Cables For Synths

[Kerb26]

I need to buy some new cables for connecting synths in my home studio. Probably around 10 cables, unbalanced and 3m in length. I’ve been looking at some with Neutrik connectors and Van Damme instrument cable but they’re not cheap, particularly as I need to buy a few.

1. As they’re not for gigging and are just going to be left in situ, would cheaper cables be just as good? Are there any that you would recommend?

2. Neutrik connectors seem to be quite long, presumably due to some kind of additional strain relief. But I wonder if this will put extra strain on the sockets at the back of the synths, especially if it’s a heavy cable. Should I be considering right-angle jacks instead or does it not matter?

[Hugh Robjohns]

Right angle jacks are always a good idea to reduce strain on the socket contact springs, a d neutrik do make them. But they won't fit in every synth.

Personally, I always make my own cables. I generally use Neutrik, and lightweight foil-screened cable is usually adequate for permanent installation wiring.

[Wonks]

If the synths aren't moving at all, then you can always cable-tie or tape the cables to the stand so the cables don't hang from the synths' sockets.

[Arpangel]

Lightweight moulded ones from Hosa or Stagg are OK, I’ve got loads, no problems, plus they are only about four quid each, or cheaper.

[adamburgess]

All my live stuff is Neutrik jacks/XLR/Powercon etc. on not particularly expensive cable. All made by me, and they’ve lasted years and years.

At home I’ve just got a load of Thomann ssssssnake ssssnakes. They don’t get swapped much and they’re fine.

[ef37a]

Geeeez! It's hard to find 1/4" mono, 3mtr,jack-jack plug cables! All sorts of variants come up. I have seen very cost effective multi-packs in the past but that was when looking for something else of course!

Yes, go for a ~3mm OD foil screened cable, easier to work with than braided cable, just a single drain wire or the screen connection and foil gives slightly better RF protection than braided or wrapped screens.
The downside of the smaller diameter is that it is difficult to make a good job of the strain relief/cable clamp, especially with 'non' Neutrik* plugs. The solution is the intelligent use of heat shrink sleeving.

I would not go for right angled jack, bit of a PITA to wire and if you leave a 'loop' and cable tie the bunch (was that Wonks said that?) any strain will be taken off jacks, although I have never had a problem with that myself. Ten 3mtr cables is of course 30mtrs so a 50mtr drum is required. I would buy foil shielded 'balanced' mic cable, probably not much more expensive than single core and you never know when you might need to make up a mic cable or stereo?

*I must say here that Neutrik products are quite the very best! They are however (justifiably) expensive and really confer no benefit in a fixed installation. STRONGLY recommended for 'road' use however.

Dave.

[Arpangel]

Dave, can the OP solder? agree about foil screen, deffo the way to go.

[ef37a]

Dave, can the OP solder? agree about foil screen, deffo the way to go.

Anyone can solder Tony, just need the kit and some practice. Funny, slightly painful tale....

I am in the process of turning a 1955 Marconiphone LMVHF radio into a Blue tooth player and guitar amplifier for my daughter's partner who is into retro kit. I have so far stripped and cleaned the chassis and wired the heaters and the mains transformer works! (at least it did not take out an RCD trip and the filaments lit up. I shall get it PATed before hand over)

Now it might be known to some here that I have ARMD in my left eye and the right is being treated. My short range depth perception is therefore shot and getting Object, solder and tip in the same space + or - buggerall is quite an effort. I HAVE in the last week however become much better, the old skills are coming back. I had also forgotten that solid Copper wire conducts HEAT as well as lektrik and had to let go PDQ several times! My skin has obviously become thinner.

So, OP has some 60 solder joints ahead of him. I predict that by joint 30 he will be pretty good at it!

Dave.

[Kerb26]

Unfortunately, I’m useless at making my own cables so I’ll probably have to buy pre-made. Does capacitance make a big difference, or does it not matter for synths in a 3m length cable?

[Drew Stephenson]

The latter...
And, whisper it, if you don't need the durability of Neutriks and robust cable, you're as well buying from the big box shifters. Even buying cable by the drum you'll be paying more.

[ef37a]

Unfortunately, I’m useless at making my own cables so I’ll probably have to buy pre-made. Does capacitance make a big difference, or does it not matter for synths in a 3m length cable?

Personally I don't think anyone is such a klutz that they cannot learn to solder chunky stuff like 1/4" jacks. If you can tie shoelaces and cut your nails without drawing blood you can learn to solder!

Ok! I am on a bit of a mission to keep DIY 'electronics' alive. The ready, cheap availability of kit and the H&S restrictions in schools mean we have generations growing up who can do FA for themselves.

GO'orn! 'Ave a go.

Dave.

[ef37a]

The latter...
And, whisper it, if you don't need the durability of Neutriks and robust cable, you're as well buying from the big box shifters. Even buying cable by the drum you'll be paying more.

Most probably Drew but if OP is just starting on the recording journey the ability to make and mend his own cables will give him future security. There will always be that 'special' cable you need and things ALWAYS break at 6pm on a wet Saturday evening and the recording job is a one off chance on Sunday at 7am!

If we don't acquire knowledge and skills as we live, why exist at all?

Dave.

[ManFromGlass]

Yes why! (while scanning YouTube for bloodless nail cutting tutorials)

[Luke W]

Ok! I am on a bit of a mission to keep DIY 'electronics' alive. The ready, cheap availability of kit and the H&S restrictions in schools mean we have generations growing up who can do FA for themselves.

I'm with you on the mission, and I can't remember the last time I bought a cable for anything. Even for situations where a "ready made" would save a couple of quid, the convenience of having something exactly the right length and knowing that it's been made well and will last wins against the cost for me.

But, I already have a decent iron and tools, usually a fair stock of cable and connectors and I care probably a little more than I should about the bloody things. So for someone who just wants 10 cables that will get plugged in and forgotten about rather than need to stand up to being dragged to gigs and re-patched all the time, I can totally see the reasoning behind just grabbing some reasonable quality budget cables.

It's a good skill to have and it doesn't take long for a little investment in some soldering kit to pay off, especially for people who are always changing/adding gear to their setups. But ultimately some people just don't care about these things! There are still people around that do though, I promise!

[Arpangel]

Unfortunately, I’m useless at making my own cables so I’ll probably have to buy pre-made. Does capacitance make a big difference, or does it not matter for synths in a 3m length cable?

Personally I don't think anyone is such a klutz that they cannot learn to solder chunky stuff like 1/4" jacks. If you can tie shoelaces and cut your nails without drawing blood you can learn to solder!

Ok! I am on a bit of a mission to keep DIY 'electronics' alive. The ready, cheap availability of kit and the H&S restrictions in schools mean we have generations growing up who can do FA for themselves.

GO'orn! 'Ave a go.

Dave.

I could point at at least ten people I know who wouldn’t have a clue Dave, in fact, they’d probably end up with a crap lead and burnt fingers in the process.



It’s OK for us, we’re used to it, and can’t imagine how you couldn’t possibly do it.
All he needs are these....

https://www.thomann.de/gb/the_sssnake_sk3613_kabel.htm?sid=d8af4eebd524d2d7b16b811ea540fa1f#bewertung

[Drew Stephenson]

Ok! I am on a bit of a mission to keep DIY 'electronics' alive. The ready, cheap availability of kit and the H&S restrictions in schools mean we have generations growing up who can do FA for themselves.

I'm with you on the mission, and I can't remember the last time I bought a cable for anything. Even for situations where a "ready made" would save a couple of quid, the convenience of having something exactly the right length and knowing that it's been made well and will last wins against the cost for me.

But, I already have a decent iron and tools, usually a fair stock of cable and connectors and I care probably a little more than I should about the bloody things. So for someone who just wants 10 cables that will get plugged in and forgotten about rather than need to stand up to being dragged to gigs and re-patched all the time, I can totally see the reasoning behind just grabbing some reasonable quality budget cables.

It's a good skill to have and it doesn't take long for a little investment in some soldering kit to pay off, especially for people who are always changing/adding gear to their setups. But ultimately some people just don't care about these things! There are still people around that do though, I promise!

What Luke said ^^^.

[Eddy Deegan]

I found having the right iron is the key. I had an older, cheap one in a drawer which I was using but it struggled with the modern solder. After buying the solder station someone recommended on the forums a few months ago, I have rediscovered the joy of making my own leads and I'd recommend it to anyone.

The hard part is parting with the cash to get the supplies in, as there is an up-front cost associated with getting more cable and connectors than you need but once you've got the stocks, it's plain sailing from then on and I'd recommend it to anyone over buying pre-made cables.

Earlier this year I made about 50 patch cables for my modular and in the process saved a significant amount of money compared to buying them ready-made.

[Arpangel]

Earlier this year I made about 50 patch cables for my modular and in the process saved a significant amount of money compared to buying them ready-made.

I tried this Eddy, but gave up, I couldn’t seem to make the 3.5mm patch cables reliable enough, probably wasn’t using the right plugs.

[Folderol]

Other advantages of making your own:
1 You know how it is wired.
2 You decide the length.
3 You know if it's thick cores in thin sleeve or thin cores in bulked out sleeve.

[Eddy Deegan]

Earlier this year I made about 50 patch cables for my modular and in the process saved a significant amount of money compared to buying them ready-made.

I tried this Eddy, but gave up, I couldn’t seem to make the 3.5mm patch cables reliable enough, probably wasn’t using the right plugs.

They are very fiddly. No joke ... in my case, I'd been struggling to get them right for a while and taking quite a long time per cable to do so. Then I attacked them after a couple of stiff whiskies, something clicked and I soldered a couple of dozen of them perfectly in what seemed like no time at all.

I do not recommend this method in general as I disclaim responsibility for damage to persons or fingers if it's adopted, but in my case it got me past some kind of 'this is really small and fiddly' mental block and I'm now able to do it on demand a lot better than I was before.

From the experience I concluded that half the battle is in the noggin as opposed to the fingers, but one's mileage will vary I'm sure!

[ManFromGlass]

Sounds like the correct inspirational whiskey helps too as not all whiskeys are created equal!

[Folderol]

To be fair, there are a lot of plugs out there with a terrible plating that is almost impossible to solder to. These are also usually the ones with the softest plastic insulators, so are highly prone to distortion and shorting out. Some are so bad, that I find I have to use my needle files to get through the plating to the bare metal

[ef37a]

To be fair, there are a lot of plugs out there with a terrible plating that is almost impossible to solder to. These are also usually the ones with the softest plastic insulators, so are highly prone to distortion and shorting out. Some are so bad, that I find I have to use my needle files to get through the plating to the bare metal

Yes indeed Will, any tag/bucket that is very shiny will be a sod to tin, as you say, break through the plating with a file or craft knife. I would always advise Gold plating, it will wear off the active parts in no time but is a dream to solder!

Tony: we all had to learn! Ok I started soldering at about 13 but I have now to learn all over again! I had not done any soldering for well over a year but when I tried I could not even manage a 'gigantic' XLR connector! But, perseverance pays off.

Dave.

[Kerb26]

Thanks to everyone for the advice.