Topic: Stereo Mic Cable - one 5 pin XLR to two 3 pin XLR's

[sanaka]

Another way is a two channel snake cable, like Canare MR202-2AT.

Once you verify the pinout you need, this would be constructed exactly as in Nick's instructions, except instead of techflex, the two cables would already be in an overall jacket.

Peace,
Sanaka

[Nick's Picks]

there are two 5 pin stereo pinout methods. 
the Shure standard, and the Scheops method.   I've build stereo cables for ever stereo mic out there.  some use one way, other sue a different way.
I typically call the manufacturer first to see what way they do it.

[Todd R]

there are two 5 pin stereo pinout methods. 
the Shure standard, and the Scheops method.   I've build stereo cables for ever stereo mic out there.  some use one way, other sue a different way.
I typically call the manufacturer first to see what way they do it.

Nick -- I don't understand, could you provide more information on where you found what you're calling the shure standard and where it comes from?  The Shure VP88 user manual I posted clearly shows the wiring to be following what you are calling the schoeps standard.  At best it seems to me that some shure mics use the wiring with pin 3 as ground, and some like the vp88 use a wiring configuration with pin 1 as gnd (the "schoeps" standard).  At the very least, it doesn't seem we can call the shure standard a true standard since they don't even apply it to all of their stereo mics.

[Nick's Picks]

that info was given to me by the Rhode techs....I'm just regurgitating the info I was given.  The more of these cables I've build, the less of them I see follow the method I was told originally and more often its pin 1 as the ground.

[Todd R]

Gotcha.  Sorry, not trying to bust balls or anything, just trying to figure out which end is up.  Someone is buying a 5pin cable I made for my Pearl that uses the pin 1 gnd method for their vp88, and it seemed clear my cable would work based on the vp88 UG, but I didn't want to screw him up.

[DSatz]

Schoeps and Neumann follow the IEC standard which (since it is also an ISO standard) applies in the United States as well, via ANSI. It is not "their own" standard; there is no such thing.

Pin 1 is always the shield contact for XLR connectors unless someone is being downright perverse and stupid. As with a single-channel XLR plug, pin 2 is hot and pin 3 is cold for channel 1, while on the other channel, pin 4 similarly is hot and pin 5 is cold.

If the Shure VP88 is wired differently, perhaps that is because it is a decades-old microphone design by now, and until some time in about the 1980s most U.S. manufacturers routinely ignored (or were even unaware of) international standards. They've grown up a lot since then, fortunately for us all.

--best regards

[goodcooker]

^^^^Try to tell that to Studio Projects. I just turned Kobi's BumbleBee cables into a stereo cable for his LSD2....seven pins with three of them jumped to ground....that makes perfect sense.

Use your multimeter kids!!!