Direct out cables

[RideTheCrash]

Hey guys, you know this product: http://www.zzounds.com/item--HOSDOC10?trk=smx, right? You know, turns inserts into direct outs and all? I'm not sure if we have any of those cables around here locally, so besides ordering, are there any other brands that make the same type of cable? Or it is exclusive to Hosa? Thanks.

[bennychico11]

i'm betting if you open the ends up they'll just have the tip of the male end wired to the ring of itself. you can create one of these on your own simple enough.

[crankz1]

HOSA is about the only one that I've seen marketed, but they really aren't that hard to make (or have made for you).
On the TRS end, you just connect the Tip and Ring connectors together, which then get wired to the Tip of the TS end. All that's left are the Sleeve connections .... Sleeve to Sleeve.
The only thing with that HOSA cable is that they are using a Female TS end. You can use whatever un-balanced end your gear requires.

[RideTheCrash]

Alright I'm bumping this thread back to life because I am comfortable in trying to actually solder this stuff together now. Can someone draw me a shitty diagram in paint or something? I'm pretty unknowledgable when it comes to knowing what is what inside a cable.

[Farview]

on one end, you have tip ring and sleeve. The shield goes to the sleeve, the other two wires go to the tip and the ring.

on the other end you have a tip and sleeve. Connect the shield to the sleeve and the other two wires to the tip. That's it.

Plug the trs into the insert jack.

[RideTheCrash]

Okay thanks. I did some research on the net and I see which is which inside the cable (tip ring and sleeve...so I know where to solder onto!) So I think I'll see if I can buy 8 female to male cables...and they have to be TRS (at least on the one end)? Just making sure.

[MadAudio]

This is where a multimeter would come in handy. It's always good to test your connections after soldering but before hooking up to gear, mainly to make sure you haven't created a short somewhere.

[RideTheCrash]

Well at the moment I would have to borrow stuff from my girlfriend's dad, and he might have one around because he's an electrician. But I just thought of something: Rather than making my own cable, if I bought pre-made stuff, could I change the connections around? How would I do that with stuff already soldered onto it? I guess I could always buy them...find a place that sells the plugs, take the cable, cut the wires off, and solder them onto new plugs?

[bennychico11]

Originally Posted by RideTheCrash

Well at the moment I would have to borrow stuff from my girlfriend's dad, and he might have one around because he's an electrician. But I just thought of something: Rather than making my own cable, if I bought pre-made stuff, could I change the connections around? How would I do that with stuff already soldered onto it? I guess I could always buy them...find a place that sells the plugs, take the cable, cut the wires off, and solder them onto new plugs?

99.9% of electricians will have one, yes.
If you buy a cable and try and switch it around, beware that not all 1/4" cables are "openable". Some casings have molded plastic around them and you have to cut through it. Look for the cables that have metal casings, usually these are "openable" (what the hell's a better word for that? lol)

you can then either cut and restrip the wires or desolder and resolder to the new connections. Desoldering can get annoying if you aren't experienced though. But you'll have to desolder the wires from the connectors anyway to change the connections around.
Really if you're just needing one or two cables, it's easier to buy the cables already made. If you plan on making more than that...or more in the future, then buying in bulk is a good idea.

[RideTheCrash]

Yeah I'm aware of the plastic moldings, I'm going to a music store soon but I doubt I'll have much luck. Anyways, I'm hoping for 8 cables, but this idea is I'm making a 'direct out' cable, instead of me plugging my snake halfway in my channel inserts...like the Hosa cable link in my original post.