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18 Soundcraft MFXi MPMi User Guide Issue 1210
Polarity (Phase)
You will probably be familiar with the concept of polarity in electrical signals and this
is of particular importance to balanced audio signals. Just as a balanced signal is
highly effective at cancelling out unwanted interference, so two microphones pick-
ing up the same signal can cancel out, or cause serious degradation of the signal
if one of the cables has the +ve and -ve wires reversed. This phase reversal can
be a real problem when microphones are close together and you should therefore
always take care to connect pins correctly when wiring audio cables.
Grounding and Shielding
For optimum performance use balanced connections where possible and ensure
that all signals are referenced to a solid, noise-free earthing point and that all signal
cables have their screens connected to ground. In some unusual circumstances,
to avoid earth or ground ‘loops’ ensure cable screens and other signal earths are
connected to ground only at their source and not at both ends.
If the use of unbalanced connections is unavoidable, you can minimise noise by
following these wiring guidelines:
• On INPUTS, unbalance at the source and use a twin screened cable as though
it were balanced.
• On OUTPUTS, connect the signal to the +ve output pin, and the ground of the
output device to -ve. If a twin screened cable is used, connect the screen
only at the mixer end.
• Avoid running audio cables or placing audio equipment close to thyristor
dimmer units or power cables.
• Noise immunity is improved signicantly by the use of low impedance sources,
such as good quality professional microphones or the outputs from most
modern audio equipment. Avoid cheaper high impedance microphones,
which may suffer from interference over long cable runs, even with well-made
cables.
Grounding and shielding is still seen as a black art, and the suggestions above are
only guidelines. If your system still hums, an earth/ground loop is the most likely
cause. Two examples of how an earth loop can occur are shown below.
Warning!
Under NO circumstances must the AC power mains earth be disconnected
from the mains lead.