Building Studio - Line Cable question

Moderator: Capt. Black

Post Reply
User avatar
sty
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 2945
meble-kuchenne.warszawa.pl
Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:26 pm
Location: Christchurch
Has liked: 207 times
Been liked: 264 times

Building Studio - Line Cable question

Post by sty »

I'm in the middle of building a new work/play/"studio" space, I've been doing this for ages due to circumstances.

It's a decent space, internal 7.5mx9m and will be home to all my "toys" computing, gaming and music.

Part of the spec is that I'm going to be wiring it up for networking with cat 6, surround sound speakers and a decent number of Line Level Audio runs from all the ket points in the studio to the main front wall so I can patch these into either the hi-fi, surround (I'll try and fire the sub channel to the back of the room powered sub), or anything else I fancy at some point down the line. I'm not really planning on running these cables for audio recording into a DAW etc. I'm probably take the pain and run proper cables, but who knows. It'll certainly get used for practice playback of backing tracks etc.

It will all be terminated at wall mounted RCA points, so I can use hi-fi interconnects etc.

I'm looking for low price but not crap quality, I'm not looking to spend $5/m to totally over engineer something.

So two questions from anyone who's done this or has the knowledge:

1) Is there a spec of the sort of cable I should be looking at?
I'm going to want stereo, so I'm assuming I'm looking for 4 core shielded.
(I figure my longest run will be about 15m and I'll be able to run it reasonably away from power cables etc. though it will cross them at some points no doubt.)

2) Any recommendations on specific cable and where to buy it (delivery to CHCH)
I'm probably going to bite the bullet and buy 100m roll of it, unless 50m was no penalty and I could try it out.

I've seen this stuff

https://www.trademe.co.nz/electronics-p ... 646557.htm

which is kind of in the ball park price wise, just want to check I'm not missing anything.

User avatar
sty
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 2945
Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:26 pm
Location: Christchurch
Has liked: 207 times
Been liked: 264 times

Re: Building Studio - Line Cable question

Post by sty »

For reference, here is the building and some shots of it being used for a Gearfest many years ago.

I'm in the middle of running power cables, lighting cables, network etc. about to insulate and put the mdf wall panels up, hence the rush to get everything done in one hit now.

Image

Image

Image

User avatar
rickenbackerkid
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 6700
Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:52 pm
Has liked: 206 times
Been liked: 651 times

Re: Building Studio - Line Cable question

Post by rickenbackerkid »

I'd personally just buy cheap 'install' grade shielded mic cable. It's very cheap in bulk and you can either run a Left and Right down one cable, sharing a ground, or even better, just run 2x mic cables, then you can use them as line level, individually shielded, or you can run them as mic lines.

User avatar
jeremyb
Chorus of Organs
Posts: 40879
Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:03 am
Has liked: 7686 times
Been liked: 4157 times

Re: Building Studio - Line Cable question

Post by jeremyb »

Stereo only needs 2 cores and a shield, something like this?

https://www.jaycar.co.nz/2-core-screene ... e/p/WB1530
Slowy wrote: That's the problem; everything rewarding is just such hard work. Regret takes much less effort.

User avatar
bender
Darth Fader
Posts: 11838
Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:46 pm
Location: Dorkland
Has liked: 415 times
Been liked: 1010 times

Re: Building Studio - Line Cable question

Post by bender »

bbrunskill wrote:I'd personally just buy cheap 'install' grade shielded mic cable. It's very cheap in bulk and you can either run a Left and Right down one cable, sharing a ground, or even better, just run 2x mic cables, then you can use them as line level, individually shielded, or you can run them as mic lines.
^This

I have a bit of multicore that I could let you have cheap if you like. Not sure about all of the lengths at this stage as it's all in coils in my studio.

Can definitely spare the following:
2x 3.2m 16-way (one already terminated with TRS Jacks)
2x 2m 8-way

I also have a few assorted 8-way lengths that are in use at the moment but I'll probably rip out in the new year, plus one 24-way that I think is about 3 or 4m long.

PM me if you're interested in any of that

User avatar
sty
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 2945
Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:26 pm
Location: Christchurch
Has liked: 207 times
Been liked: 264 times

Re: Building Studio - Line Cable question

Post by sty »

jeremyb wrote:Stereo only needs 2 cores and a shield, something like this?

https://www.jaycar.co.nz/2-core-screene ... e/p/WB1530
because I'm going to (pending more investigation of the mic cable option) to be running them to 2 RCA jacks I don't want to make any assumptions that they're carrying a related signal and connect the two outers together AND to the shield if I don't have to. Partly to stop someone other than me sharing two plugs for different uses. ie. it's gotta be a bit fool tolerant. This is my hi-fi head coming through where I have individual interconnects for left and right on each device/channel

User avatar
sty
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 2945
Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:26 pm
Location: Christchurch
Has liked: 207 times
Been liked: 264 times

Re: Building Studio - Line Cable question

Post by sty »

bbrunskill wrote:I'd personally just buy cheap 'install' grade shielded mic cable. It's very cheap in bulk and you can either run a Left and Right down one cable, sharing a ground, or even better, just run 2x mic cables, then you can use them as line level, individually shielded, or you can run them as mic lines.
Sounds like an interesting idea, you're suggesting running proper mic cable, with those balanced XLR thingies on the wall and if I want a simple RCA to use an adaptor?

I don't suppose you have a link for the type of cable you're talking about?

(I started looking at Jansen and scared the crap out of myself with all their Proel stuff)

User avatar
jeremyb
Chorus of Organs
Posts: 40879
Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:03 am
Has liked: 7686 times
Been liked: 4157 times

Re: Building Studio - Line Cable question

Post by jeremyb »

sty wrote:
jeremyb wrote:Stereo only needs 2 cores and a shield, something like this?

https://www.jaycar.co.nz/2-core-screene ... e/p/WB1530
because I'm going to (pending more investigation of the mic cable option) to be running them to 2 RCA jacks I don't want to make any assumptions that they're carrying a related signal and connect the two outers together AND to the shield if I don't have to. Partly to stop someone other than me sharing two plugs for different uses. ie. it's gotta be a bit fool tolerant. This is my hi-fi head coming through where I have individual interconnects for left and right on each device/channel
Ahhhh so you won't want to go 4 core then as you won't have a shield thats grounded, just use dirty old coax, job done!
Slowy wrote: That's the problem; everything rewarding is just such hard work. Regret takes much less effort.

User avatar
sty
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 2945
Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:26 pm
Location: Christchurch
Has liked: 207 times
Been liked: 264 times

Re: Building Studio - Line Cable question

Post by sty »

bender wrote:
bbrunskill wrote:I'd personally just buy cheap 'install' grade shielded mic cable. It's very cheap in bulk and you can either run a Left and Right down one cable, sharing a ground, or even better, just run 2x mic cables, then you can use them as line level, individually shielded, or you can run them as mic lines.
^This

I have a bit of multicore that I could let you have cheap if you like. Not sure about all of the lengths at this stage as it's all in coils in my studio.

Can definitely spare the following:
2x 3.2m 16-way (one already terminated with TRS Jacks)
2x 2m 8-way

I also have a few assorted 8-way lengths that are in use at the moment but I'll probably rip out in the new year, plus one 24-way that I think is about 3 or 4m long.

PM me if you're interested in any of that
Great insight, will investigate this a little more.

Thanks for the offer of the cable, but to be honest I'm pretty much committed to having to buy a decent sized roll anyway as I have at least three runs that need to cover the length of the studio. I don't mind buying it properly, just want to get it right once and for all.

User avatar
rickenbackerkid
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 6700
Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:52 pm
Has liked: 206 times
Been liked: 651 times

Re: Building Studio - Line Cable question

Post by rickenbackerkid »

sty wrote:
bbrunskill wrote:I'd personally just buy cheap 'install' grade shielded mic cable. It's very cheap in bulk and you can either run a Left and Right down one cable, sharing a ground, or even better, just run 2x mic cables, then you can use them as line level, individually shielded, or you can run them as mic lines.
Sounds like an interesting idea, you're suggesting running proper mic cable, with those balanced XLR thingies on the wall and if I want a simple RCA to use an adaptor?

I don't suppose you have a link for the type of cable you're talking about?

(I started looking at Jansen and scared the crap out of myself with all their Proel stuff)
You could terminate it anyway you like, but balanced XLR would be a nice tidy way to do it, and as you say, you can use adapters.

Jansen have this: http://www.jansen.co.nz/KM0401?sort=p.price&order=ASC

88 cents a meter, would work fine. You might be able to get cheaper from one of the online places, RSonline, Mouser or something like that.

User avatar
sty
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 2945
Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:26 pm
Location: Christchurch
Has liked: 207 times
Been liked: 264 times

Re: Building Studio - Line Cable question

Post by sty »

bbrunskill wrote:You could terminate it anyway you like, but balanced XLR would be a nice tidy way to do it, and as you say, you can use adapters.

Jansen have this: http://www.jansen.co.nz/KM0401?sort=p.price&order=ASC

88 cents a meter
Thanks for all the input guys, in the end I have gone with this Jansen twin core and shield microphone cable. Interestingly enough for the prices I could seem to get this was near enough the same price as the cheapest local (trademe) supplier but twice as thick, and the inner cores were twices as thick as well (same number of strands, just thicker for each).

Also I was thinking of getting 100m just to me on the safe side, but they did free shipping over $100 so I ordered an extra 20m and got it delivered for $2 more :)

I think the most general all round solution for me will be terminating them as 1/4" TRS sockets on the wall and use 1/4" to whatever adaptors I need.

Quick question to anyone with experience on this:

Given I'm going to wall mounting these in standard PDL fittings there's not much stopping me wiring an XLR and TRS next to each other both off the same cable so I could use whichever made most sense at the time - obviously making sure both ends were correctly connected.

I there any reason I should do this?

I'm thinking of things like noise pickup, just bad practice etc. (obviously they'd be right next to each other so only 20-30mm apart and common sheilds etc. I'd use a tiny piece of the mic lead to patch to the TRS from the XLP probably).

thanks in advance for any input ( ;) )

User avatar
rickenbackerkid
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 6700
Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:52 pm
Has liked: 206 times
Been liked: 651 times

Re: Building Studio - Line Cable question

Post by rickenbackerkid »

I think that would be a nice solution and much more elegant than using adapters.

Post Reply