1. Unbalanced Signal A two wire cable is used
“Hot”
Ground
Input
Cable
Output
A two wire cable is used
“Hot” carries the signal (voltage)
Ground (shield) is the 0 volt reference

2. Unbalanced Signal
“Hot”
Ground
Input
Cable
Output
Any noise picked up during transmission through the cable is added to the output signal

3. Unbalanced Cables Any cable with only a “hot” and ground signal
Guitar cables
Keyboard cables (sometimes)
RCA cables
Headphones (stereo)
Y-cables used as insert-return cables in many small consoles
Speaker wire or cables

4. Balanced Signal A three wire cable is used
“Hot”
“Cold”
Ground
Input
Cable
Output
A three wire cable is used
“Hot” carries the signal (voltage)
“Cold” carries the same signal, but at the reverse polarity
Ground (shield) is the 0 volt reference

5. Balanced Signal
“Hot”
“Cold”
Ground
Input
Cable
Output
The input makes a copy of the signal (“hot”) and flips the polarity 180° to create a second signal (“cold”)
At the output, the “cold” signal is flipped 180° in polarity and combined with the “hot” signal.

6. Balanced Signal
“Hot”
“Cold”
Ground
Input
Cable
Output
When the output polarity flips the “cold” signal by 180°, any noise picked up during transmission through the cable is cancelled
The balanced signal is 6 dB stronger than an unbalanced signal (2 copies of the signal = 6 dB)

7. XLR Connectors
XLR
1. ground
2. “hot”
3. “cold”

8. ¼” Connectors – Balanced (TRS)
TRS – Tip Ring Sleeve
TS – Tip Sleeve
TRS BALANCED
1. Sleeve - ground
2. Ring – “cold”
3. Tip – “hot”
4. Insulating rings

9. ¼” Connectors – Unbalanced (TS)
TRS – Tip Ring Sleeve
TS – Tip Sleeve
TS UNBALANCED
1. Sleeve - ground
3. Tip – “hot”
4. Insulating rings

10. ¼” Connectors – Stereo TRS (Unbalanced)
TRS – Tip Ring Sleeve
TS – Tip Sleeve
TRS STEREO PLUG - Unbalanced
1. Sleeve - ground
2. Ring – “hot” RIGHT
3. Tip – “hot” LEFT
4. Insulating rings

11. XLR to ¼” Connectors
1. ground
2. “hot”
3. “cold”