Topic: Shortening 4022 DPA Cable - Easy enough?

[darktrain]

So after getting those 4021's and they had short cables it go me to wanting to shorten the ones on my 4022's, I know I build cables but before i go cracking open the connectors on 3k worth of mics thought i would ask first, is it easy, straightforward? just want to double check, i don't need 15ft on each mic, would really prefer 10, can always make an extension.

[Todd R]

I haven't done it, or even looked inside the connectors of the 4022s so take this with a grain of salt:

From what I hear, the 4022s have electronics in the XLR connector body, so it is more like a mic body you'd be messing with than just an XLR connector.  I'd lean towards just cutting the cable and not mess with the XLR body.  Cut the cable at the shorter length you want (8 or 10 feet?) and put on a mini-XLR(m) connector (3 or 4 pin depending on how many wires are in there).  Chop out the amount of cable you want to remove, then put a matching mini-XLR(f) connector on a 8-10" pigtail of the remaining cable going into the 4022 XLR body.  As long as all the wires inside the cable match up, everything should work fine.  That way if you want to extend the cables, you can just build a length of cable with mini-XLR ends and insert it in between the mic-side cable and the XLR-side cable for when you want to run longer lengths.

[willndmb]

todds idea sounds like the way to go anyway then you have both options and you could use the cut out piece as the extension piece

[edtyre]

I was thinking the same thing until i ran my 4023's on a stand the other day.
Now i'm glad i didn't shorten them, the cables are thin and easy to work with.

For non-stand use, i just fold up about 7 foot of cable inside a cable tie and tuck that
right inside my pants.

[thegreatgumbino]

I've done repair work on a pair inside the xlr housing.  You'll have to unsolder & clean up the board inside the xlr housing & resolder the cable connections.  It's doable, but I'd leave the length & coil up the extra in your bag as previously mentioned.  You may find you need the 15 feet more than you expect.

[stevetoney]

I've done repair work on a pair inside the xlr housing.  You'll have to unsolder & clean up the board inside the xlr housing & resolder the cable connections.  It's doable, but I'd leave the length & coil up the extra in your bag as previously mentioned.  You may find you need the 15 feet more than you expect.

I'm kinda in this camp too.  When the 4021s were flying, I needed another couple of feet of length so I had to use an interconnect to add length in order to get the mics high enough.  That's especially true for festivals, where I tend to put the mics even a little higher.  For all the situations we encounter in our taping endeavors, having too much length is far less limiting than having too little.

[MattD]

Agreed. My 4021 cables are stealth length (< 8 feet, I think) and I find myself wishing I had 12 feet to cover most open taping situations. It's annoying to have to ALWAYS carry around an extra set of cables. I think my extras are 25 feet, so that's a good portion of my packed rig's weight.

[darktrain]

Agreed. My 4021 cables are stealth length (< 8 feet, I think) and I find myself wishing I had 12 feet to cover most open taping situations. It's annoying to have to ALWAYS carry around an extra set of cables.



I think my extras are 25 feet, so that's a good portion of my packed rig's weight.

You just need a lighter set of cables that take up half the room and sound great, hint

[MattD]

I've been too lazy to make a pair. I really need to record more before I start bitching about my rig. 

[darktrain]

I've been too lazy to make a pair. I really need to record more before I start bitching about my rig. 

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