Though pins 2 and 3 are well isolated, there is still potential for EMI radio frequencies, 60 Hz hum, etc. CMR helps eliminate this interference and allows for extremely long cable runs without significant signal quality loss. Another big reason professional microphones have widely adopted the XLR connector is that XLRs provide protection from electrical damage.
For this protection, it is critical to ensure your XLR cables are wired properly and not damaged. So how does this protect microphones from electrical damage? Active microphones require external power to function. When dealing with active mics with XLR outputs, this external phantom power is most often supplied with phantom power. Microphones that require phantom power are designed to accept and utilize this DC voltage on pins 2 and 3 relative to pin 1.
Similarly, most microphones that do not require phantom power some vintage dynamic mics have issues are designed to block the DC voltage on pins 2 and 3 relative to pin 1. Electrical shorting issues would arise if pin 2 was connected before pin 3 or vice versa. Similar issues would arise if pin 1 ground was not connected before pins 2 and 3.
XLR solves this with its design. XLRs connect pin 1 first, followed by pins 2 and 3 simultaneously, protecting our microphones from electrical damage and allowing for safe and effective phantom powering. This is, again, due to the cleverness of the aforementioned balanced audio. Note also that other balanced lines do not provide the same amount of protection. Tip-Ring-Sleeve TRS , for example, is a common balanced audio connection and is even used with some cheaper consumer mics but does not provide the same protection.
They are:. Though 3-pin XLR is the most common connection for professional microphones, other variations of the XLR connector are also used for microphones. For example:. USB microphones have been increasing in popularity. Mic Output Designs. Whereas XLRs are the most common connectors for professional-grade microphones, phone connectors are the more common type with consumer-grade microphones.
Phone connectors for microphones come in the following sizes and arrangements:. So any output e. The benefit of XLRs is the fact that they clip in and so will not disconnect with tugging.
These cables are quite bulky and heavy as well as moderately expensive so consider your needs before buying a 15m cable to connect your microphone to the audio interface right next to it. Because it has a balanced connection a pin for ground, hot and, cold , each XLR cable will only carry a mono signal so you will need two if you are doing a stereo out from the master mixing desk.
For more posts in the series of Cables and What They Do , click below:. RCA Cables. Maybe you just have no need for an XLR cable, in which case there are several choices. We have broken them down into analog and digital so that you have a better understanding of which cable will work for your needs.
Knowing the difference of functionality between the two styles of cables first will help you really understand which will work for you and your home studio equipment. Analog cables use electricity to drive the information through the wires to your input recording source, whereas digital uses binary code to do the same thing.
If you are using an external microphone source into a mixing board for example, this is most likely analog. These are the cables you often see when you are setting up your home sound system usually red, white and sometimes yellow connectors.
This is an unbalanced cable and is best over short distances to avoid any unwanted hum or noise. TRS stands for tip-ring-sleeve and can be balanced or unbalanced. TRS is most often seen on a typical headphone jack. It is also used on some small personal mics like clip-mics and Lavaliers. These cables are most often found as the connection between the gear and your digital recording device.
Used on things like digital or electronic instruments like an electric drum kit these cables come with a connector that has 5 pins.
This is the typical way to connect to most digital products. It usually comes in either 2. With this style of cable, you may also find MIDI transferable styles as well. There are also adapters available as well. What cable should I use for my home studio monitors?
The connections to your monitors are the last part of your signal chain and are susceptible to noise and hum. Depending on where the monitors are connected from will determine the exact cable needed, but in all cases, you will need a balanced cable. Also, check the length of the cable for example my setup requires 2 x 2m long cables as the monitors are 1.
Make sure you buy two identical cables - the same brand, the same model and the same length. Generally, there is no difference between the two. Male to female XLR cables are all the same and can be interchanged or daisy-chained. The only difference is how you use them. Also, a microphone cable will usually be longer than the speaker cable as the vocalist or instrument will usually be further away than the monitors.
The three-pin configuration comes with a keyed slot so that connections cannot be incorrectly made. Can I join XLR cables together? You can join as many XLR cables together as you want, but it is advisable to replace a run of short cables with one longer one. For example, replace 5 x 1m cables with 1 x 5m cable is each male to female connection will introduce a small amount of quality deterioration.
Additionally, if you are daisy chaining XLR cables to connect monitors, it is highly recommended to change, for example, 2 x 1m cables to 1 x 2m cable just remember to use the same brand and model. The L or R, in this case, refers to the inverting nature of one of the split channels and is probably an easy way to remember the function of the XLR cable.
Back in , I bought myself a copy of Pro Tools and recorded some home made music. It was challenging to start with, as I had no idea what I was doing. I made many mistakes on my journey - some fun, some expensive, and many time-consuming! I find running a Home Music Studio a fascinating and rewarding hobby and still enjoy it every day.
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