In today’s blog, I am looking at the Klark Teknik DN3600 midi controlled graphic EQ. As part of my hybrid setup, I wanted some anlogue controlled EQ units that are controlled over midi. There are some really good options but this one looked pretty special due to the onboard software which means it can change it’s shape to fit two different types of fantastic, classic Klark TekniksEQ units. Real bang for buck. The question is, can it controlled by an app. We’ll I’m going to investigate. This blog is in two parts though because the DN3600 needs it’s own special midi cable to get running. This blog post will look at the cable.
A loack of standard cable is a pain in the butt. I repeat, the DN3600 does not use a typical midle 5 pin midi cable. Instead, it uses an XLR. As a result, I needed to start the project by soldering a midi cable to an XLR head. I chose a 6 metre midi/DIN cable so that I could cut it in two and add my XLR connectors, meaning two easy solder jobs with a good length of cable. The link can be found here. More often thn not, it’s better to buy a prewired cable with the most fiddly bits already done. Soldering 3 pins on an XLR is much easier than the rammed space inside the DIN lead head.
- 5 Pin 180 Degree Midi DIN Plug to Plug Lead, 6m – 5P-5P DIN SCREENED 6M
- Part: 5P-5P DIN SCREENED6M by ELECTROVISION
- Order code: AR70861
After chopping it open, I then used a multi meter set to continuity to work out where the pins line up with the cables for soldering. The pins are set as follows:
So, the next question is, how does this translate to the XLR cable? Let’s take a peak into the manual.
According to the manual, the “DN3600 Pro MIDI XLRs correspond to standard MIDI 5-pin DIN connectors”
| DIN | Signal | XLR |
| Pin 5 | – data – | Pin 3 (Purple) |
| Pin 4 | – +5V – | Pin 2 (Red) |
| Pin 2 | – GND – | Pin 1 (Green) |
Helpful, now lets look at which ones are classed as pins 1 to 5 for the DIN and XLR pins 1 to 3.
Okay, and for the XLR male?
- 1 Green Wire
- 2 Red Wire
- 3 Purple wire
Okay, going to solder it all together than then look at what I can get out of the DN3600. If all goes well, I’ll create a ful up for part 2, where I can see what type of control I can get out of it and – where it will join my analogue, hybrid setup.