It helps to think of cables not by their length or their color but by their function. A cable transports a signal, of course, but in music and audio recording, a cable carries only one of three types of signal: audio, data, or power. (A power cord is a fairly straightforward concept, so we don't need to devote much thought to it.) The type of connector at the end of an audio or data cable further defines its function within that category. Following is a look at both the connectors and the functions of the various cables.

Audio cables