Type and usage of important studio cables

Since the inputs and outputs of audio equipment vary from one another, we have to adapt the cables
endings, attaching the connectors properly. Depending on the type of connection (balanced / unbalanced) and
depending on the type of signal we want to transmit (mono - monophonic or stereo - stereophonic), we will need
connectors with two, three or more connection points.
here are numerous types of connectors used to send audio signal, but most of them are derived from
base connectors. he connectors that are most used in professional audio recordings are!
- "#$
- % inch mono &ac' - S (ip Sleeve)
- % inch stereo &ac' - $S (ip $ing Sleeve)
(ther types!
- ) inch stereo cable (headphones)
- $*+
- ,-D-
- oslin'
S.D-/
1. XLR Cable

"#$ connector has a cylindrical form, it is made of metal and usually has 0 pins.
he placement of the pins is made in such way, no errors can be made when ma'ing a connection. he metal
body has a protective purpose and has no role in the signal transmission.
here are two versions of the "#$ connector! male "#$ and female "#$.
1hile male connectors are used for the output of an audio equipment, female connectors are used as
inputs. /or e2ample, a microphone will possess a male "#$, while the microphone cable will have a female
connector, respectively a male connector which is going to be connected to the audio equipment. his situation,
in which one end of a cable has a female connector and the other end has the opposite connector is often found
in practice when using "#$ cables, in comparison to wor'ing with S or $S cables - both having male
connectors at their endings.
he "#$ connection is secured, meaning that once it is made, it can3t be bro'en unless one uses a great
force applied to the cable, force which would surely deteriorate the cable. his secure connection is made by
using a latch loc' placed on the male connector. 1hen connecting the two endings, one can hear a short clic'
which confirms the connection.
4sage
his 0 pin connector is mainly used for ma'ing balanced connections, but it can also be used in
unbalanced connections. Depending on the connection type, the second and the third pin can have different
specifications. he first pin (5) is always used as ground.
his cable is mostly used in professional audio/video. -n general it is used when connecting microphones
to the audio equipment.
0 pin "#$ connectors (male and female) are shown in the following images!
here are "#$ connectors which have a different number of pins and they are used in various applications li'e!
6 pin 7 used in intercom headsets ! wo pins are used for the mono headphone signal and two
pins for the unbalanced microphone signal
8 pin - digital lighting control
9 pin - dual channel intercom systems and stage lighting control applications
7 pin - used to connect valve (tube) condenser microphones to their power supplies
1. 1/4"T !tip-sleeve"


he so called 3&ac' connector3 comes in the form of a cylinder with a diameter of 5/6 inch provided with plastic
:ones which separate contact points.
+lso, the connector shows a small circular ditch along the cylinder, in order to obtain coupling strength
(the degree of strength of the connection however is significantly lower than the one offered by the "#$
connector)
he S 5/6; connector consists of tip () <signal= and sleeve (S) <ground & shield= for unbalanced wiring.
4sage
S cables are used to connect instruments to audio equipments (electric guitar, bass, etc.). hey are also called
instrument cables, and they ma'e an unbalanced connection.
#. 1/4" TR !tip-ring-sleeve"

5/6; $S is a stereo connector consisting of tip (), ring ($), and sleeve (S) sections, with > left, $ > right, and
S > ground/shield.
-t can serve as a balanced interconnect with the positive ? negative signal lines tied to and $ respectively and
S acting as an overall shield or an insert loop interconnect with > send, $ > return, and S > ground/shield.
<Think: ring, right, return= he international standard is -@* 9A9A0-55.
(ther popular $S versions are the mini (0.8 mm) and the sub-mini (B.8 mm) found on cell phones, ,
i.ods, ,. 0 players, etc. <Cote that the 0.8 mm and B.8 mm si:es are often mista'enly referred to as 5/);
and 0/0BD respectively, but these dimensions are only appro2imations since 5/); > 0.5) mm and 0/0B; >
B.BE mm.=.
4sage
$S cables can be used both in an unbalanced connection - as a stereo cable or in a balanced connection
7 used to transmit a mono signal.
+nother interesting variant is the $$S (tip-ring-ring-sleeve) connector commonly found on i.hones,
newer model i.ods, cell phones and other media players. he e2tra ring connection is used for microphone audio
on cell phone headsets, as well as video on digital cameras, camcorders, and portable DFD players.
-n the following images there are shown 5) a comparison between a stereo &ac' and a stereo balanced &ac' and B)
a $$S &ac' found on smartphones.

$alanced connections %s. unbalanced connections
4nbalanced audio is fine for the domestic environment, and for line-level signals in a typical broadcast
studio. .roblems start to occur if the signals are being carried over long distances, especially if the source and
destination have separate mains supplies.
he advantage of balanced audio over unbalanced audio is it3s ability to re&ect e2ternal interference
added as the signal is carried over the wire. he receiving equipment ta'es the voltage difference between the
two wires as the input signal. -nterference will usually get added to both wires equally, and so gets ignored by
the receiving equipment.
1ith a direct bo2, or line level shifter, the unbalanced signal is converted to a balanced signal, because guitars
and bass guitars use line-level quarter-inch &ac' connections while ,i2ing consoles use microphone-level "#$
connections, which are balanced.


Sources!
Introduction to Music Production by Loudon Stearns, Coursera
www.sonicfrog.com
http!//twea'head:.com/
http!//www.blit:family.eclipse.co.u'/paulblit:.co.u'/techGtips/techtip/art9.htm