XLR/TRS wiring help

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <e0XFd.6881$C52.908@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net> pld@execpc.com writes:

> I do have a balanced 1/4 to XLR cable. I guess I'd like to rewire it as a
> "return" cable without blowing anything up! The inserts on the Tascam are
> Tip-Send, Ring-Return, Sleeve-Gnd. I'm not sure what the outputs on the
> Focusrite are, but I'm guessing it's Pin1-Gnd, Pin2-pos, Pin3-neg. The
> cable I have is Pin1-gnd, Pin2-tip, Pin3-ring.
>
> I thought I could just disconnect the tip, and hook the pos up to the sleeve
> and keep ground where it was. This didn't work though. What am I doing
> wrong? Do I need to connect both the pos and neg to ring?

No. You need to disconnect the wires from the tip and ring of the
plug. Connect the wire that was on the ring and connect it to the
sleeve (along with the wire that's already there). Then connect the
wire that was on the tip and connect it to the ring.

Put the plug all the way in to the insert jack.

I'm surprised that the FW1884 doesn't have any line-only inputs that
don't go through the mic preamps, but it doesn't look that way from
the pictures. Did you already check? Most of those (at least on other
products) have TRS jacks so you can use your existing cable. Check it
out with the line inputs and see what it sounds like.

By the way, for what it's worth I reviewed the Focusrite Green series
for Recording Magazine when they first came out (June 1997 issue) and
I was underwhelmed.

--
I'm really Mike Rivers (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

"Mike Rivers" <mrivers@d-and-d.com> wrote in message
news:znr1105747004k@trad...
>
> In article <e0XFd.6881$C52.908@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net>
> pld@execpc.com writes:
>
> No. You need to disconnect the wires from the tip and ring of the
> plug. Connect the wire that was on the ring and connect it to the
> sleeve (along with the wire that's already there). Then connect the
> wire that was on the tip and connect it to the ring.

Thank you! This makes sense. I was thinking backwards... I was halfway
there, but tried connecting Pin3 of the XLR connector to ground, instead of
connecting the tip of the 1/4 connector to ground. Of course that didn't
work!

> Most of those (at least on other
> products) have TRS jacks so you can use your existing cable. Check it
> out with the line inputs and see what it sounds like.

Yup, the line in's have TRS jacks... I actually had the Focusrite connected
through the line in's originally, but decided to try doing things the
"right" way for once. (assuming bypassing the pre's is the "right" way to
go) Honestly, my ears aren't good enough to hear any difference. In fact,
I would probably have a hard time differentiating the Focusrite from the
Tascam's pre's. I just assumed that being a separate unit, it would sound
just a little better.

Thanks again for the help!

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <XZ1Gd.6729$KJ2.6308@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net> pld@execpc.com writes:

> > No. You need to disconnect the wires from the tip and ring of the
> > plug. Connect the wire that was on the ring and connect it to the
> > sleeve (along with the wire that's already there). Then connect the
> > wire that was on the tip and connect it to the ring.
>
> Thank you! This makes sense. I was thinking backwards... I was halfway
> there, but tried connecting Pin3 of the XLR connector to ground, instead of
> connecting the tip of the 1/4 connector to ground. Of course that didn't
> work!

The reason why it doesn't work is because the signal has to go into
the mixer on the sleeve, not the tip. Actually, tying Pin 3 to Pin 1
of the XLR is the correct thing to do, but that leaves the "hot"
signal on the tip of the TRS plug, and that's the wrong place for it
to be. That's why you need to move the Pin 2 wire from the tip to the
ring contact.

You could probably get some results by inserting the TRS plug half way
but it wouldn't be right, for several reasons.

> Yup, the line in's have TRS jacks... I actually had the Focusrite connected
> through the line in's originally, but decided to try doing things the
> "right" way for once. (assuming bypassing the pre's is the "right" way to
> go)

It's kind of a tossup. In theory it's better not to go through the mic
preamp stage, but then you give up the common mode noise rejection
benefit of using balanced inputs. So you have to decide which is
worse. Most of the time, going through the mic preamp is worse, but if
you're in a high-noise environment, you may not be able to get rid of
noise picked up by the cable.

> I would probably have a hard time differentiating the Focusrite from the
> Tascam's pre's. I just assumed that being a separate unit, it would sound
> just a little better.

So did I when I got the Focusrite Green blobs to review. That was my
first experience with an outboard preamp, as the Focusrite Green
series came along early in the "outboard preamp" game. I did some
listening, compared it to my Soundcraft console and a Mackie mixer
(all were a little different but all certainly acceptable and none
clearly superior) and asked my dealer what the big deal was with this
outboard preamp game. He loaned me a Daking preamp and then I heard
differences that were important to me. But there was a substantial
difference in price.

The scene is different today, but since you've got the Focusrite, you
might as well make use of it.

--
I'm really Mike Rivers (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

On Fri, 14 Jan 2005 21:41:30 GMT, "Paul Drydyk" <pld@execpc.com>
wrote:

>Hi all,
>
>I want to go from my Focusrite Green mic preamp directly to the A/D
>converters of my Tascam FW1884. I know this can usually be done with a send
>& return cable (plugging the return into the mic preamp out and the balanced
>connector into an insert on the Tascam). Well, the Focusrite only has XLR
>outputs, and I don't have a send & return cable that splits 1/4 balanced to
>XLR tip/ring.
>
>I do have a balanced 1/4 to XLR cable. I guess I'd like to rewire it as a
>"return" cable without blowing anything up! The inserts on the Tascam are
>Tip-Send, Ring-Return, Sleeve-Gnd. I'm not sure what the outputs on the
>Focusrite are, but I'm guessing it's Pin1-Gnd, Pin2-pos, Pin3-neg. The
>cable I have is Pin1-gnd, Pin2-tip, Pin3-ring.
>
>I thought I could just disconnect the tip, and hook the pos up to the sleeve
>and keep ground where it was. This didn't work though. What am I doing
>wrong? Do I need to connect both the pos and neg to ring?
>
>Whew. What a message. If you guys can understand all of that and help me
>out, I'd be more than grateful!
>
>Paul
>

You can't use XLR connectors? Make your own cable?