Mic and audio interconnection cookbook

Duane N9DG

Frequently there are questions about making up mic or audio connects to, from, and between radio and audio gear. I have found this technote by the Rane Corporation to be excellent, and with many practical examples for how to interconnect two pieces of analog audio equipment. I use it as my "cookbook" guide for anything audio that I deal with.

http://www.rane.com/note110.html

That technote covers transitions between balanced and unbalanced worlds, various realities of the "grounding" internal to differing pieces of equipment (AKA the "pin 1 problem"). And this technote is entirely consistent with K9YC's writings on the topic...

The only thing this technote does not have information about is PTT connections. That is because it was written for those who work in the broadcast and pro audio worlds.

allenfr

Thank you !  A nice resource. 

Rob N4GA

Good stuff, thanks. I also have this saved away, which I found on this site - somewhere, sometime:

Many audio complaints are due to miss wired microphones. Pin 7 , is not for shields or connecting to pin 5 (chassis ground). Pin 7 is for mic minus only , Pin 8 is audio. And some mic plugs can be rotated 180 degrees, so be careful . Some commercial cables are mis-wired, so be sure that pin 7 is not shorted to pin 5. 

-Dudley