New 2000XL owner: Samples from phone sound awful

I'm new to this game - bought a 2000XL that I saw at a music store after thinking about playing with one for a while.

Mine is one of the SEs - orange, and has the 8-outputs and the effects board.

In the store it sounded great. They had it loaded with some basic samples, and it was fun playing with it.

Took it home, and it wasn't seeing any sounds from the SCSI hard drive it came with - I think this is because for some reason it is missing a SCSI terminator (can't tell if this enclosure auto terminates or not).

So I decided to try and hook up my phone to the MPC. I connected a cable with a 1/8": stereo plug into the headphone jack of my phone, and the other 1/8" end to a 1/4" adapter, then plugged that into one of the inputs - either the right or left input in the record IN section of the back panel (item #32 from the manual). The guy in the store said these were digital inputs but I think he is wrong as there is a separate digital in/out.

My first tries at sampling sounded awful - like my input was being played through a bad AM radio. I have played with the record gain to make sure its not peaking too high, but that doesn't seem to be my problem. I've adjusted the volume at the phone but that didn't do anything and I guess it would't as I was also adjusting the gain on the MPC. I've tried jiggling the cables at the jacks and sometimes I think I hear a little more bass for a split second, but I'm not sure if I am imagining it....

Is this all possible because I am using a stereo plug going into a mono jack ? I don't know anything about audio plugs, jacks, signals, etc, but I wouldn't have guessed that's what it would sound like.

I'm planning to go to a store tomorrow and buy a 1/8" to stereo RCA out cable, then but RCA female to 1/4" stereo cable, but if the problem likely lies elsewhere, then it'd be great to know I'm wasting my time.

I've studied some of the articles online, including some of the Tweak guides, but I could't find anything about what I was specifically doing (i.e. running a stereo signal into a mono jack).

thanks for reading... I have a lot to learn !

On iPhone's at least you get a better output with a connector that goes from from 30 pin or lightning port to RCA's and then slap two mono RCA to 1/4" adapters on those outs respectively. Results do vary wildly using the amplified headphone at and trying to balance your gain and signal that way. Also most of those connectors are unbalanced quite often and are prone to interference, distortion and don't react well to even being wiggled or jostled.

On Apple devices I've gotten OK results using the headphone out. But much better using a dedicated dock connector to audio out. iOS also always for using the camera kit to get a USB port going and use class compliant audio interfaces that don't need drivers. That makes for a much better output. Like the difference between a 86-88dB output to a 100-102dB one that has way better clarity separation and is far easier to use the gain and the recording end and dial it in.

Never used a SCSI drive on my gear. But there's tons of people on this forum that can assist in that respect.

Yeah, the digital SPDIF inputs are wholly separate from RCA analog stuff, although the connectors look the same. The SPDIF uses just one cable to carry a stereo paired signal. On iOS it would have to be with an interface with SPDIF involved through the camera kit in order to have a digital output to use. I'm not sure what the options are if any on Droid or other phones.

Generally speaking if you were dealing with a mono only output to be recorded that's the white Left RCA. Then if needed you would apply any stereo processing yourself with panning once you had the sound recorded. But the machine can do the same with just the Right signal two when you have a stereo source. Page 89 of the XL pdf manual.

You didn't say what make of phone you have, but perhaps it's headphone output is just too dirty to get a clean recording. But maybe you can still find the right balance. Over the years I've recorded from pretty cheap 1/8" outputs and still got a usable recording. TV's and VCR's I'm thinking back on.

In those cases like the phones you have the volume on the source needing to be set loud enough that you have a nice even signal with no distortion and then not need to add too much or even too little gain on the recording end.

If it keeps being troublesome trying to use the phone. Maybe see if you can get the source sound on a computer and use even the built in 1'8" output on it using the OS volume controls and see if you get better results.

MPCNugget wrote:So I decided to try and hook up my phone to the MPC. I connected a cable with a 1/8": stereo plug into the headphone jack of my phone, and the other 1/8" end to a 1/4" adapter, then plugged that into one of the inputs

Is this all possible because I am using a stereo plug going into a mono jack ? I don't know anything about audio plugs, jacks, signals, etc, but I wouldn't have guessed that's what it would sound like.

I'm planning to go to a store tomorrow and buy a 1/8" to stereo RCA out cable, then but RCA female to 1/4" stereo cable, but if the problem likely lies elsewhere, then it'd be great to know I'm wasting my time.

Yes, the problem is probably that you are sending a left/right unbalanced stereo signal into a balanced mono input.

Anything panned centre will get cancelled out in the unbalancing input circuitry, you will be left with anything that isn't panned centre, and it will not sound right.

Get the right cable, 1/8" stereo to 2 x 1/4" mono, or 1/8" stereo to 2 x RCA + 2 x RCA-1/4" adapters, and it should work correctly.


Like this...




Or this...



...plus two of these...

Thanks Simon and Metatron !

I went and bought the cables and adapters I thought I needed. Things sounded different, but not necessarily better. Volume was quieter but there was at least some bass.

While reinserting the plugs I discovered things sounded great with the plugs half in. Then I noticed that the RCA to 1/4" adapter plug seems to have a stereo plug end.

Does that make sense ? I thought RCA plugs were mono only ?

MPCNugget wrote:I went and bought the cables and adapters I thought I needed. Things sounded different, but not necessarily better. Volume was quieter but there was at least some bass.

While reinserting the plugs I discovered things sounded great with the plugs half in. Then I noticed that the RCA to 1/4" adapter plug seems to have a stereo plug end.

Does that make sense ? I thought RCA plugs were mono only ?

Wrong adapters.

They are TRS (tip/ring/sleeve), you need TS (tip/sleeve), like in the photo I posted above.

RCA plugs are unbalanced mono only, it is connected to both 'sides' of the 'stereo' 1/4" plug.

That is doing a similar thing to your first attempt, sending an unbalanced mono signal into both 'sides' (hot/cold or +/-) of the balanced mono MPC input, so it cancels itself out in the unbalancing circuitry.

Try again!

MPCNugget wrote:While reinserting the plugs I discovered things sounded great with the plugs half in.

Yes, that is the way it should sound.

You can either use what you have, and plug it in half way, or get some of the correct RCA-1/4" TS adapters (not TRS), both ways achieve the same thing.

Thanks again, Metatron and Simon !

I bought the cable ( 1/8" stereo to two mono 1/4" plugs), and everything is good. Thanks so much for your help !

The only thing I don't understand is: if RCA plugs are always mono (what I understood), WHY IN THE WORLD would anyone make an RCA female adapter that terminates in a stereo 1/8" plug ?

MPCNugget wrote:The only thing I don't understand is: if RCA plugs are always mono (what I understood), WHY IN THE WORLD would anyone make an RCA female adapter that terminates in a stereo 1/8" plug ?

To either send a mono RCA signal into both sides of a stereo 1/8" input, or to combine both sides of a stereo 1/8" signal into a mono RCA input.

^^^^^ should read 1/4", not 1/8".