XLR + Headphone Combo Cable Question?

C

Chris McDaniel

New member
I run a 6' xlr cable from my mic to my I/O.
I also run a 6' 1/4" headphone cable from my headphones to my I/O.

Does anybody make a cable that combines those 2 separate wires into 1? I am a crazy minimalist freak, and I would love to have a single wire run instead of 2 wire runs.

PS- I imagine that a knee-jerk reaction would be to scoff at running 2 differently tasked cables together, but I'm already doing it with a jerry-rigged setup and it works perfectly fine so please, respectfully, spare me any cries of sacrilege or claims of impossibility. I cut off the ends of an xlr cable and a 1/4" headphone extension cable, ran them thru a 6' shrink tube, and re-soldered the xlr and 1/4" connectors at the end. It works and there's no interference (maybe cause it's only 6' feet, maybe cause there's not much interference where I use them, I dunno, the jerry rigged cords have just worked perfectly fine for hours of recording). The only problem with my jerry rigged cables and why I'm asking if there's something already out there for this, is that the shrink tube I used kind of hardened after cooling and are about the consistency of soft pvc pipe. Not rigid like a plumbing pvc pipe because they're not thick, but definitely more rigid than any kind of standard xlr cord that I'd prefer to use.

Thanks for any help.
 
Have you thought about a do it yourself cable? 6 foot won't cause much interference, so maybe go to your neighborhood cable store, get the cable and make it yourself. You've already done the soldering and that's the hard part.

Or have you searched for somebody to make the cable for you? Here's an option. Custom Cat5e & Cat6 Ethernet, Coax, Wifi Cables | ShowMeCables.com

And for the cheapest way to go, I'm not sure how much you flex the cable, but they do make basic cable controlling options... Amazon.com: High Quality Cable Organizer Coiled Tube Sleeve Cable- GVDV Cable Management(Gray)-5ft Cable Wrap: Electronics

and

1" Inside Diameter Split Wire Loom - Black - 100' Roll - CableTiesA...

I know how you feel. I HATE cable clutter!
 
i don't want to be the predicted "knee jerk scoff" but I'm wondering about the practicality of what you want to do.

Six feet is a pretty short cable and the XLR and headphone cables want to eventually end up in different places. I assume you have a mic stand and that the mic cable does a few turns around the boom arm then down the main stand, then back to the interface. The headphone cable, on the other hand, only need to go as far as the end of the cable actually installed on the headphone...and you probably want some freedom of movement--say to step back to the interface to adjust levels or to the DAW to start or stop a recording.

Anyway, I don't know of any pre-made cables to your spec but you can certainly manufacture something--a bit of soldering on some multicore, or just tying two cables together with cable wrap or even some cable ties every foot or so. Or, you could buy the smallest multicore snake you can find, run that to the mic stand area, then plug short cables into that.

However, on the topic of cable clutter, it may be counterintuitive but often the solution is longer, not shorter cables. Instead of going straight from your interface to the record position, take a long way around with the cables tucked neatly against the skirting board then only coming out to you from the shortest possible route. There's all sorts of variations to think about. Or, how about a longer USB cable to the computer with the interface somehow clamped to the mic stand or on a shelf/table beside you?
 
Bobbsy said:
Six feet is a pretty short cable and the XLR and headphone cables want to eventually end up in different places. I assume you have a mic stand and that the mic cable does a few turns around the boom arm then down the main stand, then back to the interface. The headphone cable, on the other hand, only need to go as far as the end of the cable actually installed on the headphone...and you probably want some freedom of movement--say to step back to the interface to adjust levels or to the DAW to start or stop a recording.
Click to expand...


That is one way of looking at it that strangely had not occurred to me.

For some reason (maybe because of the very short length), I got the impression that this was fort a podcast type of arrangement, rather than a recording studio as such, and that the OP would be sitting at a desk.
 
gecko zzed said:
For some reason (maybe because of the very short length), I got the impression that this was fort a podcast type of arrangement, rather than a recording studio as such, and that the OP would be sitting at a desk.
Click to expand...

Exactly right!

Thanks all for the interesting suggestions, very much appreciated.
 
You could use CAT5 shielded (FTP) patch cable and make a "breakout" box each end.
Use a pair + drain wire for the mic but don't use the shield as a common return for headphone, use one wire of another pair. The risk is low but you could get HF instability.

Dave.
 
Why don't you spiral wrap the cables together? I have this in parts of the studio to hold bunches of cables together.

Alan.

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I think I failed to mention that this is for a mobile podcast rig. The way that changes my needs is that the fewer the wires the easier and faster it is to set up and take down, and all wires need to be easily coil-able while not tangling with each other. I fear that many wire looms or coils would tie up with each other or release the wires in a constantly moving situation.
 
ecc83 said:
You could use CAT5 shielded (FTP) patch cable and make a "breakout" box each end.
Use a pair + drain wire for the mic but don't use the shield as a common return for headphone, use one wire of another pair. The risk is low but you could get HF instability.

Dave.
Click to expand...

Huh? What wizardy is that? It never occurred to me that I could use CAT5 as audio cable, that's a better idea than mine.

In my googling I came across quad XLR cable.StarQuad-Wiring-2.png

I was going to take off the ends and separate a pair for mic and a pair for headphones, but I was indeed wondering what I was going to do with only 1 common return shield. My guess was that using the same common on headphone and mic would be bad news, but didn't know for sure. Also wasn't sure if headphones (or mic) absolutely required a common return?
 
Chris McDaniel said:
Huh? What wizardy is that? It never occurred to me that I could use CAT5 as audio cable, that's a better idea than mine.

In my googling I came across quad XLR cable.View attachment 96207

I was going to take off the ends and separate a pair for mic and a pair for headphones, but I was indeed wondering what I was going to do with only 1 common return shield. My guess was that using the same common on headphone and mic would be bad news, but didn't know for sure. Also wasn't sure if headphones (or mic) absolutely required a common return?
Click to expand...

Yes indeed, network cable makes excellent audio cable. There is a whole industry based on sound distribution around posh homes using UN shielded CAT 5/5e network cable (solid wires) . You have wee active boxes that turn "domestic" audio into low source Z balanced signals and then recover them at local amplifiers and speakers. The specc', noise etc are not RME/Apogee quality but very acceptable abd any loss of performance is not the fault of the cable!

'Cos I got it free my house is rigged with network, mostly shielded cable and I can send a mic over 30mtr or more of CAT and have no added noise, even on a ribbon,

Other uses are transmission of video. I have cameras in my garden for poorly wife to see the birds and they feed some vid to CAT "baluns". Ubaled at the recorder/telly end. The balun boxes also handle 2 audio channels driven from a Behringer X802 mixer.

You can get boxes that will transmit HDMI and some do S/PFIF. I have experimentally sent MIDI over 40mtr of CAT5e.

Cat 7 cable even has individually screened pairs but is too stiff for mobile work.

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
Yes indeed, network cable makes excellent audio cable. There is a whole industry based on sound distribution around posh homes using UN shielded CAT 5/5e network cable (solid wires) . You have wee active boxes that turn "domestic" audio into low source Z balanced signals and then recover them at local amplifiers and speakers. The specc', noise etc are not RME/Apogee quality but very acceptable abd any loss of performance is not the fault of the cable!

'Cos I got it free my house is rigged with network, mostly shielded cable and I can send a mic over 30mtr or more of CAT and have no added noise, even on a ribbon,

Other uses are transmission of video. I have cameras in my garden for poorly wife to see the birds and they feed some vid to CAT "baluns". Ubaled at the recorder/telly end. The balun boxes also handle 2 audio channels driven from a Behringer X802 mixer.

You can get boxes that will transmit HDMI and some do S/PFIF. I have experimentally sent MIDI over 40mtr of CAT5e.
Click to expand...
Wow, this opens up whole new possibilities. Instead of bulky XLR and 1/4" connectors I'm going to be plugging in tiny RJ45 that handle's both and more, that'll take some getting used to. I'm imagining my desk mic stand and mic as a unit, with the mic and a 1/8" headphone jack hardwired to a CAT5 breakout on the bottom of the stand. Then I just plug in a 10 foot CAT5 to it when I set it up. (Haven't decided how I'll terminate it back at the I/O side, maybe traditional XLR and 1/4").

Cat 7 cable even has individually screened pairs but is too stiff for mobile work.
Click to expand...
WOW, now you're talkin! CAT7 sounds perfect. Too stiff though huh? Hmm, interesting tradeoff. Not doubting you, but I'll see if I can find some at Fry's just out of curiosity to see how it feels.
 
What else would work is buying a cable made for powered speakers that have the XLR and mains combined. You could cut the Mains plugs off both ends and replace it with a male Stereo jack one end and a female stereo jack the other. That way you use the XLR part for the mic and the mains cable to run the headphones

Alan.

584162000155000-00-500x500.jpg
 
Chris McDaniel said:
Huh? What wizardy is that? It never occurred to me that I could use CAT5 as audio cable, that's a better idea than mine.

In my googling I came across quad XLR cable.View attachment 96207

I was going to take off the ends and separate a pair for mic and a pair for headphones, but I was indeed wondering what I was going to do with only 1 common return shield. My guess was that using the same common on headphone and mic would be bad news, but didn't know for sure. Also wasn't sure if headphones (or mic) absolutely required a common return?
Click to expand...

Star Quad cable is made for another purpose, it gives very high rejection of external interfering fields, used for very long runs, especially the broadcast boys. Still only one return wire as you say.

It is always a good principle to have separate returns in audio paths even though you "know" the grounds must be common at some point in the equipment. This is to keep one signal current from interacting with another. The common current in a headphone circuit is small but it is many times larger than that in a microphone circuit. You may not notice a problem at first but when you come to check stuff "in the dead" on cans you might hear "twitterings" on signal peaks.

I have done something similar to your idea. Put 4 XLRs in a metal box (13 amp standard mains outlet) and run out the CAT cable to an RJ45. Crosstalk for mic level signals is insignificant and helped by the fact the pairs have a much tighter twist than any mic or snake cable plus the twist rates are staggered, i.e. not the same for each pair. Tests indicate however that high level signals can cause crosstalk so maybe don't send kick drum and spinet down the same cable!

BIG! Advantage, CAT cable is cheap as chips. CAT 7 stiffness? Well, you would struggle to get a sub 300mm bend radius! The pairs are also quite fine, tricky to strip and you cannot terminate into RJ45.

Dave.
 
Well that was a pain in the dick.
I ended up going with 5 pin xlr cables. I made a little breakout box on my desk mic stands with a volume control box and headphone plug attached, and tore apart my little Xenyx mixing board to replace 2 of the standard 3 pin xlr's with 5 pin ones. I also internally wired in the headphone port to the new 5 pins. I ended up sharing the drain/return wire between the mic and headphones and so far it sounds fine. No static or weirdness. Teaching myself how to solder and buying the solder equipment was laborious and expensive. All the components were an arm and a leg. Once again my DIY hobby has spiraled out of control and cost 10 times as much and taken 10 times as long as I thought, but I don't really see any other options out there for something like this.
Oh well, I'm just surprised it works.

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Cat 5 just does what he already has and has said he doesn't like - a stiff cable, like when he said he has already tried heat shrink. I would have a look on canford audio's site where they have tons of interesting must ore cables. They do flexible two core cable where each core is a smaller screened mic cable, with one overall screen. Surely this will do the job elegantly.
 
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