#202

Very nice! What kind of cables are those?

#203

Hello wonderful people of lines.
I’m a newbie here and want to get into the “Banana world” of sound making.
I have a question that I can’t seem to find the answer anywhere. Probably because I’m missing some basic information that everyone knows? Not sure. So the question is: I keep hearing that the banana plugs need to be grounded. What does that mean? And how do you do that?

#204

Banana jacks only have one point of connection on the jack itself which is the signal input/output. Other jacks like 1/4" or 3.5mm have at least two points of connection: the signal input/output and ground. Ground is a common point of reference in an electrical circuit, sometimes refered to as “0 volts”. If a voltage is said to be positive 5 volts, that’s measured in relation to ground.

If a banana jack is usee to connect signals within one synthesizer it’s not necessary for there to be a ground connection between jacks because all circuit inputs/outputs are assumed to be referencing the same ground. But once there is a connection between multiple pieces of equipment with different power sources, the ground reference of the circuits being connected may not be the same.

If a patch cable that carries a ground signal with it is used to connect two pieces of equipment (e.g 1/4" or 3.5mm), the two grounds will be connected anytime a patch I made between the two. Since banana jacks don’t carry the ground signal there needs to be a separate ground connection between the two pieces of equipment to ensure they have a common reference voltage.

6 Likes
#205

To add onto @kbit’s response–as an example, the Buchla systems generally each have a banana jack exclusively for establishing common ground. You simply patch a banana cable between the two systems’ ground jacks and afterwards they both should be referencing the same voltage.

2 Likes
#206

Great guys thank you so much! So let me see if I got this right:

  • when I patch the same instrument there’s no problem.
  • when i have 2 devices that use banana jacks i need to patch them together with a special type of banana cable? Or they have a special input/ output specifically for this reason?
    Thx!
#207

not a special type of banana cable. just a banana cable that connects ground

1 Like
#208

does anyone make nice coiled eurorack cables?

#209

Meng Qi.

3 Likes
#210

hey there,
I am searching for a certain type of cable for a long time,
maybe you peeps can help me?
this is actually the best type of eurorack cable for me.
it is very thin, very flexible and it feels good to the touch.
you can literally braid them, if you have multi-cable-snakes going through your system.
I honestly don’t know why there are other types of cables out there and yet, nobody does them at a decent price. I tried alibaba with no luck.

I encountered them as “arturia cables”:

Screenshot 2020-05-07 at 12.45.29
Screenshot 2020-05-07 at 12.45.291660×1516 414 KB

they were sold as a pack in the US at least - can’t find them in EU.

or as “ginko cables”
https://www.ginkosynthese.com/
he does not sell them anymore and did not reply to my pms or mails.

years of my fruitless search passed and now they are actually made & sold, but the price is crazy:

#2-trophy goes to tendrils, but they do not fit everywhere and the pvc(?) touch is not so nice and they are not soo flexible as the tiny ones.

1 Like
#211

I have a bunch of the FoMu braided cables: https://fomusound.com/collections/frontpage

I like them a lot, but would not describe them as very flexible.

#212

ah yeah, looking good, didn’t know they made right angle. I never had them, but I suppose they are somewhere between regular and thin, or even simply like regular but braided.
the ones I mean are insanely flexible, such a joy wot work with them.

#213

Probably this.

Here is some comparison for you - the grey one is a Moog cable, the mint green is ALM, and the Tendrill.

I quite like the way they are stiff enough to arc over everything else:

IMG_20200507_134807
IMG_20200507_1348073968×2976 2.62 MB
IMG_20200507_134742
IMG_20200507_1347423968×2976 2.97 MB

2 Likes
#214

I just saw someone on the MW FB group showing how flexible these braided cables are.

image
image720×960 131 KB

4 Likes
#215

The FoMu look identical to the Instruo cables (perhaps they are the same). I have a handful and like them better than most braided cables; but I agree that they would not accurately be described as “very” flexible.

#216

thanks a lot for the comparisons, it helps me!
now I see that the fomu are like regular, but in braided.
the ones I search are as thin as tendrils, but in braided.
I have 2 x 104 hp intellijel case and I plan an almost constant patch, which is heavy on the cables.
I tried it out and it makes a huge difference from unplayable/not even able to close the lid to quite ok when using the normal/big cables like infinity/stackcables vs. ultra-thin cables á la arturia/tendrils/tiny sommer cables.
I say this because it might seem like I am over the top with my demands. :wink:

1 Like
#217

A lot of the patching I do is stereo. Does anyone know if anyone makes/sells pairs of patch cables that are stuck together to make a stereo pair? Preferably two different colors for routing.

If not I’ll probably be making a bunch.

A

3 Likes
#218

Could perhaps use insert Y-cable that you plug TRS in to?

#219

Somebody please make stackable right angle 3.5mm TS cables…

7 Likes
#220

I may be having a GREMLINS day… but it seems all my 3.5mm audio connections are dusty, crackly and if a slight gust of wind catches a cable it’s recording ruined by noise. My cable tester is suggesting that 50% of my cables (I have all sorts, usual suspects, no braided) are no good, or at least intermittently dodgy. I have DeOxit spray but it is still noisy. OK, maybe a GREMLINS day, but has anyone considered using different, er… BETTER cable for audio? I’m at a bit of a loss to know what to do…

#221

Loads of options for 1/8" patch cables, much less for 1/4". Typically I just use the colored hosa patch cables. Wish there was a stackable for large format

1 Like