Gear / Technical Help > Cables
What are active cables and why do so many people use them?
ycoop:
Second half of the question might be redundant.
I often see people using active cables as part of their rig. I searched the forums and couldn’t find anything explaining what active cables are. My google searching came up mostly blank, at least when it comes to active cables used for mics.
I come before you as a humble padawan, teach me the ways of the active cables.
Gutbucket:
Makes for a more-compact, smaller and lighter rig at the microphone end of things. "Active cables" are special high-impedance cables and connectors which allow one to separate the microphone capsule from the microphone amplifier body to which it is normally attached. The microphone amplifier bodies can then be be placed remotely along with the recorder, or sometimes eliminated entirely if a special preamplifier is used in their place.
rigpimp:
What Gutbucket said.
An active cable is a small thin cable that allows one to separate a modular microphone capsule to be mounted away from the microphone body. The result is a tiny, lightweight and compact rig on the stand and everything else tucked into your padded gear bag.
For MANY years only very high end mics had "active" options. Schoeps, DPA, Neumann, etc. Everyone else had to run full body mics and full size XLR cabling. Fast forward to just a couple of years ago where a few very clever folks here reverse engineered the required active cable circuitry and capsule mounting for a lot of the more common microphone manufacturers like AKG, MBHO, etc. You will often see these referred to as Nbob cables but they serve the same purpose, however for mics that might not normally have an active cabling option it makes them highly desirable.
Great question! Keep 'em coming ycoop.
ycoop:
Thanks for the responses!
If I’m understanding correctly with active cables you’d have something like mic capsules on rig > active cables > preamp > recorder as opposed to mic capsule connected to (pre?)amp body > regular ol’ cable > recorder?
Plenty more questions where that came from :)
adrianf74:
--- Quote from: ycoop on March 12, 2018, 05:55:56 PM ---Thanks for the responses!
If I’m understanding correctly with active cables you’d have something like mic capsules on rig > active cables > preamp > recorder as opposed to mic capsule connected to (pre?)amp body > regular ol’ cable > recorder?
Plenty more questions where that came from :)
--- End quote ---
Pretty much spot on. The "preamp" could be anything from a true preamp to PFA's (which allow the active cable to be powered by Phantom Power) to an nBox or baby nBox. The latter two run on 9V power and have either RCA or 1/8" output allowing you to run direct to small deck like an M10, R05, etc.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version