Mic cable with TRS ("stereo") jack into mono 1/4" socket

[Peter C]

I'm going to order a lavalier mic just to add a tad of acoustic sound from my single HB archtop into the mix. It will be attached somewhere around the lower f-hole, probably, and plugged into a DI box (then we'll see!)

So, the mic in question comes with a 1/8" TRS jack and a 1/4" converter jack but the thing is, in some photos of the product, this converter is TS (mono) and in others it's TRS (stereo). I know mics are generally monophonic, but will it matter if it turns out to be TRS and I plug it into a standard mono jack?

[Woody Sound]

Can you tell us the name of the product? Or a link?

[pauln]

From the linked web page:
"Unlike TS cables, the TRS cable can be used with mono and stereo signals. So, it can be used with headphones or any equipment that requires balanced connections. It’s also safer to use TRS cables when you need to plug equipment into multiple devices. It can work with mono-balanced, unbalanced mono, etc. That can eliminate most guesswork over which connectors to use on the right channel."

TS vs TRS Cables (Differences Explained Simply)

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

From the linked web page:
"Unlike TS cables, the TRS cable can be used with mono and stereo signals. So, it can be used with headphones or any equipment that requires balanced connections. It’s also safer to use TRS cables when you need to plug equipment into multiple devices. It can work with mono-balanced, unbalanced mono, etc. That can eliminate most guesswork over which connectors to use on the right channel."

TS vs TRS Cables (Differences Explained Simply)

With all due respect, that linked page does not answer the OP’s question. If anything, it’s so detailed that it will confuse him.

The answer is simple, since he’s not using a low impedance mic with a differential output. A mono source is properly connected to the tip of both a TS and a TRS plug, with its ground connected to the sleeve. There is no connection to the ring contact, so a TS and a TRS plug are interchangeable when connecting a mono source to a TS input jack.

In other words, it doesn’t matter if the adapter is TS or TRS because only the tip and sleeve are in use either way. Just plug it in.

[pauln]

The OP's question is:
"...will it matter if it turns out to be TRS and I plug it into a standard mono jack?"

If the TRS cable
- can be used with mono and stereo signals
- any equipment that requires balanced connections
- with mono-balanced, unbalanced mono, etc
is there an uncertainty that the answer to the OP's question is "No"?

[Peter C]

Thanks for the replies.

So, a mono jack socket, having only sleeve (S) and tip (T) terminals, will basically "ignore" the ring (R) of a TRS plug. The mic is mono anyway, so that I guess that shouldn't be a problem, though I haven't done much research (and neither do I intend to) on why a mono device would carry a TRS ("stereo" to me) jack plug. ("Mono-balanced" is not a concept whose purpose I was very aware of, I must confess).

I dug this up, but it's as far as I'm going :

Standard wiring practice for Lavalier mics, even when mono, to be fitted with a TRS 3.5mm plug. TRS does not automatically mean 'stereo'. It just means Tip-Ring-Sleeve. It can be wired in several ways. (Oh, really?)

This setup helps to reduce noise and interference, making TRS connectors ideal for professional audio applications, such as connecting microphones, mixers, and other studio equipment. (OK)

Edit: Paul's "TS vs TRS Cables (Differences Explained Simply)" link was pretty clear, having now read it properly. Thanks

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Thanks for the replies.

So, a mono jack socket, having only sleeve (S) and tip (T) terminals, will basically "ignore" the ring (R) of a TRS plug. The mic is mono anyway, so that I guess that shouldn't be a problem, though I haven't done much research (and neither do I intend to) on why a mono device would carry a TRS ("stereo" to me) jack plug. ("Mono-balanced" is not a concept whose purpose I was very aware of, I must confess).

I dug this up, but it's as far as I'm going :

Standard wiring practice for Lavalier mics, even when mono, to be fitted with a TRS 3.5mm plug. TRS does not automatically mean 'stereo'. It just means Tip-Ring-Sleeve. It can be wired in several ways. (Oh, really?)

This setup helps to reduce noise and interference, making TRS connectors ideal for professional audio applications, such as connecting microphones, mixers, and other studio equipment. (OK)

Edit: Paul's "TS vs TRS Cables (Differences Explained Simply)" link was pretty clear, having now read it properly. Thanks

Correct - just use it like a standard 2 conductor cable with tip & sleeve. There are also high end mics with differential (balanced) outputs, and there are small stereo mics wired to TRS plugs. But you’re not using either of those.