I'm a trained professional, don't try this at home

S

scuppari

New member
Hi guys... still working on my first studio and I've run into another problem.

I'm finally ready to run the audio wires and I've ordered the parts which consists of 200' of Mogami cable and 10 wallboxes.

I checked four pro-audio stores around town and the cheapest price for the parts was $600. More than I wanted to spend, but I'm going to suck it up as you often get what you pay for.

When I asked about installation, the company told me: "two guys, one full day, and $1000". Seems like too much for only running 24 channels between wallboxes (18 XLR, 4 headphone, 2 line level for guitar cabinet direct-ins).

I have a small soldering iron and have done minor repairs on my guitar and bass.... Should I try this installation myself?
 
Yes. Search here for soldering and you'll find lots of good tips. Then get some cheap wire and practice a bit.

Good luck

/O
 
Soldering in large quantities is a real pain in the ass.

However, doing it yourself saves money of course and you can also claim "I did it myself" which has a certain cool factor.

If you've done soldering work on instruments before you should be okay if your solder joints are "quality", meaning no grainy appearance i.e. nice and shiny with good flow and well covered.

A tip I learned along the way of soldering my studio up over the last eight months (7 ADC 144-jack patch bays + whatever ended up on the other end - thats about 6000 solder joints considering its balanced cable. Plus midi, plus rs422, plus plus plus. Anyway, after you strip off the insulation, use your fingers or needlenose pliars and bend the bare part of the wire into a hook, then tin the wire end AND the lug, then put them together, heat, and you have a nice solder joint. The reason I suggest the hook is because the wire won't pull away when you pull the wire away if you let go of the wire (with your hand) too early. This also reduces splatter.

I would recommend a quality soldering iron, of the Weller fame with temperature control. If thats not in your budget, Radio Shack has the cheap version for about 25 bucks or thereabouts. Since you have spent the money for mogami cable, I would recommend investing slightly more for silver solder. It conducts slightly better than lead/tin solder and flows a little nicer. But its not cheap. AND its also a little more forgiving when making mediocre solder joints.

Hope that helps....





scuppari said:
Hi guys... still working on my first studio and I've run into another problem.

I'm finally ready to run the audio wires and I've ordered the parts which consists of 200' of Mogami cable and 10 wallboxes.

I checked four pro-audio stores around town and the cheapest price for the parts was $600. More than I wanted to spend, but I'm going to suck it up as you often get what you pay for.

When I asked about installation, the company told me: "two guys, one full day, and $1000". Seems like too much for only running 24 channels between wallboxes (18 XLR, 4 headphone, 2 line level for guitar cabinet direct-ins).

I have a small soldering iron and have done minor repairs on my guitar and bass.... Should I try this installation myself?
Click to expand...
 
If you haven't already ordered your wire. Order everything already assembled.

I'm assuming you would have access to all the walls and be able to install before finally closing up. I did this with my current studio and have been very pleased with the results. No wiring involved - just all direct connects.

Best of luck.

David Artis
 
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