orange wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 2:49 pm
I'd hugely recommend you stick to standard 2-core (balanced) cable throughout. It means when decide to swap out that unbalanced unit to something balanced you don't have to pull apart all that cabling to swap it out.
I completely agree. Standard balanced cabling everywhere, wired unbalanced at the source (or destination) end if necessary.
The comment ref the ground-lift resistor at the patchbay was a method of last resort, and simply involves lifting the cable screen connection to the ground bus and reconnnecting via a resistor. Definitely not ideal, and it would involve some minor reworking of the patchbay if unbalanced gear is swapped out, but not a disaster.
Keeping any equipment-specific grounding modifications at the connected equipment is a much better idea.
Technical Editor, Sound On Sound...
(But generally posting my own personal views and not necessarily those of SOS, the company or the magazine!)
In my world, things get less strange when I read the manual...
OK, OK, OK. I’m going to put mic lines and pre amps on XLR patch. It will mean another 8u, sadly there is no where else I can put it, so it means I won’t have much space for future expansion of rack gear. But at least all my mics will be safe from a phantom accident.
Also going to see how I get on without transformers then.
Bussed Earth wires will stay in and I’ll connect all cable shields for balanced equipment. Then deal with any issues in a case by case basis
You could put mic patching on a CATx shielded patch bay. OK you will have 3 pairs of redundant wires per port but the system will be far more compact than XLR and almost certainly cheaper. Zero chance of getting it mixed up with other connectors or equipment.
I have run mics all around my house on CAT 5e shielded without any problems. (I got all the stuff for nowt you see!)
