Ask any musician with a home recording set up, it’s worth the investment. It’s typically made from rubber or similar materials to protect against moisture exposure as well as abrasion damage caused by moving parts within other components like switches or buttons on machines where these connections are used frequently throughout their lifespan – such as musical instruments!Īsk any guitar player who gigs, and tries to go cheap. The inner insulation is what prevents shorting out your equipment when you’re plugging something into an XLR jack with bare wires on each end (which we do not recommend). The more strands in a wire, the better it’s going to be at delivering that signal over long distances and through multiple devices before experiencing any deterioration.Įxcellent breakdown (literally) of garbage XLR Cables Typically made from copper or copper-clad steel, it can also be silver or gold plated for better sound quality in some circumstances. The conductor is the center of your cable that carries the signal. XLR cables are made up of four primary parts: the conductor, inner insulation, braided shield and outer insulation. There are also other factors such as capacitance between wires that we won’t go into here but suffice it say: use good quality XLR cables whenever possible! XLR cables are made up of four primary parts the conductor, inner insulation, braided shield and outer insulation. A good rule of thumb is that two or three stranded conductors tends to be adequate for many applications but going up to five or six strands can provide extra protection against interference from other sources like power lines or lighting cables (especially important if working with high-power devices).ĭo Yourself a Favor an Learn to Invest in Your Gearįinally, make sure that any connectors are made out of silver-plated copper rather than plain copper which is much less durable than its precious counterpart - especially when handling large amounts of current over long periods of time! The more strands there are in each conductor, the higher quality your cable will be. However, if you’re looking at 4-pin male XLR, then pin 1 will have a braided shield and pins 2 and 3 will be bare wire.Īnother thing to look for is the number of strands in the cable’s conductors. If you’re looking at a 3-pin male XLR, then it will have a braided shield over both pins 1 and 2. The first thing you should look at is the cable’s shield. Many people don’t realize that there are different grades of XLR cables out there from cheap ones made with bare copper wires (which can cause interference) all the way up to high-end options that use silver-coated copper wiring instead.Īnd while those kinds of expensive cables sound great when they’re working perfectly, they can also be prone to failure if they aren’t properly maintained! So what do you need to know about these types of cables? Let’s dive right in! How do you know if an XLR cable is good quality? The success of eliminating that hum comes down to the quality of the audio equipment and the quality of the cables used. Since an XLR cable can carry a balanced signal, it eliminates the possibility of that hum. An unbalanced signal can pick up unwanted background electrical signals from the environment that creates an audible humming noise. Whereas your standard 1/4″ or 1/8″ cable that you would see in something like a headphone jack carries an unbalanced signal. What is an XLR Cable Used For?Īn XLR cable is used because it is able to carry a balanced signal. That’s not for rock stars, that goes for us podcasters as well. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to the quality of your cables - especially if you’re using them for professional purposes such as live performances or studio work. When you’re in the studio and recording, the last thing you want to have happen is for your signal to get weak or distorted. We have to stress that quality audio is important and this is not somewhere to skimp. It is clear that some of us don’t understand the value of a good XLR cable. We’re in process of reviewing episodes for the 6th annual podcast awards and we have to have a little chat.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |