KeyboardEric Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 Just wondering if anyone out there has any recommendations on a budget friendly brand of auxiliary cable. Looking at getting some balanced XLR to 1/4 inch balanced cables for my little home studio. Any brands I need to avoid? Quote dreamcommander.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 I am in Bellingham but I do check the Seattle craiglist sometimes. Go to musical instruments and in the search box at the top try "cord" and "cable" This one is 5 days old, found it with the "cable" search - https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/msg/d/seattle-mic-cables-guitar-cables/7118872712.html There will be more, Seattle craigslist is very active and moves quickly. Keep your eye on it, respond quickly and make any offers when you contact rather than when you arrive at the location. Can you solder? If you have a small soldering set-up you can often convert cables to your specific use. Very valuable skill for any musician using electronics. All of our local thrift stores are closed now, yours too probaby. I have some high quality mic and line cables that I've found in the electronics, there is usually a "spaghetti bomb" bin with all sorts of stuff in it. Dimes on the dollar, truly. Seek out high quality used connectors and cables and soon you will have more than you need. Look for metal connectors - Switchcraft, Neutrik and Amphenol are all quality connectors. Belden, Mogami, Monster all make quality audio cable. Sometimes you can mix and match, cut one XLR off a cable and solder on a 1/4" TRS plug. If you are buying new, good stuff can get expensive unless there is a sale. Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeyboardEric Posted May 10, 2020 Author Share Posted May 10, 2020 Thanks for the thoughtful recommendations. I was probably going to order something on line as opposed to the used market. Sorry I didn't mention that before. Also, I wish I knew how to solder. That would be a useful skill to have! Quote dreamcommander.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 Soldering is not difficult and basic equipment is not expensive. There are probably tutorials on YouTube. Note that i did mention quality connectors and cabling, good cables will use good components. Budget cables may be fine for home use, I haven't had a great track record with them lasting as long as quality cablies. It's a variable, something you have to decide for yourself and sometimes we find things out the hard way. I've had cheap guitar cables with plastic ends and cheap wire get noisy and sputter when moved in just a few months. I have some guitar cables that are well over 10 years old and still going strong. It may seem like a place to cut corners and it can be, sometimes. When it isn't, go quality and pay once. Cheers, Kuru Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeyboardEric Posted May 10, 2020 Author Share Posted May 10, 2020 Fair enough. Do you recommend any particular brands? Quote dreamcommander.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 That is more difficult since I have almost entirely used cabling and it didn't come with packaging. That said, I've consistenly gotten excellent service from Sweetwater and I am sure they can make good recommendations for you. The only cable I've ever bought from them was a demo - an Apple Thunderbolt 2 cable. It works fine. For new gear, they will be my vendor of choice for online purchases. I have no affiliation and pay their posted prices. I simply appreciate good service, knowledgeable staff and a large inventory. Here is their cable selector page, hope you find it helpful! https://www.sweetwater.com/shop/cables/finder.php Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miden Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 Mogami is what I use and recommend..it's not necessarily cheap, but, and jmo, it's not that expensive either for a premium cable. Coupled with Neutrik connectors you can't go wrong! Quote There is no luck - luck is simply the confluence of circumstance and co-incidence... Time is the final arbiter for all things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeyboardEric Posted May 10, 2020 Author Share Posted May 10, 2020 Mogami level cable doesn't really make sense for my setup. I'm probably gonna get a couple of these, hopefully plug them in once and forget about it. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HSX003--hosa-hsx-003-pro-balanced-interconnect-rean-1-4-in-trs-to-xlr3m-3-ft Quote dreamcommander.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 At 3' and not going any where those should work fine. Cheers, Kuru Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokely Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 I now use Redco when I need cables--specifically their custom cable wizard where you pick every aspect of the cable from type of cable itself, to length to connector type etc. You'd think that would cost a lot more but it doesn't. I needed two 5 foot unbalanced cables with right-angle connectors on only one side, good luck finding that off the shelf! Anyway, Mogami is one of the cable options, I usually go with the Redco "house brand" due to others recommending it as just fine. My cables are for live anyway so not quite as critical. For connectors I generally go with Switchcraft...you can choose Neutrik and others as well. For a studio cable that isn't going to be plugged/unplugged constantly then I wouldn't think the connector is critical--the reason to use better connectors I've usually heard is that they last, not any kind of audio advantage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeyboardEric Posted May 10, 2020 Author Share Posted May 10, 2020 Interesting! I didn't realize the connector was different from the actual cable. I thought it was all part of the same piece. Shows my ignorance. Quote dreamcommander.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyguy Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 I always use Audiopile.com. Owners Mark and Liz are great people and easy to work with. They are online and located in Farmington, WA. Quote Jim Wells Tallahassee, FL www.pureplatinumband.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EscapeRocks Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 I now use Redco when I need cables--specifically their custom cable wizard where you pick every aspect of the cable from type of cable itself, to length to connector type etc. Anyway, Mogami is one of the cable options, I usually go with the Redco "house brand" due to others recommending it as just fine. My cables are for live anyway so not quite as critical. For connectors I generally go with Switchcraft...you can choose Neutrik and others as well. . Just wanted to jump in to concur. Redco has made two snakes for me. One is now 9 years old, and the other is 7 years old. I used the Redco "house brand" with a variety of connectors for my rig. They are still trouble free after all this time. Quote David Gig Rig:Depends on the day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EscapeRocks Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 I always use Audiopile.com. Owners Mark and Liz are great people and easy to work with. They are online and located in Farmington, WA. Thanks for the info on this company, Jim. FYI their website is a .net, not .com Audiopile Quote David Gig Rig:Depends on the day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustar Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 Not cheap, but solidly made. https://btpa.com/ Quote Yamaha P-515, Hammond SK1, Casio PX5s, Motif ES rack, Kawai MP5, Kawai ESS110, Yamaha S03, iPad, and a bunch of stuff in the closet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyguy Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 I always use Audiopile.com. Owners Mark and Liz are great people and easy to work with. They are online and located in Farmington, WA. Thanks for the info on this company, Jim. FYI their website is a .net, not .com Audiopile Oops, brain far*. Btw, I have used Redco for custom work, and you are right, they are the bomb.Audiopile is great for cables and adapters, ready made, and reasonably priced. I have many of all types for my PA and keyboards. Thanks! Quote Jim Wells Tallahassee, FL www.pureplatinumband.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokely Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 I got really cheap for a stretch and got a bunch of monoprice cables (which now can be bought via Amazon as well). Oddly the 1/4" cables have not fared well, but I have several of their mic cables that have withstood seven years of gigging so far. I don't like how thick and heavy they are though and that was one reason I started going to redco. I wouldn't personally go used, as cables can have wear and tear on them (again, studio use where they stay plugged in is a different thing from live.) Studio cables I'd look at the cost averaged over all the likely years I'll be using them, it's a nice rationalization technique I've perfected that helps me spend more money My wife is completely immune to this approach unfortunately.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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