Solved Mic cable length

[danny.guitar]

I'd like to be able to try recording acoustic in a bigger room, like my living room.

After searching for a bit I found a couple threads where people said anything under 50ft is fine, and others saying if you want long cables you need to buy the real good brands.

I only need about 30ft, but I'd like to get one as long as possible for some extra slack, no more than 50ft. What brand cable should I get? Mogami? Can I get away with a less expensive brand?

And no, I've never soldered and am not real interested in making my own yet since I only need 1 or 2 of them.

 

[mshilarious]

50 ft should not be a problem for any reasonable cable. With mic cables you generally don't get concerned until well over 200 ft.

That said, if you don't want to solder, it would behoove you to buy a brand with quality connectors; my overwhelming preference is Neutrik.

 

[danny.guitar]

Thanks mshilarious. Neutrik are the connectors you have on the end of your mics, right?

Anyway, I found these, and the prices seem pretty good, what do you think?

http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--CBIMLN

Never heard of CBI before, but the reviews seem okay and the prices are great.

 

[Kryptik]

There are too many other things affecting your sound to really worry about this, IMO.

 

[danny.guitar]

There are too many other things affecting your sound to really worry about this, IMO.

What?

 

[RickW]

For the length you're looking for, it's not a problem. 50' is fairly common. Definitely get good connectors (Neutrik is not only very good, but also very common). Those CBI cables are good. I've had some of their speaker cables for a year or so now and gig with them almost every weekend, and they're still holding up. So their quality is good by me and I'd have no problem buying their products. I say go for it. AMS sells them also...FYI.

 

[crazydoc]

What?

Any effect different mic cables will have on your recordings will be completely inaudible. Just make sure you have them properly burned in before use ( http://www.pymblehifi.com.au/NordostCableBurning.htm ) and that the directionality is clearly marked and followed.

 

[superspit]

Any effect different mic cables will have on your recordings will be completely inaudible. Just make sure you have them properly burned in before use ( http://www.pymblehifi.com.au/NordostCableBurning.htm ) and that the directionality is clearly marked and followed.

geeesh....cable burning???........um.....geeeesh!
I guess my phantom leads running >48volts might have the same effect!!
Seriously though, I've never heard of this before....interesting.
Spit.

Danny, your 50ft cable runs will be fine!

 

[pezking]

Definitely buy decent connectors. I bought about 15 cheap female XLR connectors that looked like neutrik ones. They don't actually work with one or two of my condensers...

 

[markitzero]

Any effect different mic cables will have on your recordings will be completely inaudible. Just make sure you have them properly burned in before use ( http://www.pymblehifi.com.au/NordostCableBurning.htm ) and that the directionality is clearly marked and followed.

That's pretty funny.

 

[mshilarious]

Any effect different mic cables will have on your recordings will be completely inaudible. Just make sure you have them properly burned in before use ( http://www.pymblehifi.com.au/NordostCableBurning.htm ) and that the directionality is clearly marked and followed.

The good news is that XLRs are already directional

 

[danny.guitar]

Thanks for clearing that up guys.

I was never asking whether or not the cable will effect 'sound quality', but whether I'd have signal/noise/interference problems with a cable run of 50ft.

Anyway, I'm going to order a 50ft and a 100ft one of those CBI cables.

 

[scrubs]

I've been really impressed with the quad cables from www.audiopile.net

They are made in korea and have neutrik-like connectors (not the real thing). The build quality is good, the cable itself is very supple, and I have no complaints about the sound or price.

For a little more, you can get www.redco.com to make you cables with various wire and connectors of your choosing.

 

[pezking]

I was never asking whether or not the cable will effect 'sound quality', but whether I'd have signal/noise/interference problems with a cable run of 50ft.

Nah you won't have any problems with interference if they're balanced.

That is unless you have a hell of a lot of light dimmers in the vicinity, in which case you might be better of with starquad cable - however then you get a quality loss because of the increase in capacitance!

I'm sure the cables you're getting will be excellent.

 

[crazydoc]

The good news is that XLRs are already directional

True, but sometimes the manufacturer is unaware of the directionality, and either mislabels or reverses it. The only way to tell for sure is to remove the connectoers from each end and switch them. After comparing the sonic quality in each direction, leave them in the direction that the music is "more relaxed, pleasant and believable."

"Directionality: All cables are directional, from hardware store electrical cable to the finest pure silver cables. All AudioQuest cables are marked for direction. With other cables it might be necessary to simply listen to the cables in one direction and then the other. The difference will be clear- in the correct direction the music is more relaxed, pleasant and believable. While cable directionality is not fully understood, it is clear that the molecular structure of drawn metal is not symmetrical, providing a physical explanation for the existence of directionality."
http://www.audioquest.com/pdfs/aq_cable_theory.pdf

 

[Ford Van]

True, but sometimes the manufacturer is unaware of the directionality, and either mislabels or reverses it. The only way to tell for sure is to remove the connectoers from each end and switch them. After comparing the sonic quality in each direction, leave them in the direction that the music is "more relaxed, pleasant and believable."

"Directionality: All cables are directional, from hardware store electrical cable to the finest pure silver cables. All AudioQuest cables are marked for direction. With other cables it might be necessary to simply listen to the cables in one direction and then the other. The difference will be clear- in the correct direction the music is more relaxed, pleasant and believable. While cable directionality is not fully understood, it is clear that the molecular structure of drawn metal is not symmetrical, providing a physical explanation for the existence of directionality."
http://www.audioquest.com/pdfs/aq_cable_theory.pdf

PLEASE tell me you are kidding!

Burning in cables. LOL Gawd that is fucking funny shit!

What SHOULD be burned in is the retina of the eyes of fools who read and believe this kind of shit.

 

[bubbagump]

My dog can hear the difference. Doesn't his opinion matter?

Seriously though, the bigger problem is if you get the direction wrong, everything will be out of phase. You don't want the speaker pulling when it should be pushing.



Actually really being serious now... CBI, Rapco, ProCo all make good quality cables. I personally prefer to roll my own so I can make my Neutrik/Canare Star Quad master pieces... but if I had to buy a cable, I wouldn't feel bad going with one of these brands.

 

[travelin travis]

also, make sure your cables are running downhill from the mic to the pre. makes it easier for the sound to slide thru the cable.

 

[crazydoc]

Anyway, I'm going to order a 50ft and a 100ft one of those CBI cables.

You may want to rethink this. The third principle of psychoacoustics states that "perceived sonic quality is directly proportional to the expense/effort invested in in an audio system." Cheap cables aren't going to be very satisfying. If you invest several hundred or more dollars in each cable, you'll be able to sit back with a smug smile on your face as you appreciate the fruits of your labors.

 

[Ford Van]

Also, I am a HUGE Switchcraft fan. They are MUCH easier to solder together, and FAR more robust than Neutrik. I have broke MANY Neutrik connectors in live sound situations, and have NEVER broke a Switchcraft. The only thing with Switchcraft is that you need to tighten the strain relief screw once a year or so. No different than needing to tighten up a Neutrik.

Anyway...........

As I recall from long ago, it is actually around 250' or so when cable length has any negligible difference in any spec on a balanced mic cable. I DO believe that there is different sounds to wire. My overwhelming preference is Monster Studio Pro 1000. I base this preference on several side by side listening tests me and another engineer conducted using all major popular brands of mic cable. Both of us were able to pick out recordings done with the SP 1000 every time! It was an amazing test, as we never expected to be able to hear that much of a difference.

But, at $5 a foot, it is not for the feint of wallet! My next choice was the Mogami Quad. Very nice detailed sound. I also REALLY like the sound of Belden 8451. I would personally stay away from Canare Star Quad. It was VERY disappointing cable for the money. In fact, I don't think it sounded much better than your average ProCo/Whirlwind cable.