balanced/unbalanced - stereo/mono

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insert_%28effects_processing%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insert_%28effects_processing%29 Reading what's on the above link would help you, at the end of the article there's a link to "balenced", go for it…

fast notes :
Stereo jacks are mainly used for headphones, usually when inserting a mix table, that's a mono jack. If you have a stereo line in, often placing only the left would change it into a mono stuff. n(^ù^)° http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insert_%28effects_processing%29

Originally posted by : nEUROLAND

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insert_%28effects_processing%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insert_%28effects_processing%29 Reading what's on the above link would help you, at the end of the article there's a link to "balenced", go for it…

fast notes :
Stereo jacks are mainly used for headphones, usually when inserting a mix table, that's a mono jack. If you have a stereo line in, often placing only the left would change it into a mono stuff. n(^ù^)° http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insert_%28effects_processing%29 

inserts are always stereo-jacks, otherwise you can't have the return of the signal.but actually to avoid misunderstandings: you have a 3-pin-jack and a 2-pin-jack. 3 pins are use for unbalanced stereo and balanced mono. 2-pin-jack are used for unbalanced mono. if you listen to a balanced signal with a stereo headphone, you will hear that the left phone wil be the inverted signal of the right phone. it's a way to check if it's balanced mono or unbalanced stereo. if you want balanced stereo, you will need 2 3-pin-jacks (or xlr's). the advantage of unbalanced stereo is that you can have it on 1 jack, but the contra is that it's vulnerable to noise (due to electromagneticsignals). that's why in professional configurations, you wil NEVER see unbalanced connections (exept sometimes for inserts on small mixtables).

Well that is the question: is a balanced input a stereo input!? Because I just received a Hercules 16/12FW and it's got "balanced analogue inputs" which can also be unbalanced... so is one input now a stereo input or a mono!? 

Originally posted by : READYdot Well that is the question: is a balanced input a stereo input!?Because I just received a Hercules 16/12FW and it's got "balanced analogue inputs" which can also be unbalanced... so is one input now a stereo input or a mono!?  a balanced input/output is mono. it uses 3 contacts for one signal. a stereo cable is the same as a balanced cable though. 

SO if i make it an unbalanced input can it then receive stereo input?

no. seriously, it s all here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balanced_audio

Let's call you unREADYdot 'til you dont read those articles…^^

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insert_%28effects_processing%29 Reading what's on the above link would help you, at the end of the article there's a link to "balenced", go for it… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balanced_audio (thanx dtr) :)

n(^ù^)°

PS : I hope to call you READYdot soon ^^ 

Hehe, you are some unbalanced bastards ;) and I'm lazy at reading today but I read to this part and it explains it pretty much: If a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereophonic or other http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural signal is plugged into such a jack, one channel (usually the right) will be subtracted from the other (usually the left), leaving an unlistenable L ? R (left minus right) signal instead of normal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monaural L + R. Reversing the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polarity at any other point in a balanced audio system will also result in this effect at some point when it is later mixed-down with its other channel.  Thnx, guys!

technical explanation:

balanced=

• at balanced output: mono signal is splitted in 2 signals. 1 normal and 1 reversed (+ and -)
• at the balanced input: the reversed signal is reversed again, and then mixed with the other signal (same procedure, other way around...), so back to mono signal

this way, the signal at the end is the same signal as the one in the beginning...

BUT!! (and this is why they do this...)

all the noise added to the signal in the cable, is added identically on both signals. now, when 1 signal gets reversed in the end, and mixed with the other, the noise will dissapear...

for those who don't get it yet: imagine there are 2 signals, and suddenly (somewhere in the cable chain) a noise of +2 is added... (number is just a representation of a change in the audio wave) so both signals have a +2 noise... when 1 signal gets reversed in the end of the cable (in the receiving device), there will be 1 noise of +2, and 1 noise of -2... those 2 noises mixed together: +2 + -2= 0 (woehoew, no noise)

to do this, you need 2 signal cables, that's why a stereo cable is used. but it has nothing to do with a "stereo" signal (as in left and right) it is prety confusing indeed...

I hope this explaines it well to some people. it's not easy to understand (if you don't know a lot about audio technics..)

*edit: further info about the use of a stero cable in an audio chain:

for inserts on a mixer, a stereo cable is also used to transport the signal to device, and back to the track. so with an insert, the track signal is transported out of the mixer to the audio device (eq, compressor, ...) through 1 cable of the stereo cable. then the signal gets transported back to the mixer through the other cable (of the same stereo cable...)

so the signal gets out of the mixer and back again through only 1 sterreo cable. (prety handy...) the main difference in use between a insert and send/return tracks (or aux, send, bus, monitor, whatever they call it). is that with an insert, the whole signal gets to the device and back again (100%wet) is mostly used for dynamic processors (like compressor, eq, limiter,...)

while with send/return tracks, you can choose the amount of signal you send, and you can mix the return track with the original signal (so you can make a dry/wet mix). this is mostly used for effects (like delay, reverb, ...)

(for those who feel their intelligence being offended... you probably know this, but I think there are a lot of musicians/ starting producers without techncal knowledge about this, for whom this might be usefull information...)

cheerios..

i always enjoy the way u explain technical things Bandalog, must be your teacher talents i guess...  ^^ thanks for all the links guys