MOTM

You can also just buy Y-cables with 1/4" plugs on all three ends. They work
great for doing stuff like driving two VCOs from one CV source or two EGs
from one gate. 

--Adam

>You can also just buy Y-cables with 1/4" plugs on all three ends. They work
>great for doing stuff like driving two VCOs from one CV source or two EGs
>from one gate.

What if you want to drive three EG's?? :)

The trouble with Y-cables is that most are cheap consumer quality (eg.
Hosa, Radio Shack)  There isn't much of a pro market for such cables
because few people want to mult unbalanced outs using a cable with all of
the grounds tied.  Besides, they look too much like insert cables.

Check out the MOTM 910.  Unlike a Y-cable you can go from a 2-way mult to a
3-way without repatching.  Cleverly cascaded with switched jacks, you can
set it up in numerous combinations.  This way you only need to keep one
type of cable next to your modular.  I like those cable holders that screw
into standard rack rails.

Btw, is OK to use this list for non-MOTM FS messages??  This weekend I
finished tearing down my studio, and now have a number of things to sell
before I put together a new setup in the Spring.

So now I have a pile of disconnected cable that could fill a bathtub (not
for sale).  Good thing I used TRS patchbays and started building a modular
that uses 1/4" jacks, or I'd be able to fill another bathtub with TT,
banana, and weird adapter cables.

All things considered, even when ignoring the elegance and added
capability,  you'll save space, time, and money, by choosing the 910 over a
pile of otherwise useless Y-cables.

> All things considered, even when ignoring the elegance and added
> capability,  you'll save space, time, and money, by choosing the 910 over a
> pile of otherwise useless Y-cables.

*shrug* Whatever. I have both. I find both useful. If I need to run one
signal to three or more places, I use the 910. If I need to quickly run one
signal to two places (e.g., Expressionist to two VCOs) I use a Y cable.

--Adam

media.nai@... writes: >>What if you want to drive three EG's?? The trouble 
with Y-cables is that most are cheap consumer quality (eg. Hosa, Radio Shack). 
Check out the MOTM 910.  Unlike a Y-cable you can go from a 2-way mult to a 3-
way without repatching.<<

Just to inform you, I did an entire four and a half minute MOTM piece without 
using any MOTM multiple ever. Y-cables were used a few times, but those little 
Radio Shack one male to two female adapters were used all over the place. As 
one member simply put it, they turn one jack into two. You can daisy chain a 
singal to as many destinations as you want with them, just like Banana cables.  
This reduces cable count in your patch, and anything that gets any additional 
cables out of my way is a good thing.

>>All things considered, even when ignoring the elegance and added capability,  
you'll save space, time, and money, by choosing the 910 over a pile of 
otherwise useless Y-cables.<<

Not so, as shown in my above statement. Even Y-cables increase elegance. It's 
so much cleaner to use one cable with a Y slitter on the end then to run an 
unnecessary cable to the nearest multiple, then run two cables from there back 
to where you want to go. One cable with a Y connector replacing three cables is 
a cleaner more elegant solution. And if you decide the last minute you need to 
go to a third destination, just pop one of those earlier mentioned adapters 
under one of the Y connections and add another cable and you're done.

-Elhardt

>>>All things considered, even when ignoring the elegance and added
>>>capability,
>you'll save space, time, and money, by choosing the 910 over a pile of
>otherwise useless Y-cables.<<
>
>Not so, as shown in my above statement.

I don't see how that is shown in your above statement, but you are
certainly entitled to your opinion.

>Even Y-cables increase elegance. It's so much cleaner to use one cable
>with a Y slitter on the end then to run an unnecessary cable to the
>>nearest multiple, then run two cables from there
>back to where you want to go. One cable with a Y connector replacing three
>cables is a cleaner more elegant solution. And if you decide the last
>>minute you need to go to a third destination, just pop one of those
>earlier >mentioned adapters under one of the Y connections and add another
>cable
>and you're done.

Imho, the inelegance is that you need too keep all of these different
adapters and Y-cables, and sift through them to find the cable you want, as
opposed to only one type of cable.  I've used Radio Shack cables in the
past and they simply are not reliable.  They aren't shielded very well
either, and afaik, they only come in one color.  I try not to buy anything
cheap so I don't have to buy anything twice.  I have a rainbow of
American-made cables with Neutrik ends you could beat with a hammer.  One
of the reasons I chose MOTM is because it is clean and reliable, and a
chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

rcn writes: >>Imho, the inelegance is that you need too keep all of these 
different adapters and Y-cables, and sift through them to find the cable you 
want, as opposed to only one type of cable.  I've used Radio Shack cables in 
the past and they simply are not reliable.<<

I had one Radio Shack cable fail after three days. Yes, some of them are crap. 
The Y-cables seem a bit better made. However, it's those other splitter devices 
I'm saying are the most useful, and they aren't cables at all. They're plastic 
adapters with male/female connectors on them. There is not much that can fail 
there. I've been using them since I've had my MOTM with zero problems. Just 
having a handful of them sitting ontop of a modular doesn't cause major 
disorder. People have different patching styles. But for many people, patches 
that use fewer cables reducing clutter and allow banana plug type daisy 
chaining is a nice advantage.

In fact I'm thinking about putting in a CV/Gate bus like John Mitchell did on 
his Synth.com. That would reduce more cable mess in a patch. I wish that were 
built into the MOTM from the start.

-Elhardt

The Y splitter sounds like a great idea.  Anyone who has used a banana
modular realizes how quick and effective that method of patching can be
despite misgivings about possible noise pickup in the unshielded cables.
Does anyone already have a source for inexpensive and reliable Y
splitter adapters?
 
I've thought about the normalized CV/Gate bus and believe you could do
this with just a simple PCB mounted inside the cabinet or even a barrier
strip.  You could use a 910 multiple as the distribution center,
probably breaking the link in the middle to fit CV and Gate on one
module.  Emu modulars had something like this.  Take the multiple
signals internally to a PCB or barrier strip, then connect them to the
NC switched jack tabs on the appropriate 1V/oct and gate jacks.  The
multiple gives you extra outputs to patch anywhere in your system.  Due
to the distances involved you'd probably want to use shielded cables for
the internal 1V/oct signal.  Has anyone done this?  One inconvenience I
can foresee is soldering to the jack tab requires putting a fixed length
wire to your normalized patch bay, so reconfiguration of modules within
a cabinet might be limited.  Maybe some quick disconnect type connector
should placed on the wires so that this option is more flexible and
expandable?
John Loffink
jloffink@... 

-----Original Message-----
From: elhardt@... [mailto:elhardt@...] 
Sent: Friday, October 11, 2002 3:15 AM
To: motm@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [motm] Multiple tip
 
I had one Radio Shack cable fail after three days. Yes, some of them are
crap. 
The Y-cables seem a bit better made. However, it's those other splitter
devices 
I'm saying are the most useful, and they aren't cables at all. They're
plastic 
adapters with male/female connectors on them. There is not much that can
fail 
there. I've been using them since I've had my MOTM with zero problems.
Just 
having a handful of them sitting ontop of a modular doesn't cause major 
disorder. People have different patching styles. But for many people,
patches 
that use fewer cables reducing clutter and allow banana plug type daisy 
chaining is a nice advantage.

In fact I'm thinking about putting in a CV/Gate bus like John Mitchell
did on 
his Synth.com. That would reduce more cable mess in a patch. I wish that
were 
built into the MOTM from the start.

-Elhardt