iPod over sound system at parade?

On Jul 9, 7:45 am, Rebecca Webb <[email protected]> wrote:
> Greetings.
>
> I'm going to be announcing the Glenwood Waterama parade for the 5th time
> on July 26.  My area along the parade route covers several blocks, so a
> sound system with speakers, amplifier, and microphone are provided for
> my use.  The mike is the only item plugged into the amplifier, a device
> I'm somewhat familiar with from theatre work.  The input ports look like
> simple quarter inch females to me.  If I bring an RCA 1/8th inch line
> and a quarter inch adapter to put on one end, will I be able to plug my
> iPod into the sound system and play music for the crowd before the
> parade starts?  We're quite a ways down the route so there's a lot of
> time to kill before the initial color guard arrives.  Thanks.
>
> RW
> ** Posted fromhttp://www.teranews.com**

Your iPod might have come with a 1/8" to two RCA adapter. If not, I
bet you have one laying around if you bought any kind of portable
audio system in the last 10 years. Use that along with adapters to
turn the male RCA ends into male 1/4" ends. You don't want to run your
stereo 1/8" output from your iPod to a mono 1/4" input. It messes up
the impedance and could cause damage to the iPod. Also, if you use a
mono 1/8" connector in your stereo input the mono plug is just
slightly wider than the stereo plug. Over time, this can cause the
widening of the jack on the iPod and eventually, you won't make
contact when you plug in a stereo headphone or other stereo 1/8"
connector.

<[email protected]> wrote ...
> You don't want to run your stereo 1/8" output from your iPod
> to a mono 1/4" input. It messes up the impedance

No, it does nothing of the sort. If you don't know what you are
talking about, please refrain from disseminating disinformation here.

> and could cause damage to the iPod.

No "impedance" problem will "damage" an iPod. The worst case
is to put a dead short across the iPod output, and it doesn't care.

> Also, if you use a mono 1/8" connector in your stereo input the
> mono plug is just slightly wider than the stereo plug.

Where DO you get all this misinformation? 3.5mm plugs are
all the same diameter (i.e. nominal 3.5mm) "Mono" (2-pole)
and "stereo" (3-pole) and even 4-pole 3.5mm plugs are all
the same diameter.

> Over time, this can cause the widening of the jack on the iPod
> and eventually, you won't make contact when you plug in a stereo
> headphone or other stereo 1/8" connector.

You *might* have a problem if you wandered into a museum and
found an old 1/8-inch mono earpiece from a 1960s transistor
radio. Else, your theory about different sizes and widening the
iPod jack are fantasy.

On Jul 9, 10:45 am, Rebecca Webb <[email protected]> wrote:
> Greetings.
>
> I'm going to be announcing the Glenwood Waterama parade for the 5th time
> on July 26. My area along the parade route covers several blocks, so a
> sound system with speakers, amplifier, and microphone are provided for
> my use. The mike is the only item plugged into the amplifier, a device
> I'm somewhat familiar with from theatre work. The input ports look like
> simple quarter inch females to me. If I bring an RCA 1/8th inch line
> and a quarter inch adapter to put on one end, will I be able to plug my
> iPod into the sound system and play music for the crowd before the
> parade starts? We're quite a ways down the route so there's a lot of
> time to kill before the initial color guard arrives. Thanks.
>
> RW
> ** Posted fromhttp://www.teranews.com**

yes

Rebecca Webb <[email protected]> wrote:

> The mike is the only item plugged into the amplifier, a device
> I'm somewhat familiar with from theatre work. The input ports look like
> simple quarter inch females to me. If I bring an RCA 1/8th inch line
> and a quarter inch adapter to put on one end, will I be able to plug my
> iPod into the sound system and play music for the crowd before the
> parade starts?

Yes, but I would find it worth the trouble and cost to buy a cable with
1/8" stereo plug on one end and dual 1/4 TS plugs on the other, to
eliminate the RCA-to-1/4" adapters.

--
ha
Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam

Hank wrote:

> I would find it worth the trouble and cost to buy a cable with
> 1/8" stereo plug on one end and dual 1/4 TS plugs


And cedriclathan154 wrote:
> You don't want to run your
> stereo 1/8" output from your iPod to a mono 1/4" input. It messes up
> the impedance and could cause damage to the iPod.

Good to know, thanks!

Laurence asked:
> What an appropriate name to be announcing a Waterama! Is that why
> they chose you? :-)

Okay, I give up. Why is Rebecca Webb a good name to announce a Waterama
parade? The only association I can think of is the watery end met by
the title character in the Hitchcock movie...

R.
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

"Rebecca Webb" wrote ...
> And cedriclathan154 wrote:
>> You don't want to run your
>> stereo 1/8" output from your iPod to a mono 1/4" input. It messes up
>> the impedance and could cause damage to the iPod.
>
> Good to know, thanks!

Alas, it is fundamentally incorrect. There is NO "impedance"
issue conecting a low output-imedance source such as an
iPod to a high-impedance input such as your 1/4 inch mic
input.

There MAY be a level mismatch because the iPod likely
puts out much more voltage than any mic input is ready for.
This MAY overdrive the sound system (and the ears of
the people hearing it)

Note also that you need to combine the stereo outputs
from the iPod into a mono signal to feed into the mic
input. This is easiest done with a simply "Y-adapter".

On Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:45:42 -0500, Rebecca Webb
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I'm going to be announcing the Glenwood Waterama parade for the 5th time
>on July 26. My area along the parade route covers several blocks, so a
>sound system with speakers, amplifier, and microphone are provided for
>my use. The mike is the only item plugged into the amplifier, a device
>I'm somewhat familiar with from theatre work. The input ports look like
>simple quarter inch females to me. If I bring an RCA 1/8th inch line
>and a quarter inch adapter to put on one end, will I be able to plug my
>iPod into the sound system and play music for the crowd before the
>parade starts? We're quite a ways down the route so there's a lot of
>time to kill before the initial color guard arrives. Thanks.

You'll get some kind of noise out of it. But don't wait until the day
of performance to find out! Who's providing this equipment? What
does he say? Can you hook it up today and experiment?

What an appropriate name to be announcing a Waterama! Is that why
they chose you? :-)

Rebecca Webb wrote:
> Greetings.
>
> I'm going to be announcing the Glenwood Waterama parade for the 5th time
> on July 26. My area along the parade route covers several blocks, so a
> sound system with speakers, amplifier, and microphone are provided for
> my use. The mike is the only item plugged into the amplifier, a device
> I'm somewhat familiar with from theatre work. The input ports look like
> simple quarter inch females to me. If I bring an RCA 1/8th inch line
> and a quarter inch adapter to put on one end, will I be able to plug my
> iPod into the sound system and play music for the crowd before the
> parade starts? We're quite a ways down the route so there's a lot of
> time to kill before the initial color guard arrives. Thanks.
>
> RW
> ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
>
Yes. But don't just roll up on the day and assume it will all work
without a trial run! Test it first - you should be fine - but test it
to be sure.

I assume you also have public performance licence (or whatever the
document is called to keep the legal shmeegles happy) for the music you
will be playing? Either that, or you composed, arranged and performed
it all yourself....

:-)

Chris W

--
The voice of ignorance speaks loud and long,
But the words of the wise are quiet and few.
---