[m^a(t)h]

Okay im trying to figure out how I could take a little keyboard that doesnt have a line out, and patch a standard guitar cable (1/4") to it so I could play it through an amplifier.

I got this direction from a site:

Line" outputs, the electronic audio signals usually fed to a mixer or amplifier, can be derived from the wires going to the speaker of the unit you're working on. Simply solder two more wires to the speaker terminals and solder the other ends of these wires to an output socket of some type (1/4" "guitar" jack outlet, "RCA" phono jack, etc.) mounted on the instrument's case. A standard cable can then be used to make the connection between the new instrument and the other equipment.

So basically I solder two wires from the speaker to the guitar cable? Why cant I just run a guitar cable from the keyboard without going through the speaker? Im also worried about how to solder the guitar cable since I have never worked with the insides of a guitar cable. Please any direction would be much appreciated...

[A Thousand Threads]

i think you can also remove the speaker and replace it
with a normal 1/4" audio jack output

[m^a(t)h]

Originally Posted by A Thousand Threads

i think you can also remove the speaker and replace it
with a normal 1/4" audio jack output

Ahhh, i think I got you. So I could just have an output for a guitar cable to stick into.

EDIT: But on further inspecting the inside of my guitar tuner that has an output I dont see how two wires (from the keyboard) could be soldered to it...

[SpectralJulianIsNotDead]

 

The two smaller metal pieces have holes in them. Generally, you strip the wire a bit, put it through the hole, then bend it so it stays. Then you solder the hole up.

You can get them cheap at radioshack at right next to babies r us.

P.S. Why didn't you come to my show biatch?

[Sheriff Rhys Chatham]

this sounds like a fantastic idea!

[next step]

well a keyboard cable has more then 2 wires inside, I think around 6 and so if you want to do that you have to try to solder them step by step but I really dont think it could be work cause keyb is not and active input, if it not works try to touch the spk on back with the jack of your guitar cable instead to connect it to a gtr and hear what happens if you can!

[terminal pharmacy]

Originally Posted by next step

well a keyboard cable has more then 2 wires inside, I think around 6 and so if you want to do that you have to try to solder them step by step but I really dont think it could be work cause keyb is not and active input, if it not works try to touch the spk on back with the jack of your guitar cable instead to connect it to a gtr and hear what happens if you can!

a cable for a keyboard is the same as one for a guitar, it is a standard instrument cable. with good quality cable like canare two core you have a blue and a white wire and the shield, the white wire is the hot wire and is soldered to the tip of the jack, the blue and the shield are then soldered to the sleeve. this is your basic instrument cable.

math what sort of keyboard is it?

[m^a(t)h]

Originally Posted by SpectralJulianIsNotDead

 

The two smaller metal pieces have holes in them. Generally, you strip the wire a bit, put it through the hole, then bend it so it stays. Then you solder the hole up.

You can get them cheap at radioshack at right next to babies r us.

P.S. Why didn't you come to my show biatch?

Sorry I didnt come to your show, if you have another just tell me and ill come, its just I didnt want to go to a party at a person's house I didnt know...

Do you play anywhere besides people's houses?? It seems like theres not alot of places to play at around here except Beecher's in Zelie.

[m^a(t)h]

Originally Posted by next step

well a keyboard cable has more then 2 wires inside, I think around 6 and so if you want to do that you have to try to solder them step by step but I really dont think it could be work cause keyb is not and active input, if it not works try to touch the spk on back with the jack of your guitar cable instead to connect it to a gtr and hear what happens if you can!

Im just using a little toy keyboard that only has two wires. If it doesnt work, oh well, ill just have an extra output jack. But thanks for your advice....

[golden child]

if you disconnect the internel speakers, just take the wires from that and wire them to the jack julian posted. mount it on the shell and plug and play. just use a standard guitar cable.

[m^a(t)h]

yeah thats what I planned on doing.

[SpectralJulianIsNotDead]

Originally Posted by m^a(t)h

Sorry I didnt come to your show, if you have another just tell me and ill come, its just I didnt want to go to a party at a person's house I didnt know...

Do you play anywhere besides people's houses?? It seems like theres not alot of places to play at around here except Beecher's in Zelie.

It is cool. Most of the bands around here play in people's houses 90% of the time. The best places to set up shows around here either charge an obscene amount of money so you can't break even or charge an obscene amount of money and require you to pay a cop to be there the whole time.

There used to be shows at the Knob Hill Barn, but they sort of ended after I set one up a charity show there and lost money on it. There used to be shows at the Cranberry Community Center, but they don't allow people to set up shows there anymore. There used to be a yearly battle of the bands at Seneca Valley High School, but they banned it due to vandalism.

This fricking moron kid tried to start up a promotion company, and he set up 4 different shows- 3 at veteran's clubs in Butler, Zelie, and Elwood, and one in a parking lot by a pizza shop in Elwood. The problem was that he didn't really know any of the bands and so he booked his shows short with only 2 or 3 bands. Plus he didn't do so much as make flyers or anything.

Some kids set up shows in the Harmony Museum and the Harmony Moose when school is out, hopefully that will start up again this summer.

There are shows at public events- like Horse Trading days and July 4th at Cranberry Park, but I'm really nervous about performing with ring modulators and drum machines infront of hicks and people with mainstream tuned ears.

Beechers unfortunately is only good for low-key music. I've been intent on starting a low-key band for awhile, but I've never got around to it. I don't really hang out at Beechers very often that more because I always feel compelled to buy their overpriced gelatto. Plus everytime I go there alone the place is empty and I feel wierd just sitting there because there is nothing to do in Zelie. Not to mention last time I went there I got lectured by a girl who couldn't understand that I'm finding myself right now. Subway used to be the hangout place in Zelie, before the ownership changed, mainly because some of my friends and I worked there and gave people free food until we all got fired.

My friend Nic started putting a lot of shows on in his basement. He is now living full time up by Slippery Rock college, so people from other bands have sort of taken it up themselves.

The shows are not invitation only though. Sometimes there is someone's birthday involved, but anyone can really come. Most of these shows are in garages or basements with a decent PA and people have to pay to get in, usuall 1 to 3 dollars. I never pay, even when I'm not playing (in those instances usually I help my friends unpack their gear.) It is pretty easy to get away with not paying.

I've got another show at the same place in July. I'm also going to set up a show in my basement sometime in July, which I need to figure out pretty soon. What is great about my house is that I will be able to seal off every floor except the cellar and use my storm doors to let people in. My basement looks like a 19th century prison without bars, which makes it even better .

I could write a book about the history of youth culture in Zelienople from around 1990 onwards, although there would be a big gap from the time my oldest sister graduated high school to the time I hit 17, which would be about an 9 year gap from '93 to '02.

Back to the topic- when you are putting that line out on your keyboard, you should look for some good bends.

http://www.anti-theory.com/soundart/circuitbend/

The simplest bends just involve shorting 2 points on a circuit board with a wire until you find a sound you like, then soldering a switch on (really freaking simple.) You just have to make sure not to be plugged into the wall but be using batteries, or you can kill yourself.

I've been meaning to bend my yamaha, but it has been on loan to my friend Matt for quite awhile.

post-script: chances are we know a lot of the same people.

[HaydenAsche]

I destroyed a child's synth/keyboard today. It will make a sweet noise box. I threw the shell and buttons away.

[next step]

sorry, I was thinking about this

 

[A Thousand Threads]

Originally Posted by golden child

if you disconnect the internel speakers, just take the wires from that and wire them to the jack julian posted. mount it on the shell and plug and play. just use a standard guitar cable.

exactly what i meant !!
should work

[m^a(t)h]

yeah I actually already installed a toggle switch between two components for some cool noise. Actually yesterday I was messing around with bending, and I did something that basically threw the little speaker into overdrive even when I disconnected the test lead that first caused it to happen. It was weird, and I hope I can find it again....


EDIT: Actually I was thinking about pentiometers. If I put one between two components would it actually oscillate the noise with the turn of it????

[SpectralJulianIsNotDead]

It could. You'll have to try it out. www.experimentalistsanonymous.com is another cool site for circuit bending. He has a lot of different schematics and tutorials for bending toys, guitar pedals, doing synth stuff, etc.