XLR Cable Tutorial
- 1). Identify XLR cables by the pins (typically three of them) on the male connector or holes for pins on the female, as well as the latch on the top that holds the connector in place.
- 2). Become familiar with the function of each of the three pins. Looking at a male connector face-on, it is numbered counter-clockwise from the upper right (where the latch is at the top). The female is numbered clockwise from the upper left. Pin one is the signal ground, pin two the positive (hot) line and pin three the negative (cold) line.
- 3). Use standard three-pin XLR cables for audio equipment. XLR cables with four, five, six and seven pins exist and are used for various purposes, including lighting equipment, film, intercom systems and even fog machines.
- 4). Plug the female end of an XLR cable into your devices' male outputs, and the male end into your devices' female inputs. Audio signals by standard run from male to female.
- 5). Notice that when connecting or disconnecting live equipment, you hear no buzz from external pick-up of miscellaneous noise. This is because the ground connection extends further out in the female connector so that it connects first, before the live channels connect.
