Introduction to Music Production Week 1

1. Most Common Cables
Type and usage of important
Studio Cablescoursera.org
Basic information about cables
Cable is a piece of wire used to connect two pieces of
equipment. All the equipment in a studio is connected
with different types of cable. Because cables are often
connected and disconnected often break causing a loss
of signal or adding unwanted noise. The most signal
problems are from broken cables. When
troubleshooting loss of signal or noise, always start by
checking the cables. A good idea is to have spare
cables and try them in place of current cables.
Audio
TS ¼“
Audio
RCA
XLR
Control
USB
Midi (DIN)
SP/DIF Coaxial
Toslink
W E E K 1 A S S I G N M E N T
Hi fellow reader
I am John Soulakellis from
Greece Athens. This
presentation is for the course
of Introduction to Music
Production from coursera.org
I will cover the topic of types
and usage of important
studio cables
Thank you,
in advance for having the time
to read my assignment
TRS ¼”
1/8” Headphones

2. 2
TYPE & USAGE OF IMPORTANT STUDIO CABLES WEEK 1 ASSIGNMENT
Audio Cables
In a studio we will use cables for audio signal and the most common types are ¼” TS & TRS, 1/8”
Headphones, XLR and RCA. We will have cables for control signal like usb, midi, sp/dif coaxial or
fiber optics. There are many other types for audio and control signals but these are the most
commonly used.
TS ¼” (Tip & Sleeve)
This cable will carry a mono audio signal and
the electrical ground. It doesn’t have good
noise rejection and it is important to use this
type of cable as short as possible. The most
typical use is for connecting instruments like
electric guitars and basses and it is often called
an instrument cable.
It has the ring as an additional part. We can use
it with two options. 1st
to carry a second audio
channel and use it as a stereo cable. 2nd
to carry
the same channel twice and eliminate noise on
the other end. This is called a balanced cable
and is used in situations when we need to carry
the signal in longer distances.
1 Sleeve
2 Ring
3 Tip
4 Insulated Rings
TRS ¼” (Tip, Ring & Sleeve)
TS & TRS Components

3. 3
TYPE & USAGE OF IMPORTANT STUDIO CABLES WEEK 1 ASSIGNMENT
Audio Cables
1/8” Headphones cable
In general is a smaller TRS cable that
sometimes makes it less robust that ¼ cable.
TRRS (a/v or stereo + control )
In some devices the connector has two ring
parts instead of one making a TRRS cable. The
extra ring is used to carry video information in
multimedia cables or control information like
volume control on headphones.
XLR Balanced
When used for microphones it can also
carry the phantom power which can
provide the necessary power for some
microphones to be able to operate. The
first cable of this kind that was
manufactured was called Cannon X.
Then the manufacturer added a locking
mechanism to prevent the cable from
getting disconnected accidentally and
named it Cannon XL. Then started producing a plastic version and a rubber
polychloroprene insulation, which extended the prefix to XLP and XLR. Nowadays is
called XLR regardless manufacturer and material. The most common variation is the 3 pin
mono balanced. Although there are more pins the 3 pin XLR is most used for connecting
microphones but can also be used as a general balanced cable to carry a signal over long
distances that unbalanced cables cannot.

4. 4
TYPE & USAGE OF IMPORTANT STUDIO CABLES WEEK 1 ASSIGNMENT
Audio Cables
RCA
It was originally produced by the Radio
Corporation of America as an inexpensive cable
for easily connecting a phonograph to a radio that
was used as an amplifier. For this reason it is also
known as a phono cable. It is unbalanced and
typically used in parts where there is a stereo signal
or multimedia equipment. It is color coded with a
different color used for a different signal white left
channel, red right channel , yellow compass or
video, red green blue for component video. They
are often used in audio equipment of consumers
grade like cd players, synthesizer modules,
recording devices.
Converts signal between balanced
and unbalanced and provides
attenuation or amplification before
two pieces of equipment can be
connected properly. Using a direct
box will allow us to have a very
short instrument cable connected to
the direct box and a longer cable to
send the balanced signal to the
longer distance.
Direct Box

5. 5
TYPE & USAGE OF IMPORTANT STUDIO CABLES WEEK 1 ASSIGNMENT
Control Cables
Midi (DIN)
Midi (DIN) Common use for
connecting keyboards and synthesizer
modules
Used in all kinds of computing equipment
also for keyboards and synthesizers
USB
Toslink
Instead of copper the cable is made
of optical fiber.
This type of connectors can be physically
the same as RCA audio cable in shape and
size. We should not mix them up.
SP/DIF Coaxial

6. Cable Tester
Cable Testers are not expensive and
can be very convenient for periodically
checking all the cables or for quickly
testing a cable if we are not sure if it is
working.
-Use good quality cables.
-Start troubleshooting by checking
cables.
-Always keep spares.
Thank you for your
time!
TYPE & USAGE OF IMPORTANT STUDIO CABLES WEEK 1 ASSIGNMENT
PICTURES
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