1. Flexygy cable? 2. Best bulk mic cable value?

[kslight]

1. This http://store.haveinc.com/p-49944-flexyg ... e-cut.aspx looks really cool to me. I've seen their stuff for home theatre wiring, I didn't know they had a studio version. Haveinc.com also sells premade 8ch snakes using this (for lots of money...I would go DIY on it). I'm thinking that this would significantly cut down on size/weight and improve manageability for snakes, as well as be practical for those that have not wired their home studio with panels, as the cable is designed to go under doors/carpet.. The price seems very good, just wanted to know if anyone else had played with it before I take the plunge...I need several snakes and I think this might be worth a little extra money for me.

2. What do you guys feel is the best buy out there for bulk mic cabling? Is there a reason to invest in Star Quad, or is it pointless in a home/mobile studio? Also is EWI (Audiopile.net) bulk cabling any good, or is it junk? I've looked back and forth between Mogami w2549, Canare Star Quad or regular, EWI Star Quad and regular, and the Flexygy regular...prices all over the place. I don't have to worry about electronic interference so I'm thinking that buying Star Quad is not really worth it, but stuff like Canare Star Quad is only .48 a foot at Redco (versus .64 a foot for Mogami w2549), and EWI is very cheap on their regular bulk cabling...

Obviously again I want to save some money if I can, but I will spend the money on Mogami if there is a reason to. I believe in the buy nice or buy twice policy, and I definitely want cables that will last a long time, but since I've never used the EWI products (but have seen them recommended a couple times) I wasn't sure if these are such a bad deal after all. I am planning on putting the Neutrik NC3MX/FX XLR plugs on the end regardless, which are on sale at Haveinc.com right now.

I also noticed that Flexygy have a single channel cable available here http://store.haveinc.com/p-49946-flexyg ... e-cut.aspx which might be nice to have for regular mic cables as its super flexible..


Any advice/experience appreciated.

Thanks.

[Brian Brock]

I've used some Flexygy single channel cable - I don't know if it's exactly the same, but I got it from Have Inc about 5 years ago. It seems to be quite like Mogami 2552, but the jacket is different - it's more gooey and has a "matte" finish. Also, I think it has some jute-like threads in it, where the Mogami has plastic threads. I seem to prefer the Mogami, but I think it's just because I used a lot more of it, so I am better at soldering it.

My feeling about star-quad is that you should use it in these cases: 1) you have unacceptable interference when using regular cables, 2) you want a multi conductor cable for, say, a tube mic, 3) you want to have a special low-interference cable around just in case, or maybe for certain cable runs. As I remember, the star-quad has worse capacitance than the standard stuff, so I guess a long quad cable will roll off more hi frequencies.

[strdsk]

If you're after flat cable in general, I've read on some DIY hi-fi rags that ribbon cable from Radio Shack works. Nordost makes amazing flat cable...very expensive too! You can see some cool custom cables I've made at www.myspace.com/tonaleclipsestudio And yes...they all sound different! Hand braided plenum sound wonderful...but is uber time consuming! Best...JD!

[kslight]

If you're after flat cable in general, I've read on some DIY hi-fi rags that ribbon cable from Radio Shack works. Nordost makes amazing flat cable...very expensive too! You can see some cool custom cables I've made at www.myspace.com/tonaleclipsestudio And yes...they all sound different! Hand braided plenum sound wonderful...but is uber time consuming! Best...JD!

thanks for the tip I went ahead and ordered the 8ch Flexygy for my snakes and EWI for my mic cabling, will let everyone know my experience because I have a feeling more people than myself will find this useful.

[The Scum]

What do you guys feel is the best buy out there for bulk mic cabling?

Finding the leftovers from somebody else's job on Ebay.

Is there a reason to invest in Star Quad, or is it pointless in a home/mobile studio?

From the "every detail matters" perspective, it's a detail that's not so hard to incorporate. But if you don't have interference problems, it might not make much difference. The mobile side of things might justify it, though - if you're mobile enough that you'll wind up beneath a big transmitter or in other hostile environments, it might pay off.

It does have higher capacitance, and it's a pain to work with.

I usually prefer to split the difference, and use single pair, but make sure it's got a tight, braided shield. It wears better and performs well, but isn't as flexible.