Topic: XLR wiring question?

[TNJazz]

Hey guys,

Re-doing all my cables today and ran across one pair that I accidentally wired backwards!  On the preamp side it's correct, but on the mic end (female) I must have been half asleep because I mixed up pins 2 and 3.

What effect exactly does this have on recorded material and how do I correct it?  I used them recently for a show and it does sound kind of funny (not out of phase, but still strange) and I'm wondering if I can "restore" it somehow?

Both cables were wired the same way, so the mics are technically in phase with each other.  Just the pins are backward on one end of each cable.

thanks!

[Patrick]

Hey guys,

Re-doing all my cables today and ran across one pair that I accidentally wired backwards!  On the preamp side it's correct, but on the mic end (female) I must have been half asleep because I mixed up pins 2 and 3.

What effect exactly does this have on recorded material and how do I correct it?  I used them recently for a show and it does sound kind of funny (not out of phase, but still strange) and I'm wondering if I can "restore" it somehow?

Both cables were wired the same way, so the mics are technically in phase with each other.  Just the pins are backward on one end of each cable.

thanks!

This would mean that the signal were recorded out of phase right out of the mic cable.  Really, as long as the signals are in phase with each other, you probably won't need to flip any polarity in post production.  However, flipping the polarity will certainly fix problems... say, if your bass/kick tracks aren't sounding as 'tight' as they once were, or your vocal harmonies sounding shifty all of the sudden.

Just go ahead and fix the soldering issue before you make the same mistake again!

[TNJazz]

Hey guys,

Re-doing all my cables today and ran across one pair that I accidentally wired backwards!  On the preamp side it's correct, but on the mic end (female) I must have been half asleep because I mixed up pins 2 and 3.

What effect exactly does this have on recorded material and how do I correct it?  I used them recently for a show and it does sound kind of funny (not out of phase, but still strange) and I'm wondering if I can "restore" it somehow?

Both cables were wired the same way, so the mics are technically in phase with each other.  Just the pins are backward on one end of each cable.

thanks!

This would mean that the signal were recorded out of phase right out of the mic cable.  Really, as long as the signals are in phase with each other, you probably won't need to flip any polarity in post production.  However, flipping the polarity will certainly fix problems... say, if your bass/kick tracks aren't sounding as 'tight' as they once were, or your vocal harmonies sounding shifty all of the sudden.

Just go ahead and fix the soldering issue before you make the same mistake again!

Thanks!

Already made the fix - still can't believe I did that.  Hundreds of cables, snakes, multipins and I think that's the first time since way back when I first started making my cables that I've made that mistake.  Lately I've gotten in the habit of checking with a multimeter, but this particular set predates my QC process...

[page]

Hey guys,

Re-doing all my cables today and ran across one pair that I accidentally wired backwards!  On the preamp side it's correct, but on the mic end (female) I must have been half asleep because I mixed up pins 2 and 3.

What effect exactly does this have on recorded material and how do I correct it?  I used them recently for a show and it does sound kind of funny (not out of phase, but still strange) and I'm wondering if I can "restore" it somehow?

Both cables were wired the same way, so the mics are technically in phase with each other.  Just the pins are backward on one end of each cable.

thanks!

This would mean that the signal were recorded out of phase right out of the mic cable.  Really, as long as the signals are in phase with each other, you probably won't need to flip any polarity in post production.  However, flipping the polarity will certainly fix problems... say, if your bass/kick tracks aren't sounding as 'tight' as they once were, or your vocal harmonies sounding shifty all of the sudden.

Just go ahead and fix the soldering issue before you make the same mistake again!

Thanks!

Already made the fix - still can't believe I did that.  Hundreds of cables, snakes, multipins and I think that's the first time since way back when I first started making my cables that I've made that mistake.  Lately I've gotten in the habit of checking with a multimeter, but this particular set predates my QC process...

Don't feel bad, I've seen microphones that had XLR terminations that were wired out of phase... 

Shit happens, good thing you caught it though.