Help with Mic Cables

[DJL]

thanks DJL, so let me get this straight, the box would go in the room with the drums and the mics plug directly into the box, correct? then I run the snake cords and plug them into my mixer? (forgive me I'm new)

Does this diminish the need for super high quality cables since the mics are plugging into the snake first? Wouldn't I get better quality by going straight from the mics into the mixer?

thanks for your patience

Yeah, you would locate the snake box with the female XLR's in it in the same room as your drums and plug the other end with the male XLR's on it into your mixer and no, this does not diminish the need for high quality mic cables and if you use a good snake you wouldn't get better quality by going straight from the mics into the mixer.

 

[noisedude]

people over here tend to talk about multicores rather than snakes ... they're interchangeable as far as i know.

for the sake of four mics, i wouldn't bother getting an 8- or 16-channel snake, simply because of the cost. i think if i was running a long stretch that i'd be tempted to use DI boxes, but i don't know the phantom power issues or whether you'd have to use one in reverse if you were going to switch back down again.

 

[ausrock]

Multicore is basically the correct term.

 

[Teacher]

cool, thats what I'm wondering, how much difference do the expensive cables make (sound wise)?

the biggest difference i noticed when i changed to canare/mogami/planet wave(exclusively as my mic cable) was a lower noise floor and no hum(prolly cuz my old cables were unbalanced) which translates to cleaner recordings when tracks are stacked on top of each other

 

[DJL]

people over here tend to talk about multicores rather than snakes ... they're interchangeable as far as i know.

for the sake of four mics, i wouldn't bother getting an 8- or 16-channel snake, simply because of the cost. i think if i was running a long stretch that i'd be tempted to use DI boxes, but i don't know the phantom power issues or whether you'd have to use one in reverse if you were going to switch back down again.

Multicore cable is used to make snakes... but when it's all assembled it's called a SNAKE. And you don't use DI boxes to connect mics with balanced XLR cables to a mixer with balanced XLR inputs on it.

 

[spankenstein]

Where's all the DI talk coming from. There's no need for a DI for balanced runs. DIs are for going from unbalanced to balanced to make the long run.

 

[Ed Dixon]

Snakes comes in different sizes and lengths. An 8 channel snake with 50 feel is in the $100 range. An example is here:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7...1761870/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/339063/

Depending on how many mics you need to support, it might be cheaper to just run long cables. You can get 50 cables for about $12 each.

Ed

 

[noisedude]

You probably want a direct box at the drums and send each mic output to a direct box. Then the output of that goes over long mic cables to your mixer.
The direct box converts your mic signals to a balanced low impedance form, which is much better at rejecting noise along the way.

spankenstein - I disagree with you and Ed has already given the reasons why.

 

[Robert D]

You probably want a direct box at the drums and send each mic output to a direct box. The direct box converts your mic signals to a balanced low impedance form, which is much better at rejecting noise along the way.

Ed

Unless I missed something, he's using mics with balanced low impedance outputs, and doesn't need any direct boxes.........not for a 50 ft run.
As far as the snake, it would be nice for this app, but be aware that this means buying the snake, and a full set of shorter, but still quality mic cables. The snake terminates into a box with a bunch of XLR connectors at the input end, and then a fan at the output end. You need a full set of mic cables to go between mics and the box end of the snake. So, if this is ok with your budget, it's a good way to go, but research the quality of the cable and connectors used in any low cost snake. It won't do any good to run Mogami or Canari quad from mics to snake, and then have it pass through some cheap wire pairs in a budget snake using 50 cent connectors. If you can't afford a high quality snake, and high quality cables, then it would be better and cheaper to run a set of 50 ft quad cables with Neutrik connectors, and use some cable raps every few feet to tidy it up.

RD

 

[DJL]

Unless I missed something, he's using mics with balanced low impedance outputs, and doesn't need any direct boxes.........not for a 50 ft run.
As far as the snake, it would be nice for this app, but be aware that this means buying the snake, and a full set of shorter, but still quality mic cables. The snake terminates into a box with a bunch of XLR connectors at the input end, and then a fan at the output end. You need a full set of mic cables to go between mics and the box end of the snake. So, if this is ok with your budget, it's a good way to go, but research the quality of the cable and connectors used in any low cost snake. It won't do any good to run Mogami or Canari quad from mics to snake, and then have it pass through some cheap wire pairs in a budget snake using 50 cent connectors. If you can't afford a high quality snake, and high quality cables, then it would be better and cheaper to run a set of 50 ft quad cables with Neutrik connectors, and use some cable raps every few feet to tidy it up.

RD

I agree... and mark, number, or color code the cables.

 

[zackformula]

ok, thanks everybody. so what kind of 50 ft. cables should I get?

 

[zackformula]

what are some of examples of quad cables?

 

[DJL]

ok, thanks everybody. so what kind of 50 ft. cables should I get?

We had this discussion just last week. Have a look:

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=&threadid=118110

 

[zackformula]

Anyone know of a good snake I could get? I'll only need 6 channels max at a time. Or should I just get 50 ft. cables?

thanks

 

[Farview]

Just get a Proco snake and be done with it, get a 16 channel one so you can grow into it and if you stop needing it, you can sell it.

 

[zackformula]

thanks,

Is there one that is better for recording, rather than live sound (stage use)?

 

[noiseportrait]

I've heard good things about these snakes. Great bang for buck value:

http://www.audiopile.net/products/Stagelink_snakes/PSX-8/PSX-8_cutsheet.asp

 

[Farview]

Is there one that is better for recording, rather than live sound (stage use)?

They are pretty much the same. Get the one with 16 xlrs and 4 1/4 inch, that way you can send headphones back to the drums.