Neutrik/ solder

Neutrik connectors are my favorites for xlrs, and are really the industry standard. IMO, they are much easier to work with than Switchcraft, and most audio pros will agree.

In terms of cable, I've not heard of the one you're mentioning. But.. if its good quality OFC conductors of say around 20 gauge twisted pair with a braided shield of ~95% coverage or greater, it should be fine. I guess you'll want to look at the capacitance specs of the cable - lower is better, of course. If your room is prone to hum, and you are less concerned about the loss of high-end (short runs?) you could try quad cable to combat RF and EMI.

Personally, I just bought a whackload of Canare (L2T2S) cable, and have used that at another studio as well.. it seems to be good stuff, and I'm pleased with it so far. You can get it from http://www.haveinc.com - hopefully they'll ship to you! They also stock lots of Neutrik connectors.

Solder - Ideally you're looking for euctectic (or something like that) solder - 63% tin, 37% lead. Apparently this mixture will melt and solidify at the same temperature - which makes it much faster and easier to work with. 60/40 solder will work too, just be prepared to have to wait a few seconds for it to solidify after removing the iron.

I just went over all this stuff less than a month ago and I've been making cables all week, so I'm in the same boat. Fun stuff.

I was under the impression that Canare cable was very expensive. These are really good prices.

If you can't get this sent to Romania try Gotham in Switzerland. Their cables have wonderful RF rejection. They're identical to Neumann cables, but without the ridiculous prices. They take a different approach to RF rejection, but they are of a very high quality.

http://www.gotham.ch

John Stafford

Heya John do you use the Gotham cables? I'm going to be buying up some cables and conectors in the near future and making my own cables...

Yep. I hadn't heard about them until I read Klaus Heyne recommending them for difficult noise problems. I was having some noise problems, but not anymore. Well worth a try!

John

First of all, thanks for your advices.

Second, what is RF rejection & EMI??? I'm sorta knew in this cable business, and haven't had time to gather all the necessary info...

Hi Mandachuva

RF is Radio Frequency and EMI is electromagnetic interference. Mobile phones and mains hum can play havoc with your signal, although hum can also indicate a grounding problem. Some mics are more susceptible than others, but with decent cables this should not be a problem. I was picking up a slow pulsating hum at night, and it turned out to be coming from a storage heater in the same room.

If you are having noise problems, it's worth attaching a wire between pin 1 (from the shielding) to the fourth lug that is often left unconnected on ready made cables. This will connect your shielding to the XLR casing, and can help with radio frequency interference.

John