static from 1/4 wires going to the speaker?

Patryk_Rebisz

Patryk_Rebisz

Veteran
I was wondering if anyone can enlighten me how much static i can expect from 1/4" audio wires going from mixer (desktop edit studio) into speakers. I presume there will be some based on my experience from the past, still it seems it's close to impossible to find a small sound mixer for desktop editing studio with XLR in/out. Or am i mistaken?
 
XLR's are not essential but balanced inputs are and most mixers have line inputs and outputs that are fully balanced on 1/4 inch TRS jacks.

Have a look at the behringer 1002B mixer as it has a lot of features for the money and would be ideal as a small edit suite mixer that would allow you to do basic mixing EQ and feed your monitors with clean audio. A yamaha 1204 woulodbe more flexible as it has more outputs etc but is still low cost.

No balanced mixer will give static but PC and computer sound cards can throw out all sorts of rubbish audio so a dedicated video and sound card is a must for serious editing and monitoring, I use the blackmagic HD extreme card for my FCP set-up.
 
Do you need a mixer, or just a way to monitor the sound from your edit station while bring able to control the volume of your speakers?
 
You should expect no static, but that might not be what you get. Balanced or unbalanced shouldn't make much difference in a short run, especially since this will be line level. How much static do you expect from your CD player connection to you amp? That is almost certainly an unbalanced less that great RCA connection.

The places where you could be getting noise (if you do get any) are first noise from the source (noisy mixer, noisy feed from computer, etc.) The second most likely problem is a ground loop. That is going to be a hum. If you get that then you can try iso boxes on the audio lines, or possibly lifting the ground on a device may fix it.

But you don't have a problem now so stop worrying about it and fire up the bad boy and see IF you do have a problem.
 
Just moving the 1/4 wire around a bit introduces static (sometimes the audio gets very low or cuts out totally and i have to wiggle the wires around). Does it mean i should just get better wires?

My set up at the moment:
computer (through AJA break out cables) > digital-to-analogue converter >(XLT to 1/4)> mixer (Behringere UB502) >(1/4 to 1/4)> speakers.
 
Sounds like a loose wire in a jack or an input.

Get good quality wiring; quality actually saves you money in the long run.
 
Patryk_Rebisz said:
Just moving the 1/4 wire around a bit introduces static (sometimes the audio gets very low or cuts out totally and i have to wiggle the wires around). Does it mean i should just get better wires?.
Click to expand...

Static and dropouts when wiggling the cables and/or connectors indicates poor or broken cable, connectors or workmanship.
It has nothing to do with XLR vs. 1/4 inch. They are both susceptible.
 
Wow - really, you shouldn't expect speaker wires to cut in and out...

You should be able to find a small mixer with balanced outs, either XLR or TRS (1/4" "Stereo" jacks, but not stereo). Look into decent powered speakers by JBL, Mackie, Event, or KRK, etc. Lots of good stuff where the speakers are matched to built-in amps.

But even unbalanced mixer outs to an amp are fine in most cases. It's not going to have a huge effect on monitoring, not like the diff between balanced mics and sources.
 
It should make absolutely NO DIFFERENCE whether you use XLR outputs or balanced (TRS) 1/4 inch outputs.
Or unbalanced (TS) 1/4 inch outputs for that matter.
This question started with a false presumption unsupported by reality.
This is a connector/cable QUALITY issue that has nothing to do with the TYPE of connector: 1/4 inch vs. XLR.
 
Since it hasn't been mentioned there are two other possible causes. First is dirty connections. You can try "exercising" (plugging and plugging in a bunch of times) to see if it clears up at all. If it makes a difference you should get some contact cleaner and clean the jacks and plugs. The other possibility is that when you are moving the cable around you are actually moving the connector and the problem is a broken or screwed up jack. Swapping cables should tell, if the problem is the same with different cables it may be the jack, and it almost certainly is not the cable.
 
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