Hi, I want to connect my tracker to an empress zoia and I wonder if all I need is a trs 3.5mm cable of audio or it’s a specific trs cable for midi.
I have midi jack cables and I know how to connect via midi but I would like to know about a single trs cable without adapters. Thanks!
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ZOIA is MIDI TRS A and Tracker is TRS B so a 3.5mm cable wouldn’t work between these 2 devices. TRS A sends MIDI info on the ring of the TRS cable and receives it on the tip and TRS - B is the inverse.
So TRS B devices will talk to each other with a 3.5mm TRS cable only if they are both TRS B.
So you would either need to use the MIDI dongles with a DIN MIDI cable between the two or you could use something like this - https://retrokits.com/shop/trsabdongle/
Or you could make your own 3.5mm TRS A to TRS B cable by switching the ring and tip connections on once side if you are handy with a soldering iron. I don’t know anyone that sells these types of 3.5mm cables.
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Thanks a lot. You have clarified my ideas. If, for example, Zoia were MIDI TRS B type… Could a normal TRS audio cable be used?.. I’ve always called them, I don’t know if wrongly, stereo cables…
Yes if they were both Type B it would work, for example I have a 3.5mm stereo cable from the Play MIDI output to the Tracker right now. TRS A and B are important for the DIN midi adapter but any stereo cable would work with two TRS A or two TRS B devices.
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Thank you very much for the answer
No problem, it can be a confusing subject so happy to answer any other questions on it!
Thank heavens for this thread. It helped me solve a problem where I wasn’t using the bundled MIDI adapter that came with my tracker. Little did I know that there is a type A and B!!
Retrokits sells a TRS A-> B dongle here:
Useful to have a cleaner connection directly between a TRS-B device to a TRS-A device!