Cable making question

[ditnoj]

hey Skippy or anyone else that's out there:

I know that in an ideal world all signals are balanced via direct boxes...but I didn't inherit an ideal world!!

I've got some (inherited) cables to repair that go from 1/4" instrument (unbalanced) to XLR (used with a snake). The one I looked at seems to have some kind of bridging deal going between two of the pins and the little ground looking protrusion. So just to clear it all up once and for all:

What's the correct wiring for the following configurations:

1) XLR to XLR: (OOOPs! Already know that one, thanks Skippy!)
2) XLR to 1/4" TR
3) XLR to 1/4" TRS
4) 1/4" TR to 1/4" TRS (can't think of why I would, but just in case!)
5) any other useful configuration you guys can think of!

Thanks

D out ITNOJ

 

[skippy]

Sorry about the late reply: I was out of town on real.work for the past couple of weeks, and I don't spare much time for surfing while on the road.

The canonical answer for plugging everything into everything else can be found here:

http://www.rane.com/pdf/note110.pdf

This shows how to make the cables, and also does a good job of explaining how to go from balanced to unbalanced while still avoiding ground loops. The explanation part of this page is by far the most important.

The answer for your balanced-unbalanced cases will vary, depending on which end is the input, which is the output, and what the power supply/grounding mechanisms are on each end. Suffice it to say that you will often end up telescoping the shields: having the hot and cold of a balanced driver connected to tip and sleeve of an unbalanced load, and leaving the shield floating at the unbalanced end. Other times you won't be able to do this, and you'll need to use a transformer to isolate pieces of equipment to avoid ground loops and the resulting hum and hash.

Going from balanced to unbalanced is usually a piece of cake, but sometimes it isn't: as a result, there is no single right answer. Check out this page, and then come back if there are questions left...