Slightly OT - balanced to unbalanced cables?

[Jezz Brookes]

>> Apologies if this is slightly off-topic but does anybody know
>> how to wire a
>> balanced to unbalanced cable.

>XLR connections are: pin 1 - shield, pin 2 - hot, or positive signal, pin 3
>- cold, or negative signal.


<snip>

Thanks for the info. I can now try out my Trident compressor (the same
people who make the nice big mixing desks) - a bargain for 40ukp.

>Have you considered adding balanced i/o to your other gear ?
>I did this on my modular (with SSM balanced line driver ICs, but there are
>cheaper ways), after I bought a Yamaha desk with balanced inputs on every
>channel, and it makes a noticeable difference.

>
>My favourite thing about XLRs is that inputs are female, and outputs are
>male, so you can extend any cable directly with another cable.
>Also, I have a Behringer Multicom compressor with balanced I/O that I can
>patch in to any channel on my desk at the input, just by taking the male
XLR
>from the instrument cable out of the desk input and connecting it to the
>female input cable to the compressor, then plugging the male output cable
>from the compressor back into the female desk input - saves the cost of a
>balanced patchbay.


I would like to but it would mean a lot of work at the moment as nothing
else is balanced and I've just spent 50ukp on a load of 1/4" mono Neutrik
jacks. It would mean rebuilding my patchbay, boxes on the output of every
synth (plus the problem of power supplies to each box!). If I was starting
from scrtach I might do it.

>XLRs are so nice and chunky too, much cooler than scrawny quarter inch
>jacks...


I agree there! I had enough black anodised Neutrik XLRs to make up the
balanced-unbalanced and vice versa cables and they do look cool, especially
in black.

And now a question - anyone have a circuit for an opto compressor? There was
a simple one last year in The Mix (it must have been simple to appear in
that mag). I'm after one for an effect more than transparency. I want to
build one for a mate who's trying to record drums to minidisk...