Connecting Multiple Mic Cables

  • Thread starter Thread starter ndycus1
  • Start date Start date
N

ndycus1

New member
Will connecting three mic cables to make a longer run cause a significant degradation in quality? It will be used to mic acoustic guitar because the best sounding room in my house is the living room, and it isn't close to my studio.
 
Yes it might...if not quality, then they will produce more frequent analog noise which u dont want.
 
It shouldn't be a problem if they are XLR cables. I don't advise more than 20 ft. for 1/4 in. cables though, they get noisy and loose some signal strength if too long.
 
ndycus1 said:
Will connecting three mic cables to make a longer run cause a significant degradation in quality? It will be used to mic acoustic guitar because the best sounding room in my house is the living room, and it isn't close to my studio.
Click to expand...

Long distance cables is what the balanced signal system was designed for - if you are using balanced cables (XLR or TRS), and have gear at both ends of the chain that supports a balanced signal, you shouldnt have to worry about distances for as much as 100 feet or beyond. But if you use a mic without a balanced signal connection, just a 2-connector TS wire, and extend that to more than 10-15 feet, be prepared to experience the wonders of line noise.

Also, the longe the wire, the greater the signal drop. Again, not an issue with balanced connections, but raw, unbalanced connections will have a very weak sign at the far end.

Check out your mic - if it has an XLR connector, and if your pre-amp at the other end has one too, and if you are using proper balanced signal cables, you should be in good shape.

If you are unfamilar with balanced signal stuff, read this:

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?p=1510138#post1510138
 
okay...it's definitely a balanced signal. XLR to XLR. and I knew that balanced cables were better for it. i just didn't know whether or not the fact that i'm connecting multiple cables instead of using one long cable would make any difference. but, based on what ya'll are saying, i guess it won't make a difference. thanks.
 
While a long enough cable would be ideal, if you are sure the conections are solid between multiple cables you should still be all right. An occasional spritz with contact cleaner on the conections should be part of regular maint. Another thing you might do is to keep the conectors off the floor, a sheet of plastic under them will help prevent hum (especially if you are on concrete floors or the humidity is high) or you can wrap them in a couple of layers of plastic wrap.
 
actually, the cables won't be running along the floor. I ran the longest one from my studio into my attic, where it runs over the joists. And then it comes out of a smallwhole that I cut in the ceiling of a closet right beside where i'll be doing the tracking. so, when the time comes, all i have to do is open the closet door and connect another mic cable to that end, and i'm good to go. anything else i should know about maintaining the highest quality sound in this situation?
 
ndycus1 said:
I ran the longest one from my studio into my attic, where it runs over the joists. And then it comes out of a smallwhole that I cut in the ceiling of a closet right beside where i'll be doing the tracking.
Click to expand...
I concour with the rest that those longer distances should not be a major issue, nor should the use of multiple cables in and of itself.

However, it sounds like you are designing a more-or-less permanent cable run in parts of the house (attic) that may not get a lot of attention and may be more subject to temperature and humidity extremes. It's fine running though such a space, no problem; but if that cable run is going to be staying there four seasons for an extended length of time, and/or is goingto be running through walls or crawlspaces where maintenance cannot be done on the cable, to be on the safe side I would do one of two things: 1) preferably, just run one long cable, or 2) if you *have* to use multiple cables for some reason, try to select and run the cables in such a way wereas the connectors are not inside the wall or exposed in the attic.

The only reason I bring that up is not for signal quality, but for longevity and maintenance. Connecting two cables inisde a wall means you can't get to it for maintenance, and leaving a connection more exposed to the elements will just shorten the lifetime of the connection.

If you *have* to break the above advice, it will surely work for you for a while, but if you have a chance to do it right, I'd take it.

G.
 
3M Scotch Super 33 electrical tape around the connectors will keep out the elements and cut down on corrosion.
 
i definitely appreciate all the help and advice. but, actually, this isn't anything permanent at all. i could have these cable out of there in 10 minutes if i want. my studio is in extra space above my garage. and from the studio, there is a small door that leads into the attic. i just ran a cable through that door and have it coming out of a small hole that i cut that's in the ceiling/wall corner of a closet(that nobody ever sees anyway) that is near the living room at the other end of my house. so, the cable comes out into the closet, and from there i can connect a mic at that end so that i can use the acoustics of a huge, ambient living room with a cathedral ceiling instead of the small, dead room. it's all about options!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top