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Bass > effect pedal > XLR or TS cable to audio interface?

Rainbird

Rainbird

Dec 30, 2009
36
5
Central Canada
#1
I have a Behringer BDI21 preamp/tone shaper pedal on the way. It has both XLR and 1/4" cable outputs. Just want to go Bass> into pedal> into my audio interface (Native Instruments Komplete Audio 2), which has a couple combo (XLR/TS) inputs.

Is there any difference in quality of signal, or other benefit of using the XLR(out/in) over a standard 1/4" cable connection?

I should mention that the pedal will likely always be within a few feet of the interface. ...Thanks for any advice or tips. :)
 
#2
Is the 1/4" unbalanced or balanced? (1 or 2 rings on the sleeve of the plug)

Theoretically a balanced 1/4" and an xlr (balanced by nature) would offer the same performance. The benefit of the balanced cable over an unbalanced one is better noise rejection from outside sources. And a benefit of an xlr is they can lock into place so you can't accidentallt knock the cable loose.

tl;dr use the xlr, but theres little chance you'll hear a difference, especially with a short cable run. Keep the area around the audio cables free of cell phones and power cables and you're good.
 
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#3
The 1/4" output of the pedal is TS according to the manual... so unbalanced. Not sure on the interface, but probably the same.

No wifi in the area, but lots of other corded electronics in the immediate area, so i'll go xlr just for that added peace of mind. Thanks for that And I. :thumbsup:
 
#4
Rainbird said:
I have a Behringer BDI21 preamp/tone shaper pedal on the way. It has both XLR and 1/4" cable outputs. Just want to go Bass> into pedal> into my audio interface (Native Instruments Komplete Audio 2), which has a couple combo (XLR/TS) inputs.

Is there any difference in quality of signal, or other benefit of using the XLR(out/in) over a standard 1/4" cable connection?

I should mention that the pedal will likely always be within a few feet of the interface. ...Thanks for any advice or tips. :)
Click to expand...

The 2 outputs will have a different impedance. XLR (low Imped) TS (Line Level) - Your interface is likley going to have an XLR/Line selection somewhere either external or internal. You can match them up. Plug your bass into the unit and see which one suits your needs for the pickups/electronics/bass you have. Personally, if I plug into a DI, I use a balanced low impedance out if it is available.

I imagine there is plenty of gain (noisy or not) on tap with that pedal regardless and despite it being an entry level setup, the mechanics are still there and whether it makes a 1% difference or not you may as well start to learn level matching and critical listening concepts early. Mostly man, have fun recording your bass ;)
 
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#5
The KA2 has a switch beside each input (line/inst). I'll try both, starting with instrument and see what the levels are like with the xlr cable. Also just to note, my bass has passive electronics w/Bartolini jazz pickups.

Thanks for your help Bonafide.
Audio interface_.jpg
 
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#8
And I said:
Is the 1/4" unbalanced or balanced? (1 or 2 rings on the sleeve of the plug)

Theoretically a balanced 1/4" and an xlr (balanced by nature) would offer the same performance. The benefit of the balanced cable over an unbalanced one is better noise rejection from outside sources. And a benefit of an xlr is they can lock into place so you can't accidentallt knock the cable loose.

tl;dr use the xlr, but theres little chance you'll hear a difference, especially with a short cable run. Keep the area around the audio cables free of cell phones and power cables and you're good.
Click to expand...

TS (Tip/Sleeve) by definition is used for unbalanced cables. It has no rings. TRS can be used for balanced audio cables. It has ONE ring. That's what the R stands for.

OP. There is no practical, or sonic difference between 1/4" TRS balanced cables and those using XLR connectors.
The XLR's might be a bit more expensive than TRS, but the XLR's are less likely to get accidentally pulled out of the equipment.
 
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#11
Rainbird said:
I have a Behringer BDI21 preamp/tone shaper pedal on the way. It has both XLR and 1/4" cable outputs. Just want to go Bass> into pedal> into my audio interface (Native Instruments Komplete Audio 2), which has a couple combo (XLR/TS) inputs.

Is there any difference in quality of signal, or other benefit of using the XLR(out/in) over a standard 1/4" cable connection?

I should mention that the pedal will likely always be within a few feet of the interface. ...Thanks for any advice or tips. :)
Click to expand...
Realistically there's no difference. Adjust the gain on the interface and the pedal so that it doesn't clip and you're good to go
 
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#12
The xlr I ordered is only 3 ft, which should work well for my desktop setup. My interface sits between a powered monitor, landline phone, voip adapter, router and modem. All hard wired, so no worries of wifi interference. But it's quite a bit of electronic devices within about 5 ft, so thought it may be best to go with xlr anyway, for possibly a bit better shielding.
 
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#13
Rainbird said:
The xlr I ordered is only 3 ft, which should work well for my desktop setup. My interface sits between a powered monitor, landline phone, voip adapter, router and modem. All hard wired, so no worries of wifi interference. But it's quite a bit of electronic devices within about 5 ft, so thought it may be best to go with xlr anyway, for possibly a bit better shielding.
Click to expand...
I'll say that you're overly cautious buying an extra XLR cable. But it's always handy to have an XLR cable on hand and it's cheap. I go XLR into my interface too, but that's mainly because I had one lying around anyways. You don't have to worry about any shielding issues and if you do actually have some sort of interference, then it's probably not due to the cable picking any up
 
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#16
Rainbird said:
The KA2 has a switch beside each input (line/inst). I'll try both, starting with instrument and see what the levels are like with the xlr cable. Also just to note, my bass has passive electronics w/Bartolini jazz pickups.

Thanks for your help Bonafide.
View attachment 4792262
Click to expand...
And I said:
Right, technically. But you do see a literal "ring" around the connector between the tip and sleeve. I was trying to describe it to the OP who may not know those details.
Click to expand...
Ah! OK. I see where your going. Yeah! Those rings are the insulators between the conducting sections of the plug.
 
#17
Rainbird said:
Yes, I also always thought of it as 1 ring; mono/unbalanced, 2 ring; stereo/balanced.
They really should be called TRS(mono) , T2RS(stereo).
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, there are a lot of connectors in our world with names that don't necessarily make sense to the lay person. In the 1/4" phone plug/jack world, there is TS and TRS. That also applies to 1/8" phone jacks, plus there is TRRS. That has four conductors.
And what's the deal with 1/4" a "phone" plugs? They don't plug into anyone's phone.

Over in the world of Radio Frequency land we have a plug/jack pairs called UHF connectors. The are a very poor type of connector to use at UHF, Ultra High Frequencies. And do we want to talk about Male and Female connectors? Look at the 1/4" phone plug and guess what sex it is. Yes we distinguish them by sex. They are even referred to as mating connectors. These are just a few examples.
As in many industries, professions, organizations and hobbies, there is a special language associated with the parts and processes. If one is to dabble, one should try to become familiar with some of the talk of the trade.

upload_2022-8-26_0-21-49.jpeg
 

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