Recordings sound distant

Cables are cables as far as sound goes. The biggest difference is in how long they will last. I like ProCo cables. They have the same replacement warrantee as Monster, but without the hype and insane markup.

The Stagg might be 'brighter' simply because it doesn't have the low end that the 57 does. Since you were worried about the guitar sounding full, that would b e a good thing.
 
Farview said:
Cables are cables as far as sound goes. The biggest difference is in how long they will last. I like ProCo cables. They have the same replacement warrantee as Monster, but without the hype and insane markup.

The Stagg might be 'brighter' simply because it doesn't have the low end that the 57 does. Since you were worried about the guitar sounding full, that would b e a good thing.
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Yea I am getting too much bass now if anything, its nice to have too much than not enough though. I did notice a big difference with my XLR cables, i did a proper test and 1 of them was slightly quieter but much clearer, better insulated I guess.

Either way im using the Stagg XLR cable and not the one I bought for my SM57, which appears to be better build quality but isnt better sound quality and even more baffling is the best cable is the thinnest cable.
 
If there is any difference in the sound of one cable to the next, one of the cables is broken.

There should be no sound or volume difference between any two functioning cables, even cheap, crappy ones.
 
Farview said:
If there is any difference in the sound of one cable to the next, one of the cables is broken.

There should be no sound or volume difference between any two functioning cables, even cheap, crappy ones.
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Do you mean XLR only or all cables? because obviously there is a little difference in volume and sound with guitar cables, some of mine are louder than others, the most expensive one which is brand new has a different sound but same volume as my old favourite cable, its a bit more muffled and in recordings when hitting certain notes they sounded awesome whereas the old cable it was the same sound all the way through the recordings.
 
In guitar cables, capacitance can make a huge difference. A longer cable will kill more treble, a coiled cable will be darker than a straight one, etc. With low-Z sources like just about anything but passive guitars/basses, it's nowhere near as big of a deal.

Cab placement and orientation is an important part of the equation, too. If the thing is too close to a hard floor or wall, first reflections can cause comb ftering which often makes it sound hollow or distant. Try moving it away from the walls and put it up on a chair or even just tilit it back so neither mic more speaker is parallel to the floor.
 
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ashcat_lt said:
In guitar cables, capacitance can make a huge difference. A longer cable will kill more travel, a coiled cable will be darker than a straight one, etc. With low-Z sources like just about anything but passive guitars/basses, it's nowhere near as big of a deal.

Cab placement and orientation is an important part of the equation, too. If the thing is too close to a hard floor or wall, first reflections can cause comb ftering which often makes it sound hollow or distant. Try moving it away from the walls and put it up on a chair or even just tilit it back so neither mic more speaker is parallel to the floor.
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Thanks man ill try that. Im getting really nice sounds now with this sm57, its still a bit distant sounding but its a massive improvement.
 
ashcat_lt said:
A longer cable will kill more travel, a coiled cable will be darker than a straight one, etc.
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Wait...what? I'll be the first to admit that I don't know anything about anything, but this sounds... questionable. I get length affecting sound, but if I'm A/Bing a 20' cable and a10' coiled cable (that uncoils to roughly 20') there should be no difference unless something is different within the cables themselves.

Unless I'm interpreting this wrong somehow?
 
theDICKENS said:
Wait...what? I'll be the first to admit that I don't know anything about anything, but this sounds... questionable. I get length affecting sound, but if I'm A/Bing a 20' cable and a10' coiled cable (that uncoils to roughly 20') there should be no difference unless something is different within the cables themselves.

Unless I'm interpreting this wrong somehow?
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Boy, autocorrect kind of fucked that up (travel = treble)! I should go fix that...

Yeah, overall length is the biggest factor, but the coiliness does increase the capacitance a bit just because. It should show less capacitance if you stretch it out straighter. Likewise, a straight cable will show more capacitance when it's wrapped up in loops than when it's actually stretched out straight. Not by a lot, probably not enough to hear unless it's way too long to begin with, but it's there.

The real point of my post, though, was that high-Z guitars are more susceptible to differences in cable capacitance (wherever it comes from) than low-Z because the filter action actually happens at a frequency we can hear.
 
theDICKENS said:
Wait...what? I'll be the first to admit that I don't know anything about anything, but this sounds... questionable. I get length affecting sound, but if I'm A/Bing a 20' cable and a10' coiled cable (that uncoils to roughly 20') there should be no difference unless something is different within the cables themselves.

Unless I'm interpreting this wrong somehow?
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I'm thinking he was saying that a 20 foot straight cable will be different than a 20 foot coiled cable, mainly because the coiled cable is actually longer than the straight one.
 
Farview said:
I'm thinking he was saying that a 20 foot straight cable will be different than a 20 foot coiled cable, mainly because the coiled cable is actually longer than the straight one.
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I think ashcat gets my question.

All cables being equal, a 20' straight cable=10' coiled cable in my scenario.

...out of curiosity, how would a coiled cable have an effect on treble response?
 
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theDICKENS said:
I think ashcat gets my question.

All cables being equal, a 20' straight cable=10' coiled cable in my scenario.

...out of curiosity, how would a coiled cable have an effect on treble response?
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Capacitance between the internal conductor and the shield braid kills treble. More capacitance kills more treble. Longer cables have more capacitance, but the coiled shape also increases that capacitance at least a little. I really think we're belaboring the point a bit here.
 
There is so much misinformation in this topic, because I suspect people frustrated with not getting their points across and then make mistakes. Like the sound difference in where a mic is placed. As in mic in the middle is the bassy, dark sound, and the cone edge the brighter harder sound. Earlier on it was stated the wrong way around! Volume up and volume down, then all the cable rubbish which the OP misunderstood and commented on. Guitar to amplifier is length sensitive. Capacitance kills HF. Long cables are possible with care and specific cable types. With mic cables length is pretty unimportant. Long cables do not get quieter. If the op noticed volume differences, then this is a fault. You can put connectors on the end of an entire drum of mic cable and not hear any difference whatsoever. You can measure it, but that's not the same. The OP insists on using distant, and I think we agreed he really means dry. I can't believe we are trying to explain why a 57 on Joe satrianni's speaker cab sounds different to the OPs. It's so obvious!
 
rob aylestone said:
There is so much misinformation in this topic, because I suspect people frustrated with not getting their points across and then make mistakes. Like the sound difference in where a mic is placed. As in mic in the middle is the bassy, dark sound, and the cone edge the brighter harder sound. Earlier on it was stated the wrong way around! Volume up and volume down, then all the cable rubbish which the OP misunderstood and commented on. Guitar to amplifier is length sensitive. Capacitance kills HF. Long cables are possible with care and specific cable types. With mic cables length is pretty unimportant. Long cables do not get quieter. If the op noticed volume differences, then this is a fault. You can put connectors on the end of an entire drum of mic cable and not hear any difference whatsoever. You can measure it, but that's not the same. The OP insists on using distant, and I think we agreed he really means dry. I can't believe we are trying to explain why a 57 on Joe satrianni's speaker cab sounds different to the OPs. It's so obvious!
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I appreciate all this extra info everyone thanks, ive always wondered what this capacitance is and if its important.

One thing I will say which doesnt make me or my brother look too clever is I was at his house listening to him play his Les Paul and I didnt have the heart to tell him it sounded intensely horrible and couldnt understand why or why he didnt notice it, so the next time I went for a jam I sneakily changed his cable for mine and it sounded amazing, he immediately went through his cables and threw away he crap ones. I say this cos I bet most people thing a cable is a cable.

Whats really embarrassing is hes had that guitar for 15 years and its always sounded pants to me, its took me that long to nail the problem.
 
Ummm.... pointing the mic in the center is brighter, not darker.

Yes, once you get to the edge of the speaker it does get thin again, but that's because you aren't pointed at the speaker anymore. The further away from the center you move the mic, the darker the sound gets.
 
Steenamaroo said:
What was the answer to this?
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From post #9:
"Yea for sure, I can even whisper lol i tried isolation box even though i was told i must not do it, had to see for myself and the results were pretty good, nice solid sound but it sounded a bit like DI."
 
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