Just to necro this thread with my 2 cents
I bought an SQ-5 and am using it as a fully recallable line mixer for all my synths, sampler etc. As for interconnecting with the SQ-5..
First off, many synths etc these days are equipped with ”imoedance balanced” TRS 1/4” outputs. You can plug these directly into the SQ with the appropriate cables (TRS into XLR male for mic inputs, or TRS-TRS for the ST1 / ST2 inputs).
If your synth/sound source does not have impedance balanced outputs, You have at least three options on how to interconnect to the SQ:
– DI boxes
– Line level shifters
– Using special TS-XLR cables such as these:
Sound On Sound = Pseudo-balanced cables
DI boxes are the most commonly used solution, but can be very expensive if you need several channels. Multichannel line level shifters can be a more cost effective solution for large channel counts.
As stated above, only DI boxes will protect your equipment if you accidentally engage 48V phantom on an input. Thankfully however, the SQ series UI makes accidental phantom powering quite hard..
