RCA audio connector question

Hi all, Switchdoc again with yet another inane question :)

My dgx-205 has only out audio output, which is used for either headphones (large stereo sized ones, not the mini ones you see on PCs) or audio out. My PC has 1 RCA style digital in, and one RCA style digital out.

So, being the genius that I am I figured I needed a headphone to RCA cable. Also, again due to all the geniusness, I realized I had a box full of computer/tv/stereo cables which I promptly proceeded to rummage through.

Let me tell you golks something. After a careful inventory, I am fairly certain I have every cable connector known to man. Need to connect your IPOD to a 1987 JohnDeere lawn mower? I got that. Want to wire your digital camera to your stereo and output it through your mouse pad? I got that too. I have connectors that, quite frankly, I don't know where they came from or what they do. Yep, every cable in the galaxy. But not this one.

What I DO have is a headphone jack to TWO RCA input cables which I assumed are designed to go into the left and right slots on a stereo way cooler than mine. My question is, if I use this cable and only plug in one end, leaving the other to dangle uselessly in the wind, whats going to happen?

Will it:

A) Not work at all
B) Work but not give me stereo sound
C) Detonate upon connection, putting a crater in the floor and significantly raising my renters insurance premiums

Now, I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, DUDE, option C would be REALLY cool to see from a safe distance. You are also thinking, why doesn't this idiot just plug it in and see what happens?

Well, there are two answers to that question:

1) I haven't even tried to record and audio track yet (I just figured out MIDI 2 days ago and it took Beagle and half a pack of camel lights to get that far) so I probably wouldn't know whether it was working to begin with. Well, to be more clear, I wouldn't know if it wasn't working because of the cable or because I don't know what the heck I am doing.

2) That connector is on the back of my PC, which is in the PC cabinet of my desk, which is in turn engulfed in a morass of wires the likes of which brings even seasoned PC technicians to tears upon seeing it. Think of computer wiring via chaos theory. The area behind my desk exists in a no-man's land where no zip-tie dares to tread. Bottom line is, I ain't going in there without a straight answer to this question and some type of safety harness.



So.. thoughts? :)

-Switch

Heyas Robo, thanks for the reply.

This is actually a desktop unit. It does have a regular 'line-in' port but I figured the digital input would be a better choice. The problem is finding a connector that works correctly going from teh headphone style port on my keyboard to the RCA style port on the PC. My concern with the cable I found is that it splits off into two which leads me to suspect if I just plug in one end of it, I'll get mono not stereo audio.

-Switch

Okay, I am confused :)

Why would the port labled digital input on my PC be an RCA style port if you can't use it for that purpose? I MUST be missing something. This happens often with me. What am I missing here?

I think the issue here is I don't know the difference between analog I/O and S/PDIF. Is it a safe bet to assume anything coming out of the keyboard's Audio Out is analog and not digital?

-Switch

AH!!

The lightbulb comes on, you just have to flick the switch a few times with me :)

So, just out of curiosity, what type of devices would I use with those digital in and out ports on that PC? And am I correct in assume there are devices that take analog input and turn it into digital output to send to those ports? And is there some kind of benefit to doing this?

I appreciate all your replies, I'm getting quite the education here :)

-Switch

Yeah, that makes sense. I did read the article, my confusion stemmed from the fact that it seemed weird to me that a digital keyboard wouldn't come with this connector so I assummed I was missing something. I mean why use analog when you don't have to expecially on a device like a digital keyboard.

I would guess higher end keyboards probably have this type of connector out of the box perhaps... the DGX-205 is nice but its definitely not something you'd see Elton John using in concert :)

-Switch

You might see S/PDIF connections in home studios between things like mixers and audio interfaces, cascading interfaces or adding something like a Line 6 pod to an audio interface.

The offer is tempting, Beagle in Dallas is a little closer; I am a little further south in Houston.

Heyas Robertb!

I am in the denver metro area. Lafayette technically (nearish to Boulder but far enough away that I don't have to wear hemp sandels). You from the area?

-Switch

[edit] Duh, Brighton is right under you name lol. Happy to meet another Coloradoan on here!

Can you smoke your hemp sandals in the yard while watching your couch burn on the porch in this republic?

Cram an old sofa full of your smoking material, set on fire and inhale...

Switch:

It looks like people LOTS smarter than me have solved your problem, but I just wanted to tell you that your original post (and subsequent responses) brought a well needed round of laughter at the end of a exhausting day! It's great to have a forum like this where we can all profess our ignorance, vent frustration via sarcasm/humor and get such terrific technical advice in return. Thanks, forum!!!

RMc

Heyas Greek!

I am glad my incompetance brought joy to your day :)

I have to agree with you 100 percent, this forum is top notch. Everytime I post I get quality responses from quality folks.

Jumping into something brand new like this can be daunting, and I think I'd have packed my keyboard with C4, taped my copy of Music Creator to it, and blown them both into tiny pieces by now if it hadn't been for all the help I've gotten here. Not to mention the fact I would have had to undo some seriously screwed up wiring first.

I know when Robertb comes up here the first thing he's going to say is "Okay, lets see what you've got here", followed by "Um... you DO know thats a toaster, not a mixer board, right?"

All that aside, I really do hope that the day comes where I see someone new post a question here and *I* am the guy saying: "Well, what you've got to do is connect your Positronic Acutator into the Synth Wave Output Matrix and then compile it using the QDS driver. It's all in tutorial 11."

-Switch

And whatever else you do, don't touch the blue button while the Arbitrary Waveform Modulator is syncing up with the Neutron Generator!
Greg

Well guys,
It was a real pleasure to meet a fellow Cakewalk user in person. We covered a lot of ground in a few hours.
And I got some hands-on experience with a new piece of hardware(the Lexicon Omega). It's too bad we are scattered so far, as I would like to meet many of you.
ps: Paul, I left my hat on your tv. Take good care of it. It's my favorite. I'll have to remember to grab it next time we hook up.