Topic: LSD cable...sucks

[larrysellers]

I've had a few people now contact me about making LSD2 cables and I have found a supplier for the necessary 7pin connector.  If I can get the pinout diagram (coop?) and people are interested, I can make custom LSD2 cables using silver-clad cable stock. 

Well, I guess we can call this thread a success. I most certainly want one.       

[Todd R]

I've had a few people now contact me about making LSD2 cables and I have found a supplier for the necessary 7pin connector.  If I can get the pinout diagram (coop?) and people are interested, I can make custom LSD2 cables using silver-clad cable stock. 

People are obviously interested.

Smartass.   Interested meaning pm me about making you a cable, make payment for the cable, send out your existing cable so I can make sure I'm making you what you want, etc, etc.  It looks like a 15' silver-clad LSD2 cable with 2 silver/teflon cables in a single techflex sheath will be about $125 shipped, but I need find out what the pinout is first obviously.

[Massive Dynamic]

nick:
I BELIEVE the back switch controls the top capsule and the front switch controlls the bottom.  Fairly easy to determine by snapping your fingers behind the top capsule while switching patterns and listening on headphones.
Darrin

According to the Studio Projects website:

(The switches on the front of the body correspond to the lower fixed capsule, while the switches 180° opposite on the back of the mic control the rotating upper capsule).

I also called SP and they stated that the red xlr should connect to the top capsule. They also said that the Litz cables sold on their site do not include a 7pin - dual 3pin cable. Maybe if enough people inquired they would offer one?

Finally, am I correct in assuming that the null points in the fig-8 pattern are at 90° and 270°, parallel with the capsule?

the top capsule should be right.
as the one that moves, it will be the "side" channel in M-S, and that is always the right channel when you need to decode the signal.

And if I take Doug's advice, I could just swap the connections so that the mid is on top and the side is the lower capsule?

[Dr.FOB]

the top capsule should be right.
as the one that moves, it will be the "side" channel in M-S, and that is always the right channel when you need to decode the signal.

Correct!

The USM69i uses a 5 pin xlr.
I - The lower capsule Mid or Left / 2+ & 3
II - The upper capsule Side or Right / 4+ & 5
Shield & ground pin 1

I haven't made any silvers for the USM69i yet as the multiconductor I have is just too stiff.
My other construction projects are well under way though as I have my 20' split cables, my BNC to RCA, and my mini-xlr to RCA silvers all made and tested.

[BobW]

as a first time user, and not entirely familiar with the unit,.... The Royer sf24 stereo mic has a cable that makes you tap the mic to determine which cap is to which cable. The cable ends are just labeled as 1 & 2.

Every  one of my LSD2 recordings begins with a fingersnap R, then fingersnap L, just to be sure....
Be careful of the figure of eight setting.

[RebelRebel]

Dr Fob, is that usm69i controlled via a remote box or is it all contained on the mic itself??How about the LSD2?? I was freaking out when i first got the 426b , thought it needed a seperate PSU, but it gets all its power via a remote control box that draws from whatever preamp I use. Really cool. The LSD2 sounds great. Ive heard a lot of good things about it taboot.

Teddy

the top capsule should be right.
as the one that moves, it will be the "side" channel in M-S, and that is always the right channel when you need to decode the signal.

Correct!

The USM69i uses a 5 pin xlr.
I - The lower capsule Mid or Left / 2+ & 3
II - The upper capsule Side or Right / 4+ & 5
Shield & ground pin 1

I haven't made any silvers for the USM69i yet as the multiconductor I have is just too stiff.
My other construction projects are well under way though as I have my 20' split cables, my BNC to RCA, and my mini-xlr to RCA silvers all made and tested.

[Dr.FOB]

Dr Fob, is that usm69i controlled via a remote box or is it all contained on the mic itself??How about the LSD2?? I was freaking out when i first got the 426b , thought it needed a seperate PSU, but it gets all its power via a remote control box that draws from whatever preamp I use. Really cool. The LSD2 sounds great. Ive heard a lot of good things about it taboot.

Teddy

The capsule bias voltages are internally generated by DC converters from the 48VDC phantom voltage and selected by the red and yellow dials on the front.  There once were small red and yellow jewels on the capsule rings but they are long gone.

The reason you want to keep your side on top is so the proper capsule relationship is presented to your decoder.  If you turn it the other way you will reverse right & left.
That said, I always mark my recordings for later verification....

[Lil Kim Jong-Il]

I haven't made any silvers for the USM69i yet as the multiconductor I have is just too stiff.

Is that the short piece of multi conductor you got from my roll?

[Dr.FOB]

I haven't made any silvers for the USM69i yet as the multiconductor I have is just too stiff.

Is that the short piece of multi conductor you got from my roll?

It's hard to tell from that piece.  But the stock I have would tend to displace the mic in it's suspension mount.
I'm leaning in the direction that Todd described with several multiconductors in a single techflex sheath.

[Lil Kim Jong-Il]

It's hard to tell from that piece.  But the stock I have would tend to displace the mic in it's suspension mount.
I'm leaning in the direction that Todd described with several multiconductors in a single techflex sheath.

I finally unspooled enough of that 5-conductor cable to make a pair of 10ft speaker wires.  It was a lot more flexible than I thought it would be based on the short pieces I was playing with.

[bhtoque]

but what I also have yet to figure out is which pattern selection switch controls the top.


luckily, i've only run xy and blumlein so it didn't matter.  but friday i'm doing some stage lip ninja taping for Ratdog, and wouldn't mind playing with MS

Nick, top is left is back switches. I asked SP support prior to Marc making my cable and they could not tell me which was which so I had to figure it out.
 
I sorted it out in front of the stereo using the pad switches. The only part that really matters is top/back as you can point either capsule to the left and right and switch the xlr's too.

JAson

[Nick's Picks]

you cant point either capsule though, the bottom is fixed.  you can turn the mic in the shockmount, but that doesn't count.

glad we got that figured out.
So, my cable is either backwards, or my microphones pins are...as my red XLR is most definetely left and not right.

The pinout for the cable is pretty easy.  I'll post it later on when I take it apart and look at it and snap some pics.
I'm just trying to find good cable that is not too thick.  I like the thickness and flexibility of the stock cable.  but the construction, as we know...blows goat.

One option for cable design (if possible) is to set somthing up like the way the Denecke PS2 outputs its XLR w/one jumped off of the other.  though, I dont think that would work in this regard.

Another option is to run two seperate 3con cables through teflex.  that will make the XLR end pretty and the DIN end a little "custom" as you need to combine the sheilding together from both to solder into pin7 of the DIN (I believe from memery that pins 1-3 are "right" and 4-6 are "left" w/7 being the ground). 

as for cable, I have found some sweet ass OFHC silver clad single wire 28AWG that i'm probably going to get.  I'll just make it by hand and run it through shielding and teflex.  I have not looked for the 7pin DIN XLR yet, but Im sure that is standard issue and wont be too hard to find.

[Bdifr78]

This thread rocks.

[Massive Dynamic]

So, my cable is either backwards, or my microphones pins are...as my red XLR is most definetely left and not right.

I double checked my cable last night, and it is also the reverse (black XLR=top) of what SP says it should be. Maybe poor QC on this run of cables?

[Nick's Picks]

hence the $500 price