I bought a tc electronics FireWorx multi-effects processor from my friend’s work for just $75 and I’d like to use it for my guitar. However, it uses XLR connectors and I’m not sure how to connect it to my gear (I don’t want to fry anything). I have some basic gear: guitars, amp, 8-channel mixer, and a few effects units, but everything uses 1/4" mono plugs.
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[li]Can I just use XLR-to-1/4" mono cables like these? Then connect the send/recv of my mixer to the analog XLR jacks on the FireWorx?[/li][li]The tech specs for the FireWorx mention that pin 2 is hot. I understand what that means, but is that pretty much the only type of adapter-cable configuration? Or do I need to make sure I get adapter-cables that match?[/li][li]Is there a difference between XLR cables for mics versus XLR cables for audio gear? [/li][li]I already have a mic and an XLR cable. I use an adapter to convert it to 1/4" mono. Is this compatible? Could I just use my existing cable and adapter?[/li][/ul]
Someone who knows more about this kind of gear will be along soon, but I’ll start. Hopefully I won’t mangle this too badly, so cast some grains of salt around.
Your 1/4" guitar connector is line level, the XLR input is mic level. Line level is very hot, Mic level is not, so normally you’d need a converter to go from/to one to/from the other.
Quite a bit of this kind of gear has a switchable interface to/from line/mic level, so its possible that you can just use a dumb cable to convert, but you’d need to switch the in/out to the line level on the effects box. I don’t know if this is the case with the box you’re describing; I poked around the web site and came up dry, so let’s assume for now that this is not the case.
Having said that, yes, if I understand correctly, your fear of frying something is well founded – bad things can generally happen if you pump line level into a mic level connection.
“Line level mic level” googling produces a plethora of hits from people with the same problem you’re trying to solve. My assumption is you need 1 adapter each direction you need to go, from line to mic (guitar to effects box) and then from mic to line (effects box to amp).
No.
ETA: Does your 8-channel mixer not have XLR and Line ins/outs? Mixers will generally do any conversion needed, just plug some gear into the line in, and plug more gear into the XLR out.
This may not be correct. An effects processor with XLR inputs and outputs is more likely to have +4 dBm balanced input/output (much, much hotter than mic level), a more or less standard level for studio gear.
You can use 1/4" adapters to get into and out of the box, and the wiring is simple (normally pin 2 on XLR to the 1/4" tip, and pin 1 and 3 tied together to sleeve), but anything using 1/4" signal I/O is likely to be -10 dBm, which is a semi-pro format. As the effects box is expecting a hotter signal in, you may not have enough gain to drive the box correctly, or it may perform with more noise than it should. And it’s output may be too hot for the gear you’re connecting to.
To complicate things a bit, some gear uses 1/4" tip/ring/sleeve (TRS) connectors in a balanced +4 dBm configuration for the effects loop I/O. I assume that you would want to use this on your mixer - you’ll need to look carefully at your mixer’s manual about the configuration and what sort of signal it wants to see.
It’s been a very long time since I thought about this stuff…
Huh, color me surprised; I thought an XLR connector implied a non-line-level signal, but I’m a home recording duffer, not a studio rat.
ETA: Looking at the unit’s specs, I’m even more confused – it says that the XLRs are AES/EBU, which is a digital signal, so apparently its not mic OR line. Am I misreading this?
Yes, I just read the Tech Specs, and there is a direct digital interface which is XLR (AES/EBU) which is a common interface for digital, but it also has analog I/O as well, which is also XLR, and at the operating level that I thought it might be.
Looks like a nice piece of gear, and it shouldn’t be terribly difficult to get into and out of. The OP won’t be able to plug his guitar directly into it though.
Thanks Fritz and squeegee. I found I could just use XLR to 1/4" phono cables (like my link above) just fine. My mixer isn’t working, but I can feed the guitar right into the box.