| Home recording and general music post from the archived Yabb Recording Website Message Board. Some of the info here may be outdated but many of the audio recording and home studio tips are still good. Note: The only tags I made and attempt to convert are italics, bold, center and underline. So if you see some gibberish surrounded by brackets, just ignore it.
Recording Website Archived Yabb board Post
Febuary 2001 Yabb Message Board Archive
Subject: Balanced vs. Unbalanced (cord questions)
by jason | 02/21/01 at 12:42:41
What's the difference in a balanced and an unbalanced connection. I assume that a balanced connection can carry a stereo signal and split it back out when it gets where it's going, but that's a guess.
Is there any noise difference?
Is this related at all to whether a cable has an XLR or a 1/4" connector.
What is the maximum length that a cord can be before noise is really unavoidable?
Subject: Re: Balanced vs. Unbalanced (cord questions)
by db | 02/22/01 at 18:29:31
A balanced line contains 3 wires, a shield (ground), a - side, and a + side.
An unbalanced line contains just 2, shield, and +.
Because of the transformers, or electronic circuitry involved with the balanced line equipment, the induced noise, RF, AC hum, etc., is canceled. Also because the impedance is low, the high frequency response does not suffer when long runs are used, 100' or more, even at mic level, do to cable capacitance. Unbalanced lines are high impedance and are generally kept shorter, because they are prone to induced noise. Also, unbalanced lines, at line levels, with longer cable runs, say 40', tend to loose high frequency. At mic levels, unbalanced lines should be no more than 6'. The normal cables involved with unbalanced recording equipment should not present a problem, they are at line level, and are generally not longer the 40' at any run.
db
Subject: Re: Balanced vs. Unbalanced (cord questions)
by Jim | 02/23/01 at 20:29:37
And all along I thought the unbalanced cables were fer drummers?!?! ;D
Subject: Re: Balanced vs. Unbalanced (cord questions)
by Slider28 | 02/25/01 at 10:05:54
Db is right on the money. I also wanted to add two things. XLR connections are always balanced conectors, although you can have an XLR going to an unbalanced plug like a TS plug. There are two types of 1/4" plugs. TS (unbalanced since it uses the tip for the signal, and the sleeve for the ground) and TRS, which uses the tip for one signal, the ring, for the second signal out of phase 180 degrees, and the sleeve for ground. Also, insert/return cables have a TRS on one end, and TS plugs on the other two ends. the send signal is sent out the tip, to one TS plug, and brought back through the other TS plug to the ring area of the TRS plug. thus, one cable sends AND returns a signal. Other plugs are 1/8" (unbalanced), RCA (unbalanced) and TT (balanced).8)