Audio Cables - Revision history

BillRitch: /* Channels of a Cable */ created

2018-09-08T18:14:41Z

Channels of a Cable: created

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:14, 8 September 2018
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	=Channels of a Cable=		=Channels of a Cable=
	Most of the cables are any mono or stereo. The mono cables carry the signal for one channel and the stereo cables carry signals for two channels.		Most of the cables are any mono or stereo. The mono cables carry the signal for one channel and the stereo cables carry signals for two channels. The mono cables are easy so we will pretty much ignore them in this section. The stereo cables can get complicated.

			Stereo cables have two separate wires within the cable, shielded from each other. When the connector is placed on the end of the cable we usually get two connectors: one for the left channel and one for the right. Or sometimes we will get a single connector with multiple "bands" on the metal part of the connector.

			==Dual Connector Ends==
			With the dual connector ends one connector is the left channel and one connector is the right channel. Ah, but which one is which. The simple explanation is that the "marked" connector is the right channel and the "unmarked" connector is the left channel. That's nice. Which one is marked.

			Here are the rules:
			* Red connector is ALWAYS the right channel
			* Black connector is ALWAYS the left channel
			* White connector is PROBABLY the left channel
			* Grey connectors can be either - and depend on the color or the other connector
			** If the other connector is black, then the grey connector is the right channel
			** If the other connector is red, then the grey connector is the left channel
			** If the other connector is white, then the grey connector is probably the right channel. Probably.
			* Yellow connector is VIDEO. This only happens when you have 3 connectors on the cable.
			* Connectors with RED, GREEN, and BLUE are composite video cables. Don't use them here.

			==Single Connector Stereo Ends==
			The RCA phono connector do not support a single connector Stereo end. These are supported by Phono (1/4") and Phono mini (1/8") connectors. They are supported by having two "bands" of metal on the connector which have the left and right channel. See pictures below.

			With these single connector you do not have to worry about connecting the left and right channels correctly that is all done for in the structure of the connector.

			The pictures below show connecting cables that have a banded phono connector on one end and a pair of stereo RCA phono connectors on the other end.

			1/4" Phono: [[File:Phono_stereo.jpg\|200px]]
			1/8" Phono: [[File:Phono_mini_stereo.jpg\|200px]]

			IMPORTANT: The mono phono cables are also called "unbalanced" cables and "TS" (Tip-Sleeve) cables. The stereo cables are also called "balanced" cables and "TRS" (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) cables.

			The cables are the same - it just depends on what signal the source generating. Thus a source can be generating a separate left and right channel, but each channel has a balanced signal. You should use two balanced cables, one for left and one for right.

			Using a balanced cable when the source is unbalanced does no harm. So it is good to have a lot of balanced cables around.

BillRitch: /* 1/8" Phono */ added aliases

2018-09-08T17:30:32Z

1/8" Phono: added aliases

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:30, 8 September 2018
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	===1/8" Phono===		===1/8" Phono===
	~~Also called a 3.5mm phono, it was originally~~ invented for small, portable home audio devices it has become very popular in some parts of professional audio because of its convenience.		Originally invented for small, portable home audio devices it has become very popular in some parts of professional audio because of its convenience.

			NOTE: This is also called a "3.5mm phono" or a "phono mini."

	Male end		Male end

BillRitch: /* RCA Phono */ added alias

2018-09-08T17:29:20Z

RCA Phono: added alias

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:29, 8 September 2018
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	===RCA Phono===		===RCA Phono===
	The RCA phono connector was invented by the company RCA to connect phonograph players to other sound equipment. It is mostly used with non-professional equipment (home audio). ARTC does not use this connected much but in the past we used it with some "home equipment" (like cassette players and CD players).		The RCA phono connector was invented by the company RCA to connect phonograph players to other sound equipment. It is mostly used with non-professional equipment (home audio). ARTC does not use this connected much but in the past we used it with some "home equipment" (like cassette players and CD players).

			NOTE: these are sometimes called "RCA pin plugs."

	Male end		Male end

BillRitch: /* Channels of a Cable */ created.

2018-09-08T17:22:36Z

Channels of a Cable: created.

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:22, 8 September 2018
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	=Channels of a Cable=		=Channels of a Cable=
			Most of the cables are any mono or stereo. The mono cables carry the signal for one channel and the stereo cables carry signals for two channels.

BillRitch: /* Speaker Connectors */ Created

2018-09-08T17:13:50Z

Speaker Connectors: Created

@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 ==Speaker Connectors==
 ===Bare Wire===
 ===Banana Plugs===
 === Speakon===
 =Channels of a Cable=

BillRitch: /* XLR Connectors */ added photos

2018-09-08T16:34:51Z

XLR Connectors: added photos

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:34, 8 September 2018
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	==XLR Connectors==		==XLR Connectors==
	Used a lot in professional audio. These are used to connect microphones to mixers, and snake, and can be used to connect speakers.		Used a lot in professional audio. These are used to connect microphones to mixers, and the snake, and can be used to connect speakers.

			Male end
			[[File:XLR connector male.jpg]]
			Female end
			[[File:XLR connector female.jpg]]

	==Speaker Connectors==		==Speaker Connectors==

BillRitch: /* 1/8" Phono */ added photos

2018-09-08T16:33:43Z

1/8" Phono: added photos

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:33, 8 September 2018
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	===1/8" Phono===		===1/8" Phono===
	~~Originally~~ invented for small, portable home audio devices it has become very popular in some parts of professional audio because of its convenience.		Also called a 3.5mm phono, it was originally invented for small, portable home audio devices it has become very popular in some parts of professional audio because of its convenience.

			Male end
			[[File:Eighth inch connector male.jpg]]
			Female end
			[[File:Eighth inch connector female.jpg]]

	==XLR Connectors==		==XLR Connectors==

BillRitch: /* 1/4" Phono */ added photos

2018-09-08T16:32:13Z

1/4" Phono: added photos

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:32, 8 September 2018
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	===1/4" Phono===		===1/4" Phono===
	This is the most commonly used analog phono connector in professional audio.		This is the most commonly used analog phono connector in professional audio.
			It is sometimes just called a "phono plug".

			Male end
			[[File:Quarter inch connector male.jpg]]
			Female end
			[[File:Quarter inch connector female.jpg]]

			(Please note that the just the ends on the left of each picture are the 1/4" Phono ends!)

	===1/8" Phono===		===1/8" Phono===

BillRitch: /* RCA Phono */ added photos

2018-09-08T16:28:50Z

RCA Phono: added photos

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:28, 8 September 2018
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	Male end		Male end
			[[File:RCA connector male.jpg]]
	Female end		Female end
			[[File:RCA connector female.jpg]]

	===1/4" Phono===		===1/4" Phono===

BillRitch: Created page

2018-09-08T16:12:11Z

Created page

New page

There are many kinds of audio cables. We will only cover some of them here - the ones used by ARTC.

An audio cable usually conveys analog electrical signals through cables made of copper wires. Digital cabling is rarely used by ARTC (currently) except of computer interfaces. We will put off talking about those for now.

A cable is usually described by the following attributes:
* The length of the cable (often given in feet or inches)
* The connectors (ends) of the cable
* The number of channels in the cable (Mono or Stereo)

=Length of Cable=
* Very Short - a few inches to about a foot
* Short - a few feet long
* Medium - between 6 and 10 feet
* Long - more than 10 feet
* REALLY long - something that can stretch across a stage or longer

=Cable Connectors=
This is the heart of cable descriptions. A cable connector is usually described by
* The diameter of the metal part of the connector
* Its shape
* Its sex (male and female) - this is left as an exercise for the reader.

Since there are two ends of a cable it can have completely different connectors on each end.

Let's look at some connectors

==Phono Connectors==
Phono connectors are the most common connectors for analog audio that connects one audio processor to another.
===RCA Phono===
The RCA phono connector was invented by the company RCA to connect phonograph players to other sound equipment. It is mostly used with non-professional equipment (home audio). ARTC does not use this connected much but in the past we used it with some "home equipment" (like cassette players and CD players).

Male end
Female end

===1/4" Phono===
This is the most commonly used analog phono connector in professional audio.

===1/8" Phono===
Originally invented for small, portable home audio devices it has become very popular in some parts of professional audio because of its convenience.

==XLR Connectors==
Used a lot in professional audio. These are used to connect microphones to mixers, and snake, and can be used to connect speakers.

==Speaker Connectors==
===Bare Wire===
===Banana Plugs===
=== Speakon===

=Channels of a Cable=