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Post by matthewaasen on Sept 26, 2024 22:31:08 GMT -6
Hi! I have a small outboard gear setup in my dorm room (500 series rack with 2 preamps and a compressor) and am planning on incorporating some mixbuss units (Was Audio Dione and Prometheus). I have an Apollo x8 and Twin. I figured that it might be time to add a patchbay to the setup in order to allow the new units to be used for tracking as well as being able to use my compressor for either preamp. I was planning the configuration of my patchbay and realized that it would take a ton of cables to connect all of this gear together. Just to add the 2 mixbuss units and 2 interface ins and outs to a patchbay, I would need 12 cables (some TRS and some TRS to XLR for the 500 chassis). Buying that many cables on Amazon or Sweetwater would cost $120-240 and that doesn't consider incorporating the rest of my gear into the patchbay (all interface I/O, my Capi 526, and any future purchases). Am I missing something or is this amount of cable-purchasing necessary for an outboard gear setup? Thanks in advance for your wisdom  |
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Post by Blackdawg on Sept 27, 2024 1:05:11 GMT -6
Cables are often an overlooked cost to running analog hardware. But it is a cost and won't go away.
Best thing you can do is learn to solder and make your own. Much cheaper that way. And really not that hard.
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Post by thehightenor on Sept 27, 2024 1:38:25 GMT -6
Blackdawg is right.
I spent £1000 on a Pulse 16 converters and the Switchcraft 1625 TT desktop 8x8 patchbay, DB 25 cables and patch cables cost me another $1000!
Cabling and patchbays are expensive - when I was younger and had more spare time (and 20/20 vision) I would solder up my own cables and that saves a lot of money.
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Post by matthewaasen on Sept 27, 2024 11:12:25 GMT -6
Cables are often an overlooked cost to running analog hardware. But it is a cost and won't go away. Best thing you can do is learn to solder and make your own. Much cheaper that way. And really not that hard. Gotcha I will look into that. Which cable and connectors would you recommend? |
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Post by Blackdawg on Sept 27, 2024 17:17:15 GMT -6
Cables are often an overlooked cost to running analog hardware. But it is a cost and won't go away. Best thing you can do is learn to solder and make your own. Much cheaper that way. And really not that hard. Gotcha I will look into that. Which cable and connectors would you recommend? You can use all kinds of balanced cable. To start with I wouldn't get to picky. Something as simple as this will work fine www.redco.com/Gotham-GAC-2-Foil.htmlwww.redco.com/Canare-L-2B2AT.htmlwww.redco.com/Carol-E2102S-Plenum-Rated-Balanced-Install-Cable.htmlKeep in mind that is all "install" cable. So great for racks and things. Not always the best for long runs with microphones. Usually something a bit more heavy is better for that. If you're feeling good then you can make multi channel cables. Like a stereo cable or 4ch or 8 or 16. www.redco.com/Redco-Snake-Cable/Im a fan of Neutrik connectors. Neutrik NC3MX Male XLR www.redco.com/Neutrik-NC3MX.htmlNeutrik NC3FX Female XLR www.redco.com/Neutrik-NC3FX.htmlYou can also get them in Black which I usually do but they are tiny bit more expensive. They aren't "cheap" but they do last and will be reusable for a long time. |
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Post by bgrotto on Sept 28, 2024 9:57:03 GMT -6
Don't ever, ever, EVER buy cables that you can easily build. XLR and TRS cables are something you can bang out in minutes. DB-25 is harder but still doable if you aren't a raging coffee addict like me 🤣
Learn to solder, buy the parts, and make your own.
Oh and don't skimp on the soldering iron...the $15 cheapo ones are more hassle than it's worth. Spend like $100.
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Post by Tbone81 on Sept 28, 2024 12:20:34 GMT -6
If you’re patient you can scour eBay and often find killer deals on used cable snakes. There’s not a very high resale value on most snakes. It’s not too hard to find someone who is tearing down their studio and needs to unload a bunch of cables.
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Post by Ned Ward on Sept 29, 2024 14:20:01 GMT -6
So many used snakes being sold - look as well on forums.prosoundweb.com in their marketplace section. Avoid Hosa or Seismic Audio. Audiopile and their EWI brand is good and especially for installs.
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Post by doubledog on Sept 29, 2024 21:46:20 GMT -6
So many used snakes being sold - look as well on forums.prosoundweb.com in their marketplace section. Avoid Hosa or Seismic Audio. Audiopile and their EWI brand is good and especially for installs. at the same time I've had a couple Hosa and Monoprice snakes in my setup for 10+ years and absolutely no problems -- but I don't move them either. I would never use them in a setup that got moved around, or for live use, but for an almost permanent installation they have been fine. |
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Post by Blackdawg on Sept 29, 2024 22:26:44 GMT -6
So many used snakes being sold - look as well on forums.prosoundweb.com in their marketplace section. Avoid Hosa or Seismic Audio. Audiopile and their EWI brand is good and especially for installs. at the same time I've had a couple Hosa and Monoprice snakes in my setup for 10+ years and absolutely no problems -- but I don't move them either. I would never use them in a setup that got moved around, or for live use, but for an almost permanent installation they have been fine. Same. I have a Hosa or two and they have been fine. |
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Post by basspro on Oct 1, 2024 9:41:15 GMT -6
I definitely agree with buying a soldering iron, bulk cable and connectors and doing it yourself. May end up costing about as much if you need to buy the iron, but you'll have a new skill that will save you a ton in the long run. If you're a little worried about messing up, have no fear - you can just keep cutting the cable and re-doing it until you get it right. Plenty of great tutorials/vids online that will walk you through it.
Also, you'll be able to easily repair cables if they go down in the future. It's a win/win.
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Post by Blackdawg on Oct 1, 2024 9:55:42 GMT -6
That and learning to solder cables is a gate way drug to getting into DIY audio kits to build your own mic pres, compressors, DI's, EQs, and more.
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