Making your own cables

[DAyumboi]

In another thread I found this site (redco.com) and im thinking about buying cables in bulk.
My question is which ones are the "regular" mic cables and instrument cables & connectors, and is the price difference worth having to solder all your own cables..
thanks

 

[genesisariana]

As long as the conductor is the correct size and type for carrying the signal without adding resistance to the load, its properly shielded, and the connectors are properly terminated, a cable that you make will have the exact same stats of any cable at any price in the entire world. There is no magical ingredient that "monster' or "audio quest" puts in their xlr cable that makes it work better than the bargin bin china cables. You are paying for a prettier jacket, some extra di-electric (which does nothing) and a name on the package. There is independent lab testing that proves it. This applies to analog cables only, when it comes to digital cables (optical, firewire) the rules change a little.

So to answer your question, if you like soldering and you are pretty good at it and want to save some money, then go right ahead. Every cable I use is hand made by me, I trust my soldering skills way more than mass produced ones.

 

[SonicAlbert]

I've made hundreds of my own cables, and have saved quite a bit of money by doing that. If you don't have many cables to make, then there is little or no price difference between home made and store bought. That's because of the cost of the cable making supplies and equipment like the soldering iron, clamp, etc.

I would also *highly* recommend you buy yourself a cable tester, and check every cable as you make them.

Also, since you are buying bulk cable, get only the best, it's still cheap compared to buying the same cable at a store. I use Mogami, Canare, and Connectronics cable, along with Neutrik connectors.

Another really important advantage to making your own cables is that you can make them the exact length required, so you don't have coils of cable laying around on the floor from overly long cable.

It's a skill that takes a little while to master, but is well worth knowing.

 

[bennychico11]

I typically like 22-24ga. cables....two conductor with a braided shield.
I like http://www.partsexpress.com/wire-cable.cfm too...some good prices usually.

and I agree, get quality connectors.

 

[gcapel]

I would also *highly* recommend you buy yourself a cable tester, and check every cable as you make them.

.

Or just an volt / ohm meter if you have one.

 

[altitude909]

redco.com is a good place to start with DIY cable. The two conductor mic/instrument cable is the way to go since for unbalanced (TS) cables you just use the two wires and for balanced cable (TRS) you use the two wires and shield so once spool will cover everything

 

[DAyumboi]

thanks for all the replies
one more thing, are there diagrams that show how to solder the cables and the connectors, or is it pretty easy to figure out?

 

[altitude909]

http://www.rane.com/note110.html

 

[SonicAlbert]

There is an excellent book published by Yamaha called the "Sound Reinforcement Handbook". It has a section on building cables that includes step by step tutorials, plus a few pages of detailed diagrams of how to wire various types of cables. I've found it invaluable in making cables, and a useful book to have around.

 

[dementedchord]

You are paying for a prettier jacket, some extra di-electric (which does nothing) and a name on the package. There is independent lab testing that proves it. .

granted there is a oint of diminishing returns but this isn't necessarily so... the dialectic impacts the capcitence of the cable... and higher capacitence means the highs can be rolled off.... interestingly enough where it really shows up is on a guitar cord where the input impededence is realitively low...


from altitude...

The two conductor mic/instrument cable is the way to go since for unbalanced (TS) cables you just use the two wires and for balanced cable (TRS) you use the two wires and shield so once spool will cover everything



if you want to use the two wire cable for unbalanced use either one wire and the sheild or twist the 2 wires together and use the shield.... always use the sheild unless you have some particular ground humm issues... it's there to help eliminate noise... use it!!!

 

[Hi_Flyer]

There is no magical ingredient that "monster' or "audio quest" puts in their xlr cable that makes it work better than the bargin bin china cables. You are paying for a prettier jacket, some extra di-electric (which does nothing) and a name on the package.

didn't see this noted in the thread already so I'll mention it: better cables usually have better connectors that will last longer. they don't sound any different, but they stand up to abuse better. pass on that Monster Cable bullshit though...

I bought a bunch of cheapo cables a few years ago, and as they have started to die, I have been replacing the connectors with the Neutrik ones, I suspect they will last much longer...Its like getting a new cable for only a few bucks.

but yeah, learn how to solder your cables and save a few bucks.

 

[kubeek]

granted there is a oint of diminishing returns but this isn't necessarily so... the dialectic impacts the capcitence of the cable... and higher capacitence means the highs can be rolled off.... interestingly enough where it really shows up is on a guitar cord where the input impededence is realitively low...

The high frequency rolloff doesn´t depend too much on input impedance of amplifier or whatever you connect the source to.
It depends on the output impedance of the source and the capacity of the connecting cables.

Electric guitar has output impedance in the range of 100kohm to 1meg. Dynamic or condenser microphone has output impedance of cca 600 ohm. This is the reason why guitars are sensitive to good cables, because the higher is the output impedance and the higher is the cable capacity, the lower the rolloff frequency gets.

 

[DAyumboi]

So I could buy standard balanced mic cable and it would work to make xlr cables and guitar cables (trs?)...correct me if im wrong....thanks for the input

 

[dementedchord]

granted there is a oint of diminishing returns but this isn't necessarily so... the dialectic impacts the capcitence of the cable... and higher capacitence means the highs can be rolled off.... interestingly enough where it really shows up is on a guitar cord where the input impededence is realitively low...

EDIT... should have read " when the input impedence is relitively low...)

 

[myurbanodyssey]

Soldering Canare 4 Star Quad Cables

thanks for all the replies
one more thing, are there diagrams that show how to solder the cables and the connectors, or is it pretty easy to figure out?

I just made my first xlr cables last night! It's pretty easy, Dayumboi. I was a little confused about soldering the Canare 4 Star Quad cable at first, but after one cable you hit the learning curve and it's all go from there. Now I have six twenty-fivers with nice Neutrik connectors, and, more importantly, piece of mind. Though, seeing the date you posted, you may have already started. I hope they turned out great.

Now, for any of you wondering how the Canare Star Quad thing works, here are a couple of great resources:

http://www.canare.com/files/Cat11_p35.pdf

and

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/archive/index.php/t-1237560.html
*View the posts by Lavaman on the Star Quad Cables

Be patient, save money, and brag hard about your beauties.

Oh, and I ordered from Redco. Very cool.