T
Th0mas
New member
Well this is more of a debate. I have Mogami mic cables, and they excel as far as the recording process goes, but would it make a difference if I had spent $7 on mic cables oppose to $50?
WhiteStrat
Don't stare at the eye.
Yes cables make a difference in the quality.
If they're not plugged in, you won't get any quality recordings. If they are, you might.
Seriously--my studio is littered with cables, from $50 mogami's (which I bought just to be my "extra special" recording cables) to $5 & $6 bulk quantity specials.
I don't notice the difference. In fact, I use them interchangeably. You'll find the purists who say I'm crazy, but if there's a clean, solid connection, you're fine with a $7 cable.
Now if you've completely treated your room, have a robust mic locker, and all the pres in the world, sure, worry about your cables. Otherwise, sweat the more important stuff and save some bucks on cables.
If they're not plugged in, you won't get any quality recordings. If they are, you might.
Seriously--my studio is littered with cables, from $50 mogami's (which I bought just to be my "extra special" recording cables) to $5 & $6 bulk quantity specials.
I don't notice the difference. In fact, I use them interchangeably. You'll find the purists who say I'm crazy, but if there's a clean, solid connection, you're fine with a $7 cable.
Now if you've completely treated your room, have a robust mic locker, and all the pres in the world, sure, worry about your cables. Otherwise, sweat the more important stuff and save some bucks on cables.
N
ndrobison
New member
I agree. Cables DO make a difference, but only under a load of wear and tear. Stick to getting good Mics and Pre's
TyphoidHippo
1Trillion K Platinum User
I agree with this statement 100%. My studio is wired up entirely with mogami cable and neutrik connectors much like many studios are. I only chose mogami because their cable is very flexible, but still very durable. Mogami cable is also pretty cheap if you buy it in bulk and know how to solder...and neutrik was a no-brainer for me. I've never had a neutrik connector's connection points break....not ever. They're just made...intelligently (for lack of better wording, I suppose). I think every single cheap 1/4" cable I've ever owned has broken at the connector, and easily half of the cheap XLR cables I've owned have broken also - sometimes it happens at very inconvenient times, and I like to avoid that as much as possible now.
As to the quality - don't buy into the voodoo crap. There's an experiment on the web where a bunch of audiophiles were asked to identify the difference between a coat hanger and some super-expensive audio cable. They couldn't tell, LMAO!!! (They actually wired up some audio equipment using bare copper coathangers...if it wasn't clear what I was saying there...)
P.S. A venue where I run sound at regularly has all "Proel" cables. They are very, very solid, durable, and generally well made, too...but I have no idea if they are expensive, since I've never seen them outside of that venue, heh....might be worth looking into, though.
Rimshot
New member
In a word...........YES
It isn't necessarily how much you spend tho. It is important if the mic cables are made well. have good connections and are well insulated. You won't go wrong with $50 cables, you may do well with $20-$25 cables and you can luck out with $7 cables. If you have been around a while, you quickly learn how to repair bad connections, nut an internally frayed cable is toast.
It isn't necessarily how much you spend tho. It is important if the mic cables are made well. have good connections and are well insulated. You won't go wrong with $50 cables, you may do well with $20-$25 cables and you can luck out with $7 cables. If you have been around a while, you quickly learn how to repair bad connections, nut an internally frayed cable is toast.
TyphoidHippo
1Trillion K Platinum User
Check this out:
Neutrik NC3FXX-BAG
Cable Mount Female XLR Black/Silver
US$2.75
http://www.redco.com/shopexd.asp?id=1114
Neutrik NC3MXX-BAG
Cable Mount Male XLR Black/Silver
US$2.29
http://www.redco.com/shopexd.asp?id=1113
Mogami W2549 Balanced Mic Cable
US$0.64 per foot
http://www.redco.com/shopexd.asp?id=493
As you can see by doing the math - you can build your own fancy cables very inexpensively....plus - soldering is a great skill to have, anyway.
Neutrik NC3FXX-BAG
Cable Mount Female XLR Black/Silver
US$2.75
http://www.redco.com/shopexd.asp?id=1114
Neutrik NC3MXX-BAG
Cable Mount Male XLR Black/Silver
US$2.29
http://www.redco.com/shopexd.asp?id=1113
Mogami W2549 Balanced Mic Cable
US$0.64 per foot
http://www.redco.com/shopexd.asp?id=493
As you can see by doing the math - you can build your own fancy cables very inexpensively....plus - soldering is a great skill to have, anyway.
WhiteStrat
Don't stare at the eye.
Nice work. Now we have no excuse for buying cheap cables. We can make good cables cheaply. And you've done the homework for us.
And you're right--I started saving a ton of money when I decided to learn to solder.
T
toobalicious
New member
i do feel that it is important to point out that the cheapest cables (and even some not so cheap ones) generally have poor shielding. in that regard, you may notice a LARGE difference, because of noise (or lack thereof). even in live sound, poorly shielded cables can be a big nuisance, but doubly so in your studio where any noise is a big deal. ideally, the cable will have both foil and braided shielding.
a
edit: the bulk cable listed above is 100% shielded.
a
edit: the bulk cable listed above is 100% shielded.