FM3 Output Cable

[Amrlkhrl]

Can I use XLRf-TRSm MICROPHONE cable on Output 1? I know INSTRUMENT cable and MICROPHONE cable are not the same but its so hard to find XLRf-TRSm INSTRUMENT cable with long length.

 

[SplitSlim]

You want to use a microphone XLR. It is a balanced cable as opposed to unbalanced with an instrument cable. Most speakers you will be plugging into (as well as mixers) will have balanced XLR inputs.

 

[AlexMania]

Yes, you can. You can use an XLR to TS (1/4" mono) and plug it into any amp. I keep two of these doohickeys on my pedalboard just in case I find myself having to disable the cab and / or amp block and plug into an amp. Don't use it often, but I'm glad I have these when I do. Alternately, you can have output 2 be that same as output 1 and use those 1/4" outputs.

 

[chrisjnyc]

I have been using an XLR to 1/4" cable for a long time... no issues.

 

[Rumbletone]

What is the actual cable? For example ‘Mogami W2549’?

I don’t know that most (any?) manufacturers distinguish their ‘2-conductor plus shield’ cabling as being designed for mic cabling or for line level (and I suspect none market it for instrument level, since instrument cabling is typically 1-conductor plus shield).

In any event, if you are running output1 into a balanced input with a TRS plug any quality XLR->TRS cable should work fine.

If you are running output1 into an unbalanced input, then XLR->TS is fine (using TRS is unnecessary as it’s not balanced anyway …).

 

[AlexMania]

What is the actual cable? For example ‘Mogami W2549’?

I don’t know that most (any?) manufacturers distinguish their ‘2-conductor plus shield’ cabling as being designed for mic cabling or for line level (and I suspect none market it for instrument level, since instrument cabling is typically 1-conductor plus shield).

In any event, if you are running output1 into a balanced input with a TRS plug any quality XLR->TRS cable should work fine.

If you are running output1 into an unbalanced input, then XLR->TS is fine (using TRS is unnecessary as it’s not balanced anyway …).

Do use an adapter so you can use any guitar cable lying around.
.

 

[Rumbletone]

Do use an adapter so you can use any guitar cable lying around.
.

You can’t do a balanced connection with a standard guitar cable though. Whether that’s relevant depends on your setup (including whether you’re plugging into a device with balanced inputs …).

 

[marsonic]

Can I use XLRf-TRSm MICROPHONE cable on Output 1?

Yes.

I know INSTRUMENT cable and MICROPHONE cable are not the same but its so hard to find XLRf-TRSm INSTRUMENT cable with long length.

They're actually not different.

Digital XLR cables (e.g., AES or DMX) are different. But, they also work for Mic and Line.

The reverse may not be true (using a mic/line XLR cable for AES or DMX can cause problems).

 

[Poparad]

Yes, you can. You can use an XLR to TS (1/4" mono) and plug it into any amp. I keep two of these doohickeys on my pedalboard just in case I find myself having to disable the cab and / or amp block and plug into an amp. Don't use it often, but I'm glad I have these when I do. Alternately, you can have output 2 be that same as output 1 and use those 1/4" outputs.

View attachment 112957

I've got some of those in my FM3 case and it's saved my bacon a couple of times. Last week I was playing a gig and we needed to mic an upright piano in a pinch with no PA available and I was able to run the mic into Input 2 on the FM3 and process it (FET Preamp in the Drive block worked great!) because I had one of those XLR adapters. My XLR-TS cables haven't failed me yet, but in case they do, I'd be able to convert any standard guitar cable for use with the FM3 with those adapters.

 

[AlexMania]

I've got some of those in my FM3 case and it's saved my bacon a couple of times. Last week I was playing a gig and we needed to mic an upright piano in a pinch with no PA available and I was able to run the mic into Input 2 on the FM3 and process it (FET Preamp in the Drive block worked great!) because I had one of those XLR adapters. My XLR-TS cables haven't failed me yet, but in case they do, I'd be able to convert any standard guitar cable for use with the FM3 with those adapters.

Precisely!

 

[illafent]

What brands you using for XLR to TS ? I can only find a few like Hosa and Livewire

 

[LanceZ]

Digital XLR cables (e.g., AES or DMX) are different. But, they also work for Mic and Line.

Really, just ohms. Usually 1MΩ

 

[AlexMania]

What brands you using for XLR to TS ? I can only find a few like Hosa and Livewire

I'm pretty sure mine are HOSA.

 

[marsonic]

Really, just ohms. Usually 1MΩ

It's actually about the cable capacitance.

All cables are low-pass filters. The cutoff frequency depends on the impedance on each side of the cable, it's length, and it's capacitance per length.

For analog audio cables, it rarely matters. Guitar cables are one of the special cases where it does...some cables will sound brighter or darker than others, but that's the only way they'll ever sound different unless one of them is broken.

Digital signals work via a very high-frequency "carrier signal". For AES/EBU and S/PDIF, IIRC, it's around 50kHz. DMX lighting is around there too. When you get up to ethernet, I believe it's 125 MHz for gigabit or around 1 GHz for 10 GbE.

Since their carriers are so much higher frequency, a low-pass filter that will not touch the audible range of analog signals can make a cable for a digital signal act like an open circuit....because it's literally filtering out the whole signal.

You can pretty much always use an ethernet, AES/EBU, S/PDIF, or DMX cable for analog audio, as long as you wire the right connectors on the end of it correctly. The opposite is not necessarily true.