Question about using TS snake or TRS snake.
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Posted on Mar 26, 2003 10:58 am
ScoJoMo
Member Since: Mar 26, 2003
Hi there....I have a question about a snake. I was wondering if using a TRS snake rather than a TS snake from the outs on my GINA interface to the ins on my mixing board would give me a fuller sound or not?? Thanks!
Scott "Mo" Mogé
[email protected]
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juesContributor
Since: Dec 30, 2002
Mar 26, 2003 11:10 am First off, using balanced (TRS) cables will not give you a "fuller" sound - they mearly offer better screening against noise and buzz.
However, they will only make a difference if you Gina, and the desk you are going into, has Balanced outputs and inputs respectivly.
Also, generally speaking there is no need to use balanced cables unless you are planning on running them over 10ft in distance.
jues.
Mar 26, 2003 02:48 pm i got duped into buying two short little 3' lengths of TRS balanced cables to connect my mixer and soudcard since they both support balanced lines. $30 wasted i'm sure... but then again with all these florescent bulbs and electromagnetic motors and computer monitors in my bedroom, there's enough RFI in here to reheat leftover pizza.
oh well
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Mar 26, 2003 08:52 pm Jamie, dont feel to bad. I had to change over to balanced cables for that same reason. The runs to the Delta are only 4' and the run to my my referance amp and big amp are only about 6'. But the gear being fairly crowded in here can iduce some hum and the balanced cables took care of it instantly. So it is not a total loss.
As jues said, it is really not a major concern in most smaller home studios, but in some cases, it does become a necessity to eliminate noise. Your best bet is to record a track of nothing and check to see how high the noise level is with and without balanced cables.
Mar 26, 2003 10:05 pm thats a great idea, but when i compared the balanced cables with some cheap Hosa crap they both 3' long, both gave the same results.
I recorded two stereo clips in wavelab, one for each set of cables, about 5 seconds long of my 8 channel mixer with all the levels at unity gain outputing from the main outs into 3/4 on the Delta. both cable configuration yeilded a noise floor of 76.33dB
what did i do wrong?
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Mar 26, 2003 10:29 pm Kool then. You are not getting a lot of noise from the lights and such. I reduced the noise floor in my set up by about 18db or so. But like I said, I have a real crowded set up with several racks of gear. So for me it made a differance, but in your case you are good to go either way. But if you do someday add some gear that might induce some noise you got the balanced cables allready.
WaltChief Cook and Bottle WasherMember
Since: May 10, 2002
Mar 27, 2003 09:45 am Oh boy, take my following 2Cents with a grain of salt. Everything in this thread is correct.
Monster will work better than Hosa, however the bigger advantage is gained from going from TR to TRS even with cables such as Hosa.
Even if only one end is TRS and the other TR you may find improvement of signal to noise.
Here is the one that will be debatable: In some instances when using TRS connections at both ends you can achieve better signal to noise by opening one end of the ground. I learned this in the telephony industry. It is kind of a last ditch effort but sometimes works dependant on the noise being filtered or shielded.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Mar 27, 2003 09:17 pm Walt does speak the truth. A couple of my older mics work best with this technique. Ground lifting is a good way to eliminate noise when all else fails. But beware, if you are playing live, and holding a guitar in your hands, dont try this technique, you could get your lips welded together. Normally it wont happen in a home studio, but in a practice space or someplace with questionable wiring, it very well could.
Another suggestion as long as were on the topic of noise is to go to the hardware store and get one of those cheap cirquit tester. they have 3 little lights on them. It will tell you if you have an outlet wired backwards, or if the ground is not correct. Very handy little device for those that play live as well.
Mar 28, 2003 12:04 am what's up with practice spaces with faulty wiring?? every band i've been in or sat in for practiced in some attic, basement, garage or worse, with poor lighting and clearly sub-par electrical work. the trailer my old band practiced at had no running water. and this guy's basement in Front Royal VA wasn't grounded right or something, cause everytime i touched anything metal while i was holding my bass, i got a startling jolt.
sorry, that was really off subject..
WaltChief Cook and Bottle WasherMember
Since: May 10, 2002
Mar 28, 2003 08:07 am Here here Noise! Some of my best sustain as been a result of having my lips welded together! As the crowd went wild!, I just wanted CPR!
Mar 28, 2003 04:07 pm well since this threads original topic has been well defined and and taken care of, i thought i'd pose a question of my own along some similar lines:
i know XLR cables have many uses, with mics and snakes etc, and i remember reading somewhere that phantom-powered mics use the third pin to apply the 48v to power the internal circuitry of more expensive mics, but many of the mic cables sold on musician's friend and elsewhere are "2-conductor" cables.. does this mean that they will only work with my typical dynamic mics? will i *need* a 3-conductor cable when i buy a condensor?
thanks! -j
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Mar 28, 2003 05:38 pm Yes, you will. Sometimes they tie the ground pin into the shield, and that will play hell with a condensor. When it comes to mic cables, I wont but the cheap ones. And as dB does, I prefer to build my own. That way if the thing is noisey you know its your fault. But 9 times out of 10 they are much quiter then the store bought cables. I have made great money re-doing racks built with crappy cables and such. I will usually go in and custom make all the power and audio cables to fit perfectly and all be routed on differant sides of the rack. It is amazing the amount of noise you can stop by simply doing things like this.
And Walt, I think my worst experiance was standing in a puddle of beer at an outdoor gig. It was fairly chilly out, so the foam spit ball on the old SM58 was pretty damp. I cant remember, but I think I was playing through a hotrodded Twin Reverb, and when I got up on the mic I got hit with the biggest jolt of my life. I dont think I focused straight for about an hour. And I actually got a burn on my lip. So that was the beggining of my journey to learn well how to check and correct bad wiring in whatever place we played.
I do like the thought of great sustain from it though.
Mar 28, 2003 06:17 pm so i shouldn't buy $8 cables huh? i thought it was a stupid question, now i'm glad i asked. i guess it woulnd't be a bad idea to mark my cables with colored electrical tape or something to indicate which ones are which.
