I purchased my first mic cable a couple of weeks ago. It's a nice Spectraflex 30 foot cable. At the last gig I had all of maybe one foot to spare running from my mic to the mixing board. I know I have to buy another and, as Wes mentioned, you can hook two cables together to get a longer run. I'm thinking 50 feet total should be sufficient so I need to buy another cord at 20 feet.
Will a lo-z mic run of 50 feet be of lesser quality sound than running only 30 feet? Is 50 feet a good estimate or should I get an even longer run. What size run do you use. Oh yea, by the way, this is a run from my mic mic'ing my amp.
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
Dennis
I got this off of ProSoundWeb
The electrical output of a microphone is usually specified by level, impedance and wiring configuration. Output level or sensitivity is the level of the electrical signal from the microphone for a given input sound level. In general, condenser microphones have higher sensitivity than dynamic types. For weak or distant sounds a high sensitivity microphone is desirable while loud or close-up sounds can be picked up well by lower-sensitivity models.
The output impedance of a microphone is roughly equal to the electrical resistance of its output: 150-600 ohms for low impedance (low-Z) and 10,000 ohms or more for high impedance.(high- Z). The practical concern is that low impedance microphones can be used with cable lengths of 1000 feet or more with no loss of quality while high impedance types exhibit noticeable high frequency loss with cable lengths greater than about 20 feet.
So, you should not have any problems at all.
As far as the length of mic cables, I carry an assortment (but I own the PA). I have 6', 10', 15' and 25' foot cables. I only use what I need. If a 25' cable barely makes it to Lane's amp (he is always furthest from the PA), I just connect a 6' or 10'. Too much cable is a hassle itself, you end up wrapping all the extra cable and trying to stow it out of the way somewhere. You don't want to be tripping over mic cables.
You have 25' now, maybe pick up a 25' and 15' cable. That will be plenty. I've only had to use two 25' cables maybe twice.
And, being the Master of Cheap, I like to buy mic cord packages from MF and the like. You can get as many as 10 cables for $20. I actually like these cheap cables. Yes, the cables are thin and not heavy duty, but that is why I like them so much. Thin cables are far more flexible than heavy duty cables.
Some of these companies try to convince you to buy these super-expensive heavy duty cables with gold connectors and the like. They tell you all sorts of scare tactics about signal loss and noise. I find these heavy duty cables to be a real problem. They are not flexible. A flexible cable is far easier to use (and store). I take care of my stuff, I have never had even one of my cheapo mic cables fail. Not once. And they sound just fine.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Right on Wes! Thanks for spelling it out clearly. I think I'll get another 20' cable so I'll have a 30' and a 20' to equal 50'. I'm a strange sort in I hate cable that have rubber exterior. They've always tangled on me. So all my guitar cables (Fatso Flex) have braided cloth exterior. I bought the mic cable that way, too. I know I could get cheaper ones but I love this company out of Florida:
Spectraflex.com
Lifetime warranty on everything with incredible customer service. I'm so happy to get good answers and quickly. I'll order another cable tonight. :D
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
it doesn't matter at all. They make 150'snakes, and all that is, is a bunch or mic cable 150' long with a box on the end all nice and tied up so there is no mess. So long Lo Z runs are fine
No matter where you go.... There You are! Law of Location
