VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Tren Hester]

From a little research, Mogami seems to be a top brand in mic cables. One vendor, however, will throw in a free cable with the purchase of a mic. I'm wondering if it's like the old motor oil commercial, "Cables are cables."



From experience, would you go with Mogami ($40 for 15 ft) or another choice altogether?



Also, do you recommend an adjustable mic boom or a desk-type stand?

[Deirdre]

Whatever you get-- get a shock mount.
_________________
DBCooperVO.com
IMDB

[Frank F]

"...I'm wondering if it's like the old motor oil commercial, "Cables are cables."



Cables are not all made the same. However, that being said, the differences are minimal when it comes to certain things. For 'short runs' look for a good quality, shielded, comfortable to use cable. For longer runs, get a Mogami... it's worth it.



If you are in a high RF area, or have some to lots of interference, get a Mogami. If you are in a reasonably RF quiet area and have little interference from blenders and furnaces and things that go whirr or bump in the day or night... then most any good quality cable will be fine.



There are several other "tricks" to laying out your mic cable - such as "don't run your mic cable along the same path as your power cords", but you already knew that didn't you?



Also, as DB mentioned "...get a shock mount."



Finally, if you have a few bucks extra get a Mogami cable, if not - get what you can afford - just make it the highest quality cable you can afford.



Frank F

[kgenus]

Cables and their placement make a huge difference, this includes power cables as well.



Many engineers told me to keep the cables off the floor if you have carpet. Apparently carpet and the cable's movement on it is yet another challenge to recording (and why we should all have expensive hardwood floors). The solution was essentially wall mounted hooks through which the cable was threaded to the booth, mine are still on the floor.



Back in the day I had a neighbor who was a carpenter and train set enthusiast. His entire basement was a train set, complete with Tyco race track and moving traffic cars/trucks. It was really cool, but what I remember most was how he ran the cabling. He had removable wall moldings, behind which he built cable channels. Today, this would be the ticket for television / radio / networking, etc... I thought this was a really nice idea and the molding actually made the house look more regal, expensive, just plain better.



So, if you're building it might be something you might want to think about. Also, when you're buying your vocal booth, be sure to pony up the extra money for the XLR patch panel that mounts on the side. I bought my booth second hand and the previous owner actually drilled a small hole in the bottom of the booth. It's still quiet but I would have preferred a properly mounted high quality XLR patch.



Oh ... have I mentioned the Lawson Microphone Air Mic? It's made specifically for VO from a modified U47 capsule remake. ALL of the Lawson mics have builtin shock mounts, which is a really cool. BUT, it's $1000 or 1-4 jobs.



Kevin
_________________
Genus

[kitstern]

Kevin, WHERE do you find this stuff? A Lawson air mic for VO's, who knew?
_________________
Enjoy life, this is not a rehearsal.

http://www.kitziestern.com/