Recent content by rathpy

I want to build a simple electronics device. It will just contain a bunch of female jacks, potentiometers, switches, some capacitors, but no power. I wouldn't know how to go about creating a PCB (board) but I figure for this prototype thing I could just as easily get away with screwing all the...

Why don’t standard mic cables use a third core instead of the shield--so that all the signals are protected? (eg. 2 send cores as in a normal balanced line, and 1 core for the common return). What’s the use of the shield if it is carrying a signal that is not itself shielded? On a more...

According to the manual the Buddy's green signal lights are supposed to show the presence of a signal for either the rear XLR or front jack. The signal lights on mine only comes on for the front instrument only, not for the rear XLR’s! (And of course I don’t have an instrument pluged in at the...

[Moved this thread from newbies] Please answer some dumb questions and help me make a more informed choice for the M-Audio cards… Q1. If I want to connect 3 MIDI devices (say a Pod, a keyboard, and a drum trigger-to-midi device), I only need one MIDI output and input from my PC, so long as I...

I am considering the feasibility of using USA products in a country where the mains power supply is incompatible (Australia, which has 240V 50/60Hz). Here are my thoughts. Any answers or suggestions would be appreciated. Replacement Power Supplies Option For gear which has external power...

1. XLR connectors lock in place and are less susceptible to noisy clicks (than TRS’s) when they are disturbed, right? Why then are patch panels made up of TRS? 2. Should one pay 6-12 times the price for brand-name cables? ... Eg. for a 2-foot patch cable I have the following options at a pro...

When you buy and listen to good quality gear more and more, your ears sharpen and improve. As a consequence, you become more discerning (in other words, picky). Agreed? Alright then, here comes the muddy question… If you haven’t yet used that (potentially) superior product much before, then how...