DI box(es) on a patchbay?!

[bradshc]

Quick update, for no other reason than to highlight Sequential's great customer service (in my opinion).

I checked with Sequential and getting the synth fixed by a local tech would have invalidated the warranty (there are no authorised repair centres in Ireland, unfortunately).
Fair enough.

However, for the paltry sum of $25, plus the the cost of sending the voice boards to Sequential in San Francisco (€27), they repaired the problem for me and paid for return postage, all within 3 weeks (most of which was transport time).

Result!

[blinddrew]

Sounds pretty good to me!

[Martin Walker]

Wow, that IS impressive service!

No wonder they have such a good reputation among their customers.

Martin

[Arpangel]

I see no reason to worry about balanced outputs on keyboards and DI boxes in a home studio, it’s a waste of time, and just adds more things to go wrong.
Unless you’re running cables over many metres, in an RF hostile environment, it makes no sense.

[The Elf]

I disagree. The more balanced connections you can make the cleaner system as a whole you will have. It is neither complicated, nor inherently prone to problems. It's not a waste of time at all.

I can cite several studio owners that have been smacked of the gob when I've re-wired them with balanced cable and the veil has been lifted from their eyes and ears. Typically the response is 'why didn't I do this years ago?'.

(DI boxes would be my third choice.)

Use balanced cables every time you can. Your audio will thank you for it.

[Hugh Robjohns]

I see no reason...

I suspect that's because you don't understand the issues involved!

...just adds more things to go wrong.

There is nothing more to go wrong in a balanced interface.

Unless you’re running cables over many metres, in an RF hostile environment, it makes no sense.

You're right in that interference isn't the problem, but the balanced interface is about much more than just reducing interference.

In a complex studio with myriad connections between lots of different bits of equipment, ground loops are frequently a major problem and notoriously difficult to resolve.

The balanced interface, being fundamentally ground-free, eliminates that problem at a stroke (when implemented correctly).