Topic: How to make my first cables

[mfisch]

Okay, I found cheap cable parts:
http://www.gatewayelex.com/
Anywhere else I should look?
It looks like its 80% cheaper there than micsupply.com, and I can get gold connectors for only 2 bucks more.
This stuff is easy to put together right?

Qty Item      Description                   Price Total
20  L4e-rd    L-4ES Red                     $0.75 $15.00
20  L4e-blu   L-4ES Blue cable              $0.75 $15.00
60  L4e-bk    L-4ES Black cable             $0.75 $45.00
2   1312-177  Gold Audio connector          $4.00 $8.00
2   1312-176  Gold XLR Connector            $4.00 $8.00
2   1312-164  Mono Gold (Blk) 1/4 in Plug   $1.95 $3.90
2   1312-163  Mono Gold (Red) 1/4 in Plug   $1.95 $3.90
 
Sub-Total  $98.80

^^^
Canare Starquad cable
So, I'm figuring two 20' Female-Male XLR's with gold connectors for my mics.
... and two 30' cables with 1/4 inch mono plugs for board patching.

What is the most common connector I'll want on the board end? My FA-101 takes 1/4in mono plugs.

Am I making these too long? I dont want to be short, but I dont want signal loss / interference either. Will looping these up when I have slack cause issues?

[mfisch]

ps,

are gold connectors a waste of money vs normal?
should I use cheaper cable since I dont have more XLR ports to plug my second set of cables anyway?

[mfisch]

pss.

I was thinking red/blue cable for the mics so I dont mix them up. Is this going to end up being a real eye sore? Im thinking maybe I should go black now and just tape the ends.

[tim in jersey]

Im thinking maybe I should go black now and just tape the ends.

That is what I would do, personally.

[Ed.]

my cables are brown and orange, orange for right, brown for left.  i tape mostly smaller indie shows, i must say i do get some looks, but no one seems to mind.  not to mention, harly anyone else, if anyone else has brown and orange cables.  makes me feel special.

[JasonSobel]

Anywhere else I should look?

http://www.markertek.com has the canare star-quad cable for cheaper, I think $0.36 per foot.  I'm not sure how they're connector prices compare, but it's worth it to check out.

[Genghis Cougar Mellen Khan]

my cables are brown and orange, orange for right, brown for left.  i tape mostly smaller indie shows, i must say i do get some looks, but no one seems to mind.  not to mention, harly anyone else, if anyone else has brown and orange cables.  makes me feel special.

Closet Browns fan? 

[fozzy]

markertek.com

20  L-4E6S RD          Canare Star-Quad Microphone Cable Red       $0.36              $7.20       
20  L-4E6S BE          Canare Star-Quad Microphone Cable Blue       $0.36              $7.20       
60  L-4E6S BK          Canare Star-Quad Microphone Cable Black       $0.36              $21.60       
2  NC3FX-B          Neutrik Female XLR Black/Gold                     $2.74              $5.48       
2  NC3MX-B          Neutrik Male XLR Black/Gold                             $2.49              $4.98       
4 $7.96

Total: $54.42

I'd make your 30 footers RCA and make a set of XLR(f) > RCA(f) adapters and pickup some RCA(f) > 1/4 adapters.  Also maybe go w/ the mini quad for the RCAs to reduce the amount of weight/size.

2  NC3FX-B          Neutrik Female XLR Black/Gold                     $2.74              $5.48
2  SW3502AAU          Switchcraft RCA Male Silver/Gold                   $1.99              $3.98

total:  $58.40

[keepongoin]

also - 30 ft. is kind of long for an unbalanced cable (RCA or 1/4") - i would go with 10 or 12 feet - though I have never used a cable longer than 6 ft. for an unbalanced board patch.

[rodeen]

I was thinking red/blue cable for the mics so I dont mix them up. Is this going to end up being a real eye sore? Im thinking maybe I should go black now and just tape the ends.

I went with red and blue for my cables.  Hasn't been a problem yet. 
Except the red cable is a little hotter than the blue one