like me--and have no real place to ask questions other than this wonderful board--every thought is really a godsend, and the information provided is really what keeps home recorders from plowing along in the dark.

Criticism of that caliber should be saved for PMs, or left unsaid, I think. Part of the allure of this board is that everyone seems to be very respectful and helpful. I hope that this will continue.

Of course I write this with all due respect to everyone in the community.
 
Keep in mind that was after he said he was insulted by my post and confidently gave you WRONG information. This also was not the first posting I had seen by him that was pretty far off base. What if you, the person that did not know, had taken his advice? PLuggin in an unbalanced cable with phantom power on would have shorted together pins 1 and 3.

In the end however, this disagreement got me to go read all of his other posts. In many of them he actually has good advice. I still however disagree with the whole preferring to record direct off a boss pedal than through an amp, but preference is preference. It seems though that everything concerning recording or llive sound is either wrong or so antiquated that isn't necessarily true anymore.
 
PLuggin in an unbalanced cable with phantom power on would have shorted together pins 1 and 3.

It's all good. You are very correct in the fact that my shit is not cabled proper.

I rigged the thing up with unbalanced cables, tried fussing with it, and got a lot of weird signals coming through my gear. My compressor was exceptionally freaked out. Turned it all off, and now i'm waiting for some balanced cables in the mail.

Did I do any damage to the patchbay, or even more important--my rig?
 
It is very likely that you have not done any real damage to the patchbay, cables or the equipment patched in. Often times a mismatch does not net much or any problem, but it can also add all sorts of complications, the least of which not being signal integrity.
 
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