S4's 1/4" TRS Outputs
S4's 1/4" TRS Outputs Posted on: 25.07.2012 by Gilda Schreider Ok so I was having a discussion with the sound guy at a local church he saw I was running an S4 and was real interested everything was going smoothly untill he saw the outputs RCA and the 1/4" output 1 and output 2 He said I should be running both outputs when connecting to my sound system and not just output 1 or 2, he also said that the 1/4" cable I got was no good it was stereo and I was plugging into there patch panal that ran to a board. He said when running 1/4" I shoudl always run mono and set my settings to mono He said even when I run my powered sound system KW's I should run both 1/4" and be running mono That being said is he right I thought running one 1/4" out to there panal was ok and always thought the other output 2 would be for a controler or other options Let me explain before I get bashed... Yes I should know my craft wich I yes I am still learning I used to DJ back in the Day and havnt touched anything since the my 1200's in 2000 everything went digital and now yes I am computer geek this is till all chinease to me I even just started getting a calibration message pop up that I know what its for but after that the computer and the S4 was not talking.... So yes I am learning reading and I am truly at my very basics of the S4 and hopfuly soon be able to master this sexy beast Thanks for all your help in advance | |
| Leeanna Ayla 29.07.2012 |
Originally Posted by snoemu5a
Originally Posted by snoemu5a
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| Rey Holubar 28.07.2012 |
Originally Posted by snoemu5a
scamo |
| Gilda Schreider 25.07.2012 | Ok so I was having a discussion with the sound guy at a local church he saw I was running an S4 and was real interested everything was going smoothly untill he saw the outputs RCA and the 1/4" output 1 and output 2 He said I should be running both outputs when connecting to my sound system and not just output 1 or 2, he also said that the 1/4" cable I got was no good it was stereo and I was plugging into there patch panal that ran to a board. He said when running 1/4" I shoudl always run mono and set my settings to mono He said even when I run my powered sound system KW's I should run both 1/4" and be running mono That being said is he right I thought running one 1/4" out to there panal was ok and always thought the other output 2 would be for a controler or other options Let me explain before I get bashed... Yes I should know my craft wich I yes I am still learning I used to DJ back in the Day and havnt touched anything since the my 1200's in 2000 everything went digital and now yes I am computer geek this is till all chinease to me I even just started getting a calibration message pop up that I know what its for but after that the computer and the S4 was not talking.... So yes I am learning reading and I am truly at my very basics of the S4 and hopfuly soon be able to master this sexy beast Thanks for all your help in advance |
| Laurie Nardi 31.07.2012 | I've seen the 'balanced' term bandied about fairly often and I didn't know exactly what it meant, so thanks for the clarification. However, I've never considered a 'stereo' 1/4" cable as I'm used to only seeing them used in mono situations like guitar amps etc. Although I guess it makes sense as my headphones have only 1 1/4" cable coming out of them! derp :P But now I'm slightly concerned. If I use a stereo cable (since now I don't remember what type of cables I bought) on a S4 1/4" output will it still produce the mono sound (mono meaning 1 channel and not stereo combined) at 100% power? I feel like it should... at least so that I don't have to buy new cables. Finally, I guess what the church guy is saying makes sense because he doesn't want to have to SE 2 channels of your music in this scenario. He's probably got lots of other things to worry about sound-wise so it would make his life easier just plugging in a mono input channel and labeling it 'S4 Decks'. I don't get the 'always set to mono' comment though. I believe you may have been confused about what he was trying to tell you and if you re-chat with him after reading this thread it'll make a lot more sense. |
| Sparkle Faldyn 31.07.2012 | Oh WELL... too late too do anythig about now.. |
| Rey Holubar 30.07.2012 | I believe the "No, no, no" and him calling me "Miss Information" could have been dropped too. But I can take it. I've been doing community
s for over 13 years. I've seen them all. scamo |
| Leeanna Ayla 29.07.2012 |
Originally Posted by snoemu5a
Originally Posted by snoemu5a
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| Sparkle Faldyn 29.07.2012 | "You could have corrected me in a less smart ass way" I'm sorry. Smart ass is the only way I know how :P |
| Rey Holubar 28.07.2012 |
Originally Posted by snoemu5a
scamo |
| Nancey Inderlied 28.07.2012 | A church SE doesn't know what he's doing?! Nowai!! Seriously though. The S4 has a pair of stereo split TRS balanced outs (or outputs in a balanced form utilizing TRS connectors if you're a semantic ass), run them with a pair of balanced quarters (they look like stereo jacks), for long cable runs. Typically, unless you're dealing with legacy gear or patch/aux banks, the outputs and inputs over 1/4" jacks are generally balanced. But, like I said, in the olden days balanced outs weren't exactly standard, which is why you see so many idiots and old hats get all weird about them. |
| Sparkle Faldyn 28.07.2012 | " TRS outputs are also called "balanced" outputs, which basically means they are less susceptible to any kind of electrical interference, because the cables have a grounded shielding." No no no. First of all, there's no such thing as a TRS output. You have TRS connector. TRS stands for tip/ring/sleeve. TRS "outputs" are not also called balanced outputs. You have balanced outs that utilize a TRS connector, but they are not the same thing. Secondly, balanced cables are less susceptible to interference, but not because they have a "grounded shielding" as you clumsily (and wrongly) put it. In a nutshell it's because it sends an inverted signal through the ring (tRs) that is then matched up against the original signal (in the amp) and any difference is discarded. It's the same way a HDMI cable works. Either read a book on audio or stfu, Miss Information. Also, one cable in each hole dude. And where you spinning in a church?! |
| Rey Holubar 25.07.2012 | Ok, rereading this and manchild's reply.....
He said I should be running both outputs when connecting to my sound system and not just output 1 or 2, he also said that the 1/4" cable I got was no good it was stereo and I was plugging into there patch panal that ran to a board. He said when running 1/4" I shoudl always run mono and set my settings to mono
Hope that helps. scamo |
| Addie Engbrecht 25.07.2012 | Maybe he is talking about the actual cable you are using. I'm not sure if you were using a changeover cable like TRS stereo to RCA pair or something (that would be a dead give away), but there is even a slight difference between Stereo TRS and Mono TRS cables as well. IMO, the guy seems like he knows what he was talking about. I'm guessing if you asked him to explain a little bit more about what he was talking untill you completely understood, he seems like the type of guy that loves talking about stuff like that. And to answer your question, if you run only 1 output then you only have one sound channel (Mono). Just make sure you set your mixer output to Mono, and in your situation with the S4, you can change the output signal to Mono inside of Traktor. |
| Gilda Schreider 25.07.2012 | Thanks so much for your help See its a church that has a presonus board I believe I spelled it wrong lol anyway they have drummers and gutiars as well as bass players and keyborads all plugging in as well as mic's and everything you could believe of so they have all the connections I need So should I be using the two 1/4" outputs and not just one |
| Rey Holubar 25.07.2012 | Hey, Not sure why he is telling you that you should be running mono, unless you only have one input. Here is what I understand about the S4 TRS and RCA outputs. The two 1/4" TRS outputs are for your left and right stereo channels (1- Left, 2-Right) and each output are in their own right mono outputs. TRS outputs are also called "balanced" outputs, which basically means they are less susceptible to any kind of electrical interference, because the cables have a grounded shielding. If you need to have long cables to your speakers or your sound system, then the TRS outputs are the better choice. Also if your sound system has TRS inputs, you should use the TRS outputs from the S4 to connect up to it as this will give you the best audio quality connection. If you mix outputs and inputs (i.e. RCA to TRS) you will still have a working sound signal, but it isn't the best practice. The RCA outputs are just like TRS from a stereo perspective. Each output is one side of the stereo signal. RCA outputs are unbalanced and thus more susceptible to interference. If you have a shorter connection to your sound system, RCA are ok for that use and especially if your sound system has RCA inputs. They would be the better connection for say booth monitors. One thing the S4 is missing is separate volume controls for the two sets of outputs. That would have made the RCAs the perfect booth outs. (or even better, two sets of TRSs with separate volume controls) At any rate, hope I could help and I hope my information is accurate. If I have said something wrong, I hope someone more in the know will please correct me. Here is also something to read up on about cabling. http://www.rane.com/note110.html scamo |
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