When shopping around at the better audio equipment dealers, you will notice that a whole range of high-end cables and connectors are available. There are different brands. But what they have in common is that they are expensive. It should be your own decision of course, but better cables reduce noise and hum. Your 'audio-chain' is as strong as it's weakest link. And most of the time that weakest link is the cable. In particular with a sound card like the EWS, that has mini jacks. Maybe should consider to build an adapter unit that converts that mini-plug system into normal cinch connections (unbalanced) or XLR-connections (balanced). Read for an explanation about XLR and the difference between balanced and unbalanced the topic XLR-connections.

When buying cables you can choose for ready made products. If that's to expensive and you are handy with a soldering iron: buy good quality cable and connectors and make them yourself. Less expensive, but: still not cheap.

What and where to buy?

• Go to a dealer that is specialized in studio/stage equipment. They usually have the best material. They also have the expertise to give you advice.
• For the digital connections on your EWS you need good quality 75 Ohm cable and hard gold plated RCA plugs. A brand we know is IXOS. They sell ready made cables as well as loose connectors.
• For analog connections Edgar Bueltemeyer recommends Monster Cables. Good are Monster Standard 100, better Performer 500, best (and most expensive) Studio pro 1000. You can get them as balanced or unbalanced. He replaced all analog cables in his (small) home studio with Performer 500, and the quality increase is almost unbelieveable.

Richard Moore explains: The balanced line has two signal wires, hot and cold. The idea being that each is 180 degrees out of phase, but when they reach the equipment they are combined again. This means that if any noise is picked up, it will be the same on the hot and cold wires, and will therefore be cancelled out.

In order to achieve this though the equipment has to have balanced in's and out's (Usually on 3 pin XLR connectors). If this is not the case, then balanced line drivers and receivers should be used. These convert the unbalanced signal to balanced for transmission. At the other end of the cable, the line receiver converts back to unbalanced, giving the advantages of a noise free cable.

If it is necessary to feed a balanced line from the EWS output, then position a balanced line driver close to the card. These line drivers are not expensive, and can be built from kits for less than 20 UK Pounds each.

(with thanks to Thomas Kastning for a small correction on this item)

The following drawing by Thomas Kastning explains the working of a balanced connection:

It's always better to get rid of those vulnarable and interference-sensitive mini-plugs. Whether you use a balanced or unbalanced connection: use a larger plug, like the cinch you put in a guitar (unbalanced) or an XLR (balanced). These methods enable you to use better quality shielded cables (thicker).

To make an (unbalanced) adaption from mini to 'normal' cinch, we would suggest you make an adapter box:

• The adapter box is a metal case, like you can buy in various sizes in shops for electronic components.
• Buy for every stereo mini plug you have to connect a pair of mono female cinch connectors, drill holes in the metal case and mount them.
• Connect each channel of a thin shielded stereo cables to each of the mono female cinch connector.
• Lead the thin stereo cable out of the metal case and solder it to the mini-stereo plug. Keep this thin cable as short as possible, because this is the weak link! These mini-stereo connectors you stick into the IN's or OUT's of your EWS.
• From now on you can use the standard cinch connectors that are used for musical equipment like synthesizers, guitars etc. Do not forget to use good quality cables and connectors, otherwise all these efforts have been useless. Note that this type of connection is unbalanced.

To avoid any noise in your signal, especially when using longer cables, it's always best to use balanced connections. But how to achieve this when your EWS has just those stereo mini-outputs/inputs?

By using XLR-connectors you can make two types of connections:

1. Just an unbalanced adapter from mini to XLR. This type of connection has the same 'quality' as the cinch-connection described under Get rid of those Mini-plugs. This method can be used for connecting balanced to unbalanced equipment, it does not give the benefits of balanced lines.
2. A so called 'balanced connection': shield and ground signal are seperated. However, you can't achieve a balanced connection by just adapting the mini-plugs of your EWS to a pair of XLR-plugs. Read the explanation by Richard Moore under 'What is a balanced connection?'

To connect as per method 1, Edgar Bueltemeyer gives us the following advice:

The best Solution is, if you use the EWS analog in2, to build an adapter from mini-plug to 2 XLR or 2 Stereo 6,5 plugs:

mini plug

-----------------------------

grnd

left,right

n.c.(open)

To make your own Midi-cables you need:

• Soldering equipment (soldering iron about 15 Watt).
• Male, 5 pin DIN connectors.
• Good quality shielded twisted pair cable. The less capicitance, the better.

The wiring is easy (see for pin-numbers the diagram below):

• You have to take a very close look, but the pin numbers are next to the pins on the connector.
• Use pin 4 and 5 for the data wires.
• Use pin 2 to connect the shielding of the cable (at both DIN-plugs).

Remarks:

• A general, but not absolute, rule is that the length of a Midi-cable should not exceed 15 meters. Depending on the cable quality and the extent of 'daisy chaining', you can experiment with the maximum lenght.
• The above mentioned wiring goes for Midi-cables, not for Midi-jacks. In case of Midi-jacks pin 2 is connected to ground.
• Once you have soldered one DIN-plug, do not forget to shift the covering of both DIN-plugs over the cable before attaching the other DIN-plug! Sounds stupid, but I garantuee you: it will happen that you forget some time.
• Pins 1 and 3 should not be connected.
• Normal audio-DIN cables are not the same as Midi-cables!

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Latest update on page: 08-02-99 bot="Timestamp" endspan i-checksum="13908"ll>

Latest update on page: 08-02-99 bot="Timestamp" endspan i-checksum="13908"