1/4" TRS out to RCA Phono In?

TelePaul

Hey guys, trying to hook up my Alesis' left and right outputs to my ancient amplifiers RCA inputs. The Alesis outs are 1/4" TRS and the old amp just takes RCA inputs. Is there such a lead that will allow me to connect one to the other?

The only thing that seemed close to what I was looking for was a cable connecting RCA outs to a stereo headphone in...which was no good because I need a left and a right seperately, if that makes sense?

jtsuited

TelePaul wrote: »

Hey guys, trying to hook up my Alesis' left and right outputs to my ancient amplifiers RCA inputs. The Alesis outs are 1/4" TRS and the old amp just takes RCA inputs. Is there such a lead that will allow me to connect one to the other?

The only thing that seemed close to what I was looking for was a cable connecting RCA outs to a stereo headphone in...which was no good because I need a left and a right seperately, if that makes sense?

I have this exact problem when playing live so I got two quarter inch to phono adaptors and then just use a phono lead.

TelePaul

jtsuited wrote: »

I have this exact problem when playing live so I got two quarter inch to phono adaptors and then just use a phono lead.

Thats what I'm looking for! Where'd ya get them? Might try make one later.

jtsuited

got them in aquarius sound and lighting in celbridge. i'm almost 100% you'll get one in Maplin.

TelePaul

Cheers mate for your help, turns out this one isn't as simple as that!

A few months back I had a massive leak and most of my stuff got wrecked. I have this old stereo amplifier and some ancient speakers that I use to monitor and mix on. Seems the amplifier has bitten the dust - I can't get anything to play through it and I've re-checked the wiring to the speakers.

So now I ahve two speakers but no amplifier. Where does this leave me? I guess I could check the impedance on the speakers but do modern amps - which I havn't seen alot of - even use speaker wire?

PaulBrewer

TelePaul wrote: »

do modern amps - which I havn't seen alot of - even use speaker wire?

Huh?

TelePaul

PaulBrewer wrote: »

Huh?

well do they??? I mean I've spent the last few hours ****ing about with RCA Phono cables trying to make them fit my Alesis outs...

PaulBrewer

TelePaul wrote: »

well do they??? I mean I've spent the last few hours ****ing about with RCA Phono cables trying to make them fit my Alesis outs...

Alesis what? What you on about ya Fruitcake? Why wouldn't 'modern' amps use speaker wire? How else do you connect an amp to a speaker?

TelePaul

PaulBrewer wrote: »

Alesis what? What you on about ya Fruitcake? Why wouldn't 'modern' amps use speaker wire? How else do you connect an amp to a speaker?

I dunno! I'm confused now. My guitar amp has like, a 1/4 inch jack type thing that connects the head to the internal speaker. I figured somewhere along the way someone decided that these were a more robust method than pissy little bits of grey wire.

PaulBrewer

TelePaul wrote: »

I dunno! I'm confused now. My guitar amp has like, a 1/4 inch jack type thing that connects the head to the internal speaker. I figured somewhere along the way someone decided that these were a more robust method than pissy little bits of grey wire.

A 1/4 inch jack connected to ........... speaker wire perchance?

The skinny grey figure of 8 stuff is common with cheapo hi fi stuff but the cable from your guitar head is more or less the same, more likely with more strands to carry the bigger current to your guitar speaker.

Are we on the same page?

TelePaul

PaulBrewer wrote: »

A 1/4 inch jack connected to ........... speaker wire perchance?

The skinny grey figure of 8 stuff is common with cheapo hi fi stuff but the cable from your guitar head is more or less the same, more likely with more strands to carry the bigger current to your guitar speaker.

Are we on the same page?

Sorta...I guess. Sorry, I'm just tired, and audio is hard. I've had to rescue an old amplifier from my garage and clean it up. I hope it works. I wont know till tomorrow, need to rewire a plug and make two RCA->1/4" jack cables.

PaulBrewer

TelePaul wrote: »

audio is hard.

If you make it so, Yes!

TelePaul

Okay I'm really at the end of my tether with this. Sorry for last nights confusion, I was tired and had been trying to sort out my monitoring all night.

Jtsuited, are the Outputs of the Alesis 4 stereo pairs? Or is each one capable of delivering a stereo output?

In terms of connecting to my stereo amp, I've hooked up Ouput 1 to the Red RCA Phono in and Output 2 to the White RCA Phono in, but all I get is mono; I can't pan in Cubase (or at least panning doesn't achieve the reuslt it should.) If I combine the red and white RCA cables to one TRS jack, I get no audio from the right speaker.

Any ideas as to what I'm doing wrong?

PaulBrewer

TelePaul wrote: »

Okay I'm really at the end of my tether with this. Sorry for last nights confusion, I was tired and had been trying to sort out my monitoring all night.

Jtsuited, are the Outputs of the Alesis 4 stereo pairs? Or is each one capable of delivering a stereo output?

In terms of connecting to my stereo amp, I've hooked up Ouput 1 to the Red RCA Phono in and Output 2 to the White RCA Phono in, but all I get is mono; I can't pan in Cubase (or at least panning doesn't achieve the reuslt it should.) If I combine the red and white RCA cables to one TRS jack, I get no audio from the right speaker.

Any ideas as to what I'm doing wrong?

Chief! This is day one stuff.

What alesis model?

What amp?

What cables and connectors do you have?

TelePaul

PaulBrewer wrote: »

Chief! This is day one stuff.

What alesis model?

What amp?

What cables and connectors do you have?

I know this is amateur stuff, but I'm an amateur, I can't stress that enough.

Here's the unit; there are pics of the back on the site.

The amp is...well, something like this but much older...it was one of the old seperates with twin tape decks built in, FM radio on top and sometimes and old vinyl on top of that.

The cables I have are RCA Phonos - Red and white to red and white. I also have a bunch of 1/4" TRS jacks (stolen from guitar pedal patch-cables)

PaulBrewer

Ah right.....

1.First connect the speakers to the amp , with SPEAKER WIRE .

2.Then connect a pair of RCA phono leads to your amp input , it looks like Aux in is the one.

3.Then turn on amp and set at lowish volume.

4. Make sure 'Aux' is selected

5. Touch the tips of the connectors and make sure that you have a wee hum, on the left when you touch the white and on the right on the red.

6. We've established the amp and speakers are working.

I'm guessing that the outputs from the Alesis are Line Out 1 and 2 on the back of the unit?
Do you actually mean TRS jacks as in tip/ring/sleeve i.e. 3 connections or the more common 'guitar' jack i.e tip and sleeve. Are you butchering the Phono leads? If so -



7. Connect the inner core of the phono lead to the tip of the 1/4 inch jack

8. Connect the outer shield to the sleeve of the jack plug (also if you are using TRS connect to the ring too - this could be very important!)

9. If you have an Ipod sized stereo jack to phono lead and a bigplug to small hole headphone adapter you could use one of the headphone outs to drive the amp if you're stuck.

10. Never darken my internet door again!:(

jtsuited

em. i don't have an alesis. what i meant was i normally have to go from my duet's unbalanced quarter inch outs to phono input on the dj mixer.

Now you're in a similar situation I think.

So here's what ya do.

1. Get two of them handy little quarter inch to phono adapters.

2. Put them on one end of a phono lead.

3. Connect them into your alesis (whichever output you wanna use).

4. Connect the other end into your stereo amp.

TelePaul

PaulBrewer wrote: »

Ah right.....

1.First connect the speakers to the amp , with SPEAKER WIRE .

2.Then connect a pair of RCA phono leads to your amp input , it looks like Aux in is the one.

3.Then turn on amp and set at lowish volume.

4. Make sure 'Aux' is selected

5. Touch the tips of the connectors and make sure that you have a wee hum, on the left when you touch the white and on the right on the red.

6. We've established the amp and speakers are working.

I'm guessing that the outputs from the Alesis are Line Out 1 and 2 on the back of the unit?
Do you actually mean TRS jacks as in tip/ring/sleeve i.e. 3 connections or the more common 'guitar' jack i.e tip and sleeve. Are you butchering the Phono leads? If so -



7. Connect the inner core of the phono to the tip of the 1/4 inch jack

8. Connect the outer shield to the sleeve of the jack plug (also if you are using TRS connect to the ring too)

9. If you have an Ipod sized stereo jack to phono lead and a bigplug to small hole headphone adapter you could use one of the headphone outs to drive the amp if you're stuck.

10. Never darken my internet door again!:(

So - just to be clear - the white and the red need to be wired to the ONE 1/4" jack?? Or are the Alesis outs 1 and 2 mono? I.e, connect a white RCA to output 1 and the red RCA to output 2?

PaulBrewer

TelePaul wrote: »

Connect a white RCA to output 1 and the red RCA to output 2?

Correct! I just clarified a couple of points on my last post too ....

TelePaul

PaulBrewer wrote: »

Correct! I just clarified a couple of points on my last post too ....

Thanks Paul.

Although the Alesis boasts of 8 outputs...which isn't strictly true if the outputs are in fact Four Pairs X Left and Right

jtsuited

TelePaul wrote: »

Thanks Paul.

Although the Alesis boasts of 8 outputs...which isn't strictly true if the outputs are in fact Four Pairs X Left and Right

no it is true. 8 outs = 4 stereo outs.

TelePaul

jtsuited wrote: »

no it is true. 8 outs = 4 stereo outs.

Ah I see. What circumstances would you use a mono out for though?

PaulBrewer

Is it working?

TelePaul

PaulBrewer wrote: »

Is it working?

Gonna try it in a sec.

TelePaul

Okay, everything sorted! Cheers Paul...guess I wont be throwing my CV into the Audio Warehouse any time soon.