2000XL to Audio Interface, Cable Questions!

Hi!

I am going to hook up my MPC 2000xl 8 outs to a Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 audio interface.

Before i buy cables I want to make sure I get the right ones.
As I understand the 8 outs are "unbalanced" on the MPC and I'm pretty sure the inputs of the Focusrite are "balanced" (I read somewhere that most modern Interfaces have balanced inputs).

I also read that the best thing to get when going from unbalanced outs to balanced inputs are TRS (balanced) cables. To reduce signal noises or some stuff? Is this true?

I have no experience of what types of cables you should/can have, so help is much appreciated.

Also I have a Phono Preamp which I will connect between my Turntable and the MPC. So from the preamp to the MPC:s "record inputs", I should have some kind of RCA to XLR/TRS? All of these things gets me really confused, XLR, TRS, Balanced, Unbalanced, Stereo, Mono etc... I'm lost.

Help a brother out so I can make these beats!! / Jonatan

antifaz wrote:I also read that the best thing to get when going from unbalanced outs to balanced inputs are TRS (balanced) cables. To reduce signal noises or some stuff? Is this true?

No, since the outputs of the MPC are unbalanced, TRS-TRS cables will not give the benefits of a balanced to balanced connection, just use TS-TS cables.

antifaz wrote:Also I have a Phono Preamp which I will connect between my Turntable and the MPC. So from the preamp to the MPC:s "record inputs", I should have some kind of RCA to XLR/TRS? All of these things gets me really confused, XLR, TRS, Balanced, Unbalanced, Stereo, Mono etc... I'm lost.

As above, just use RCA-TS cables, or RCA-TS adapters on RCA cables.

Thanks for the quick reply! I will get those cables then! Thanks again!

Quick question: the record inputs are balanced on the 2000xl, still RCA-TS that I need?

Yes, since the output that you are connecting to the MPC is unbalanced, from and RCA connector, there is no need to use a TRS connector into the MPC.

The TS connector in the balanced input will short the ring contact of the TRS socket to ground, and the input will only see the tip contact/signal, and operate correctly.

If you try to use a TRS connector in the balanced input, from an unbalanced output such as the RCA, and it sends the same signal to both the tip and ring connectors of the balanced input, then the tip and ring signals will cancel each other out when unbalanced inside the MPC, and you will not get the correct signal into the MPC.

last question now ;D I'm looking at alot of TS cables and some are male/female and mono/stereo. Which ones to get for the outs/record ins?

male-male, mono

antifaz wrote:last question now ;D I'm looking at alot of TS cables and some are male/female and mono/stereo. Which ones to get for the outs/record ins?

What piece of equipment is the output coming from, and what sort of connectors does that output use?

What piece of equipment is the input going to, and what sort of connectors does that input use?

I'm connecting a preamp to the record ins, so the preamp has regular rca connector, and everything on the mpc is 1/4 jacks right?

From the mpc 8 outs to my audio interface ins. 1/4 jacks. Was that what you meant?

http://www.thomann.de/gb/instrument_cables.html

I'm browsing around on this site, as you can see there is a universe of cables

antifaz wrote:I'm connecting a preamp to the record ins, so the preamp has regular rca connector, and everything on the mpc is 1/4 jacks right?

You need a pair of male RCA to male 1/4"(6.5mm) TS(unbalanced) cables for that.

antifaz wrote:From the mpc 8 outs to my audio interface ins. 1/4 jacks. Was that what you meant?

You need 8 (or 10 if using stereo output as well as individual outs) x male 1/4" TS to male 1/4" TS cables for that, also commonly referred to as jack to jack instrument cables.

Having them joined together in a 8-way (or 10-way) loom can make things tidier, if the loom reaches to all the required inputs on your audio interface.

Okay let's see if I learned something here. So an unbalanced cable is just another word for a mono cable? and balanced cables are stereo cables?

And I would use these ones for the Preamp to the record ins.
http://www.thomann.de/gb/the_sssnake_spr2015.htm


and these ones for the 8 outs.
http://www.thomann.de/gb/the_sssnake_gk ... nkabel.htm

looks about right?

antifaz wrote:Okay let's see if I learned something here. So an unbalanced cable is just another word for a mono cable? and balanced cables are stereo cables?

Sort of, but not really.

A TS connector, when used with analogue audio, will carry an unbalanced mono signal.

A TRS connector, when used with analogue audio, can carry either a balanced mono signal, or an unbalanced stereo signal. It can also be used for audio inserts, for example, with an unbalanced mono output(send) and input(return) on the one connector.

So, what you are referring to as a stereo cable, a TRS to TRS cable, could be either balanced mono or unbalanced stereo, so is not technically a stereo cable.

antifaz wrote:looks about right?

Yes, they look like the right cables.

You could find an 8 or 10 way loom for the TS-TS cables, to make things tidier.


When making connections, and choosing cables, it can sometimes help to check the user manuals for the equipment, to check for any specific requirements when hooking up unbalanced to balanced equipment.

For example, usually it is OK to use a TS(unbalanced) connector into a TRS(balanced) input, as with the preamp to MPC connection in your case, as most equipment is OK with having the R(ring) signal shorted to S(ground), but sometimes the equipment user manual will specify another way of connecting it, maybe specifically not shorting the Ring to ground.

Thanks for putting up with all the questions very informative answers thanks!

Hey guys, late to the party with some brand new outs on my mpc. Would this work?

Monoprice 8-Channel 1/4 Inch TS Male to 1/4 Inch TS Male Snake 26AWG Cable C/d - 2 Meter (6 Feet) With 8 Balanced Mono/Unbalanced Stereo Lines https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IACBENW/re ... KEb8VESRMM