Balanced Instrument Cable on Active Bass ?

[Asyd309]

Hello ! I've been using unbalanced instrument cables for as long as I have been playing when I got the great idea to use a BALANCED one instead. I figured if it'll improve signal quality in patch-lines and other studio settings, why not my bass ?

To my surprise, there was no signal ! I have an active bass guitar, but when I pulled the active EQ out, the signal was normal. Anyone care to fill me in on what may be happening ?

Just to be sure, I checked the batteries, checked my instruments input with other cables, and I don't understand.

[RotorOnTop]

all guitars that I know of use a standard 1/4" jack, a TRS (balanced) cable is wired up in a diffrent configuration than a normal 1/4" jack. The guitar/bass is wired for tip and sleeve hot/gound, the TRS is wired for ground and 2 signal sources tip/ring/sleeve, sometimes TRS will work when its half jacked.... better off just buying a better insulated, heavier wired guitar cord.

[Ed Belknap]

Hello ! I've been using unbalanced instrument cables for as long as I have been playing when I got the great idea to use a BALANCED one instead. I figured if it'll improve signal quality in patch-lines and other studio settings, why not my bass ?

Because your bass does not have a balanced output.

The reason balanced cables "improve signal quality in patch-lines and other studio settings" is because the line level devices found in a typical recording studio have balanced (differential) inputs and outputs, and these are what actually contributes to any audible improvement you might encounter. The balanced cables are simply the way one connects balanced outputs to balanced inputs.

Your bass has an unbalanced output; your bass amp (or DI) has an unbalanced input. There's no point in using balanced cables to connect those. Wrong tool for the job.

If however you want to get cute, you could wire up shielded twisted-pair cable (i.e., "balanced" audio cable) as an unbalanced cable with a telescoping shield in order to work with your bass and possibly yield a minor improvement in noise immunity: Wire the + conductor to the tip of both 1/4" TS plugs, wire the - conductor to the sleeve of both 1/4" plugs, and tie the braided shield to the - conductor (sleeve) at one end only. Leave it unconnected at the other end. Be sure to mark which end has the shield connected (this is more for your information and to allow you to methodically troubleshoot potential problems, as the direction you use the cable should always be Whichever Way Sounds Best). Typically you'll start with the shield connected at the instrument's output and lifted at the input to the preamp.

[4stringaxeman]

TRS will not work on a guitar, what you need to do is use a 10' guitar cable and run it into a DI box then use a XLR out the other side for a balanced signal.;)

[murphbass]

Unlike passive basses, active basses use a TRS 1/4" jack. When a standard (mono) TS 1/4" cable is inserted in the jack, it completes the active electronics circuit, allow current to pass. You are completing the circuit from the 'ring' and 'sleeve' section. When there is no cable in the jack, the circuit remains off. If you are done playing your bass for the day (or a few hours), it's a good idea to unplug so that your battery is not depleted.

Inserting a TRS cable into your active bass jack won't work, since the battery's juice doesn't make the connection from the 'ring' and 'sleeve.' The TRS cable separates those two sections.

That being said, there are some cool things you can do with this setup. Some preamps (EBS is the only one I can think of right now) will power your electronics through your TRS cable. Pretty nifty- you don't have to worry about keeping fresh batteries in your bass.

[4stringaxeman]

Unlike passive basses, active basses use a TRS 1/4" jack.


that is untrue
active bass guitars or any other active guitar uses the same 1/4"instrument cable as any other guitar. The guitar is still mono whether it is active or not.
the input on an amp is a mono input so TRS will not work on a guitar period.

however there is such a thing as a stereo guitar but that is a whole different topic.

[Smithcok]

^^I'm off topic, but just to clarify - TRS does not mean stereo.

A TRS connection can be wired as a stereo connection, but more commonly (in studios at least) you will see it used as a balanced mono connection.

TS:TRS [is not] mono:stereo