Quite often you need to split or copy a signal to send to more than one destination. This is commonly done with a multiple (“mult” for short) where you plug one source in, and then plug in additional patch cables to go off to multiple destinations.
Multiples come in a few different variations:
- passive multiples, where the jacks are hardwired together (either behind a panel, inside a widget, or even inside special patch cables) with no buffering or active electronics between connections; these are sometimes referred to as simple splitters
- buffered or active multiples that include a buffer circuit between the input and output, making sure the signal does not lose its strength or integrity by being split too many times
- logic multiples, which are specialized active mults that only pass along binary high-or-low gate signals rather than continuously variable voltages
For more detail, I’ve written an entire article on the subject.
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