Audio adapter grab bag-- what all should be in it?

[BrandonT]

Hi all. I do a good bit of events where I'll need to get audio from a mixer into my camera, or video from my camera into their system for projector, etc. So at a recent event I did for a college, and fumbling to get the right adapters for the way they had their cables set up. Their setup was admittedly a little cludgy, but it all worked out fine. But I realized that I just need to get a bunch of cheap adapters to be ready for any circumstance. So I'd like to make up a list of cables and adapters that everyone should have to cover most possible circumstances that one could come across.

Of course I have plenty of XLR male to XLR female cables. And an XLR male to 1/4" male, which I'm constantly using to get sound out of an audio mixer. I've been making a list. So I'll include what I have and what is on the list. Let me know what you think I should add, OR if there would be no reason to get something on the list. I'm a video guy and not so much an audio guy, so when I try to visualize what is needed, I have a really hard time seeing in my head if the plug on any given device (audio mixer, camera, etc.) would typically be male or female, so that factors in.

A "?" notes that I'm not sure about the usefulness of it.



XLR male to XLR female cables

XLR male to 1/4" male adapter

XLR female to 1/4" male adapter

XLR male to XLR female adapter (to get out of those tough spots when things don't align right)

XLR female to 1/8" male cable

XLR male to 1/8" male cable

1/8" male to 1/4" female

RCA female to RCA male (cable/ adapter)

RCA female to RCA male (cable/ adapter)

RCA male to RCA male (cable/ adapter) *this would be an odd one, but I can see situations where it might be needed

1/8" male to stereo RCA male (red & white) cable

1/8" male splitter to two 1/8" female (so that two people can use headphones from one source)

 

[Richard Crowley]

XLR male-to-male adapter (or short adapter/cable) This is very handy when then send your audio feed down an existing venue mic drop and you have to "turn it around" to feed into your audio inputs.
XLR female-to-female adapter (or short adapter/cable) (just for "gender-equality")

Iso transformer and attenuator. I combine the two with a few of these...
http://www.rolls.com/product.php?pid=db25b
Good quality, reasonably rugged, a life-saver in some cases.
And so inexpensive, there is no reason not to keep at least 1 or 2 in the kit.

 

[Rick R]

A direct box is probably the most useful interfaces to have, along with the suitable RCA. 1/8" adapter/cables to 1/4" input. A DI also doubles as a ground lift, unbalanced/balanced transformer and level matching attenuator. The affordable Rolls DB25 passive DI is a no-brainer IMO.