VS-880 and TRS

[aberdeen27]

I'm getting a VS-880 V-Expanded, and I'm a
little confused with this whole 6 TRS input
thing.
First, isn't TRS a completely different,
balanced, if you will, plug format from 1/4"?
In that case, how can the VS-880 have a
dedicated guitar input, since guitars use
regular unbalanced 1/4"? Are 1/4" and TRS
compatable, i.e. can you plug your standard
1/4" cable into a TRS jack?
And what about TRS and microphones which
all use XLR? I'm confused.

--Aberdeen27
brukh3@superlink.net

[Dragon]

You basically answered your own question. TRS balanced inputs are downwardly compatible with "normal" 1/4" mono plugs (a.k.a. unbalanced inputs) and so they will work, although there will obviously not be any of the positive effects of balanced inputs. I believe we've discussed balanced inputs at length; try the search if you're interested in more...

XLR microphones also use balanced inputs, simply with a different plug.



[This message has been edited by Dragon (edited 07-30-1999).]

[aberdeen27]

So then are XLR to balanced TRS cables
common? And why couldn't Roland just
have put in XLR inputs? (Which is kind
of a dumb question since no one but Roland
could possibly answer that.)

aberdeen27
brukh3@superlink.net

[Dragon]

Actually, I don't use any of those myself but I suppose they're not that common, and here's why. XLR plugs are used with mics, period. TRS plugs are generally used with balanced line-level signals (except when they're being used as headphone plugs, of course :-). So they don't really match electrically; sorry if I confused you there. The balancing works the same way for mics and for balanced lines, just not with the same signal level.

As to why Roland set it up that way...you know me, I can't leave a good tech problem alone, so I just checked out the VS-880 page. I must say they do a very lousy job of tech specs...there's no clear photo of the top or the back of the unit that I could find, and literally the only way I know you can plug a mic in is by noticing that the specs say the minimum signal level is -50 dB, which is mic level!

But why? My guess is that it would take up too much room, since they'd always need the 1/4" jack for line-level inputs anyway, and XLR jacks take up a lot of room.

So the short answer to what I think you're asking is: yes, you could always plug a mic in via an impedance-matching transformer that also converts XLR to 1/4", but you'd get the full benefit of balanced lines with an XLR to TRS adapter or cable.



[This message has been edited by Dragon (edited 07-31-1999).]

[aberdeen27]

Yes, saving space would definitely fit into
the Roland portable studio frame of thought.
Thanks, Dragon.

aberdeen27
brukh3@superlink.net

[aberdeen27]

For anyone else wondering about this:

Looking through the Sweetwater Sound Catalog
(www.sweetwater.com), I found that a 15 foot
XLR to TRS cable by Hosa costs about $15.

aberdeen27
brukh3@superlink.net