Cables

[SweetDrums1234]

do cables really matter that much? i have heard people stressing "use good cables", but how much does it really matter? could i use the cheapo musiciansfriend ones, or would i be required to get Monster Cable or Mogami?

[PYRRHO]

Your recordings are only as good as the weakest link in the signal chain.
Cable quality is important.

With that...
yes, you can use el cheapos.
Why? Simple.
A question like this, clearly indicates a lack of experience. There's nothing wrong with being inexperienced of course, but initially anyway...your techniques, methods, styles and practices are going to be so unrefined...so amateurish(sorry)...the impact of cable-quality will be insignificant.

Get your feet wet, develop some chops, then invest in the high-end cables.

[SweetDrums1234]

yes i have a lack of (actually none at all) expierence, so at this point it will not matter what cables i get?

[AdolfZander]

If you're any good with a soldering iron you may as well just build your own. It will cost a lot less and you can build them to spec and could be pretty top quality depending on the components you get.

Here's an example of a XLR (M) to XLR (F) Mic cable...

1 x Neutrik NC3FXX (http://www.redco.com/shopexd.asp?id=665) - $2.12 +
1 x Neutrik NC3MXX (http://www.redco.com/shopexd.asp?id=663) - $1.90 +
15 feet of Mogami W2549 Mic Cable (http://www.redco.com/shopexd.asp?id=493) - $7.65...

So for about $12 you can build your typical Monster Cable or Mogami cable that would otherwise cost $30+ or even $40+. Just a suggestion...

[SweetDrums1234]

i am very good with a soldering iron, or gun rather. i would definately build my own if i can find a little bit of time. that is a very good idea, thanks a lot Adolf.

[Butnutz]

yes i have a lack of (actually none at all) expierence, so at this point it will not matter what cables i get?


on one hand yes....because even professionals cant make a cable with an improper or bad shield NOT pick up AM or CB radio frequencies, or RF interference from cellular phones.

on the other hand...without proper professional electrical wiring and audio wiring of your ENTIRE facility(including A/C filters for "clean" power), its unlikely that you will be able to hear the difference in tonality between junk cables and good cables.



my general principle is that more expensive cable is actually more durable, and has proper shielding(braided or twisted copper, as opposed to a layer of aluminum foil) that wont break and cause grounding and interference issues. Therefore, quality cabling is a must.
as Adolf recomended, Mogami 2549 is excellent, both in terms of durability and sound quality. for mic cabling in an install(doest get unplugged, moved, etc..), 2552 is a lighter gauge, about half the price, and sounds just as good...the tradeoff is in durability, as 2552 is rather thin, and the rubber wont stand up to the same kind of abuse.
that being said, 2549 and 2552 are the 2 most common cable types i see in new york studios.
a huge bonus to NOT using monster cables is being able to repair broken connectors, failed solder joints, etc... the molded style monster cables suck for that, once the connector breaks, you gotta send it back to monster and hope their lifetime warranty covers a connector being destroyed by the guy who just ran over it with a 200lb road case.

connectors:
neutrik all the way! the strain relief is better, the female click lock is tighter(so the pins wont shift in the socket :) ), and they dont have those little phillps head screws that switchcraft connectors use that strip out constantly(forcing you to replace the ENTIRE connector.)

[TuoKaerf]

Great post.

Believe me, the more durable your cables are, the less headaches you will have down the road.

Take this from someone who had to pull out a 200 ft snake from the ceiling and wall because 2 cables went bad.

[weps]

ALL that said, with "monster" half the price is the advertising fee. As long as it's decent twisted pair mic cable, there's not much difference. the "quad" cable with doubled signal lines CAN be noticed, but it's a PITA to solder in.

Speaking of soldering, FORGET the soldering GUN. Most are too high a wattage for working around plasitc insulated plugs. Get a small soldering iron 20-25 watt, NO MORE than 40 watt. Plus the pencil tip is FAR easier to get inbetween the soldering points on an XLR.

The 20' MF cables are perfectly adaquate for general use. You can often find them on sale for $2.99 and pick up a bunch. The joy of low impedance, balanced cables is that you can connect several together for length with little signal loss. And the cheaper cables are throwaways if damaged. If you don't elbow wind cables, even these will last many years. I have many brand cables and the cheap MF ones, too. I use them interchangably.

weps

[theclashrock]

I use cables with either klotz or van damme cable and neutrik connectors, I solder them myself and they are abouit as good as you'll get without going pete cornish.

Most expensive cables are gimmicks anyway.

but certainly don't use cheap cables.

If you do solder your own don't use a soldering gun by the way, they're meant to be used for plumbing not electronics and its possible to damage the cable if it gets too hot. just keep that in mind.

[SweetDrums1234]

yes, i have an iron also. havent used it in a while though. i think im going to make my own cables. this is gonna be fun. when i get my recording gear and everything, i will post some pics.

[p-mack]

build your own...
that's way more cheaper.
that's what i did, never regretted it for a second...

or if you have some money left, try to find some Neutrik cables. they are very durable and won't break the bank that much...

[notsocoolguy]

I build all my own cables...
Much better in my opinion, you can make them to your exact specs, if you breaks the its fairly easy to test and fix, gives you somthing to do :) cheaper...

[Piksel]

Cables are to Electrics as Hardware is to drums.

[notsocoolguy]

Cables are to Electrics as Hardware is to drums.

Ha ha, well put!!