This is a list of most of the cables and adapters that Media Loan offers as part of general access (meaning any enrolled students can check them out). The Table should provide enough information to determine which cable or adapter you need, but for more information call or visit media loan for assistance.
In the name column, you will see P or S as part of some names, this is to indicate of the connector is a Plug or a Socket. Plug and Socket is a more technical and appropriate term than the often used connector description of Male and Female to describe if the connector is an extruding piece of metal (plug, male) or a hole that the metal goes into (socket, female). A dash mark in the name column indicates that the cable has 2 different ends like 1/4"-Mini means that it is a 1/4" on one end and it goes to a Mini on the other end.
| Group | Name | Category | Most Common Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A
U D I O |
Mini - 1/4" Dual | AUDIO | iPod | Mini (1/8") splits to two 1/4" for stereo audio output from an iPod or laptop to other audio equipment. |
| 1/4" - Mini | AUDIO | Headphones | Headphones plug adapter | |
| Mini - 1/4" | AUDIO | Headphones | Headphones plug adapter | |
| Mini w/Screw - 1/4" | AUDIO | Headphones | Headphones plug adapter | |
| Mini - RCA Dual | AUDIO | iPod | Typically used to get stereo audio signal from an iPod or laptop and send it into a device with 2 RCA sockets for 2 channels of the stereo signal | |
| RCA Stereo | AUDIO / VIDEO | Home Audio | For connecting stereo speakers or other audio devices that have two RCA connectors at both ends. | |
| Headphone Splitter | AUDIO | Headphones | A cable that connects Mini (1/8") plug to two Mini (1/8") sockets. It allows two headphones to connect to one socket and both get stereo signal. | |
| RCA P - S | AUDIO / VIDEO | Home Audio | RCA extended that has an RCA plug on one end and socket on another. This is not advised to be used to make really long RCA connections because this is an "unbalanced signal" and is vulnerable to adding noise at longer lengths. | |
| RCA P - P | AUDIO / VIDEO | Home Audio | A standard RCA plug to plug cable that could be used for a single signal audio left, right or video. | |
| MINI P - S | AUDIO | iPod | Mini (1/8") extender is used for increasing the reach of a mini connection. | |
| MINI P - P | AUDIO | iPod | Mini (1/8") cable used to connect an iPod (among other things) with audio equipment. | |
| 1/4" - RCA | AUDIO | PA | 1/4" plug to RCA plug connects various audio equipment with compatible sockets. | |
| 1/4" S Barrel | AUDIO | PA | 1/4" socket barrel allows two 1/4" plugs to connect. It is advised to have the same pin count on both sides like 2 pin to 2 pin or 3 pin to 3 pin. | |
| 1/4" TS | AUDIO | Guitar/ keyboards | 1/4" audio cable is TS (Tip, Sleeve) meaning it is used for unbalanced signals. | |
| 1/4" TRS | AUDIO | PA | 1/4" audio cable is TRS (Tip, Ring, Sleeve) meaning is is used to 1 balanced signal or can carry two unbalanced signals. | |
| 1/4" TRS P - S | AUDIO | PA | 1/4" audio extended plug to socket is TRS (Tip, Ring, Sleeve) meaning is is used to 1 balanced signal or can carry two unbalanced signals. | |
| DI Box | AUDIO | Guitar/ keyboards | Connects an unbalanced 1/4" cable to a balanced XLR Cable. It additionally helps with ground loops, impedance matching and preventing electromagnetic noise from being introduced to the signal. The DI Box has the added benefit of switches for a pad, ground lift, as well as an unchanged output of the input so you could connect a guitar cable to the DI Box and have that output to an amp via "1/4" thru" as well the balanced XLR output for connecting to a mixer. | |
| 1/4" to XLR Hilow | AUDIO | Guitar/ keyboards | Connects an unbalanced 1/4" socket to a balanced XLR Cable. It additionally helps with ground loops, impedance matching and preventing electromagnetic noise from being introduced to the signal. | |
| XLR S Barrel | AUDIO | PA | XLR barrel with sockets at both ends, used for connecting 2 XLR plugs. | |
| XLR P Barrel | AUDIO | PA | XLR barrel with plugs at both ends, used for connecting 2 XLR socket. | |
| XLR P - 1/4" TRS | AUDIO | PA | XLR plug to 1/4" plug with TRS (Tip, Ring, Sleeve) for getting a balanced signal from XLR to 1/4" likely to be used for mixer to speaker connections. | |
| XLR S - 1/4" TRS | AUDIO | PA | XLR socket to 1/4" plug with TRS (Tip, Ring, Sleeve) for getting a balanced signal from XLR to 1/4" likely to be used for mixer to speaker connections. | |
| XLR - USB B | AUDIO / COMPUTER | Mic | This can be used to put an XLR microphone signal into a computer. It is a small interface for a single XLR connection to be digitized and turned into a USB type B (version 2) connection. Media Loan also has other interfaces if you want to record more signals. | |
| Mic Splitter | AUDIO | Mic | Allows a XLR connection to be doubled so the same signal be send to difference places. If in an Audio Studio, this could instead be done in the patch bay via the mults. | |
| V
I D E O |
RCA Triple | VIDEO / AUDIO | Video Display | 3 RCA connectors bundled for Audio Left (White), Audio Right (Red), and Composite Video (Yellow). |
| Component Adapter | VIDEO / AUDIO | Video Display | 3 RCA connectors bundled and connected to a DSLR connector. No audio is carried, but instead send video on a red, green, and blue channel as component video. | |
| S Video | VIDEO / AUDIO | Video Display | An older video cable for an older video format. | |
| RCA - Mini TS | AUDIO | Camera Audio | RCA to Mini (1/8") TS (Tip, Sleeve) for connecting audio for a consumer level camera. | |
| RCA Triple - Mini TRRS | VIDEO / AUDIO | Camera A/V | 3 RCA connectors bundled and connected to a Mini (1/8") TRRS (Tip, Ring, Ring, Sleeve) for carrying Audio Left (White), Audio Right (Red), and Composite Video (Yellow). | |
| RCA Triple - Canon Connector | VIDEO / AUDIO | Camera A/V | 3 RCA connectors bundled and connected to a Canon Brand connector for carrying Audio Left (White), Audio Right (Red), and Composite Video (Yellow). | |
| BNC | VIDEO | Video | Video cable most commonly used for SD SDI or HD SDI. | |
| XLR S w/Transformer - Mini TRS | AUDIO | Camera Audio | This cable connects a professional mic to a consumer level camera. It may be preferable to instead record audio to a dedicated audio recorder like the Olympus Recorder rather than the consumer level camera | |
| D
I S P L A Y |
Mac DVI - VGA | COMPUTER / VIDEO | Video Display | Mac DVI to VGA |
| Mac Thunderbolt - VGA | COMPUTER / VIDEO | Video Display | Mac Thunderbolt (MiniDisplayPort) to VGA | |
| DVI - VGA | COMPUTER / VIDEO | Video Display | DVI to VGA | |
| VGA mini - VGA | COMPUTER / VIDEO | Video Display | VGA mini to VGA | |
| HDMI | COMPUTER / VIDEO | Video Display | Normal HDMI cable | |
| HDMI micro | COMPUTER / VIDEO | Video Display | HDMI to HDMI micro | |
| HDMI - VGA | COMPUTER / VIDEO | Video Display | HDMI to VGA | |
| HDMI - Thunderbolt | COMPUTER / VIDEO | Video Display | Thunderbolt | |
| VGA w/Audio | COMPUTER / VIDEO | Video Display | VGA cable, these don't carry audio, but there is a Mini (1/8") cable bundled for carrying audio. | |
| VGA | COMPUTER / VIDEO | Video Display | VGA cable, these dont carry audio. | |
| HDMI Mini | COMPUTER / VIDEO | Video Display | HDMI to HDMI mini | |
| USB C Display Adapter | COMPUTER / VIDEO | Video Display | An adapter that uses a USB C connector like from a modern laptop and connects to the display connector types; HDMI, VGA, DVI. | |
| C
O M P U T E R |
USB A - B | COMPUTER | Data | For Data Connections |
| Card Reader | COMPUTER | Data | Transfurs various data cards (includeing SD) to USB mini | |
| USB mini | COMPUTER | Data | For Data Connections from USB normal to mini | |
| USB micro | COMPUTER | Data | For Data Connections from USB normal to micro | |
| USB P - S | COMPUTER | Data | For USB Extensions | |
| Firewire | COMPUTER | Data | For Data Connections | |
| Phone connector | COMPUTER | Phone | Phone Connector | |
| Ethernet | COMPUTER | Data | Cable often used to connect a computer to a router for internet access without relying on Wifi | |
| Coax | COMPUTER | Data | Often used for RF receiver connection, transmitting home internet and cable, and other things. (Technical side-note, the cable is Coaxial [ the same as BNC and RCA] while the connector is called F-Type) |
