Cables / Connectors

Years ago I touched a guitar that was plugged into an amp against a radiator, and it blew the amp and melted the guitar string. Afterwards someone told me that this was caused by a ground loop. Can you explain?

Where do you turn when you need a multicore that will handle two MIDI lines, a 9V DC power line and a voltage control line?

I'm about to move house and set up a studio in the spare bedroom with all my stuff, and I'm just interested in what the best use of power points is.

Can you recommend products suitable for the European power grid that can be used to clean up the power signal and ground loops?

Is it possible to use a video patchbay, such as the one Studiospares sell, as an S/PDIF patchbay?

Suffering from signal degradation or mains hum on your audio lines? The chances are that you're having problems with impedance matching or earth loops. However, with a little understanding and some careful planning, these gremlins can be successfully eliminated.

Most SOS readers seem either to be setting up a studio or refining their existing setup, and could save money and hassle by doing much of the wiring and installation themselves. We explain how.

All tangled up when it comes to audio leads? Here are the answers to the most common queries on the subject from SOS readers.

Poor studio wiring can lead to hums and buzzes, but you can avoid the worst of these problems by following a few simple rules.

Paul White gives a new patchbay a shameless (jack) plug...

The spread of the ADAT 8-channel optical digital interface to studio equipment of all kinds has raised the prospect of a revolution in multitrack digital recording. Self-confessed digital evangelist (amd Korg UK product specialist) Paul Wiffen explains how the optical digital interface and several fibreglass cables made keyboard session player Wix Wickens' life easier at last year's prestigious Songs and Visions concert at Wembley.

Midiman are a company devoted to producing cost-effective problem solvers, and with the Digipatch they're aiming to solve the problem of affordable digital patching. Paul White finds out how well they've succeeded.

Now that digital equipment is arriving in project studios, a patchbay becomes a worthwhile purchase. Mike Collins goes back to his routes...

Low‑cost jack patchbays are available from a number of sources, but most tend to use the same type of budget jack socket...

As an exercise in lateral thinking, re-patching your studio is a delight. As an actual prospect, it's somewhat more daunting. Paul White plugs into a programmable patchbay and lets his fingers do the walking...