Although one of the unsung parts of the recording kit, cables really do matter. I don’t mean in the over-the-top sense, such as where hi-fi audiophiles can spend thousands on a pair of cables to their speakers, but in the more down to earth sense that they must be well-made, of decent quality parts that last, don’t get stuck in your gear, aren’t susceptible to interference, and, of course, are suited to the job in hand. Like many, I make up a lot of my own cables, always using good quality connectors (invariably Neutrik for XLRs) and cable (mostly Van Damme, Mogami and Sommer), and often it can be a relaxing thing to do, with end result being a cable that exactly meets your own – perhaps rather bespoke – needs. Sometimes, however, I buy ready-made cables, especially when the cost isn’t much more than making up my own, I’m tight on time, or when the soldering seems a bit fiddly. I don’t just mean the effects of age on eyesight (though some reading glasses would doubtless help!), but also some of the cables I need these days seem trickier to make than just a straight XLR to XLR balanced mic cable: I’d be happy not to have to solder another little hirose connector! And on some occasions the parts are so difficult to get hold of that DIY is a non-starter: for example, just where are you meant to buy Sennheiser MZL connectors if not in the trade?
When it comes to suppliers of cable off the reel, connectors and more standard ready-made cables such as XLR mic cables, I have most regularly used Designacable (located in Nottingham); and when I have wanted something more specialized for recording (such as TA3 to XLR cables for my Sound Devices 788T recorder), I have used Pinknoise Systems (located in Gloucester). I’d recommend both very highly if you are in this part of the world. But lately I have been wanting some more esoteric audio cables, for which, if not making them up themselves, production sound recordists will seek out specialist industry ‘wiremen’ (I only heard this delightful term recently, so might well overuse it now!) such as, here in the UK, Stuart Torrance and Henry Smith. In my case, however, at the same time as I was needing a few more such cables, I became aware of another ‘wireman’ – Ed Kelland – who was setting up ETK Cables and introducing his new business on a few sound-recording forums. Ed worked for Rycote for a decade, until their Stroud factory closed (though since then he has continued doing some freelance work for them), so has impressive experience and, obviously, knows his way around the world of cables inside windshields: doubtless many of us have been using his handiwork for years without knowing.
Intrigued, I first bought a stereo split cable from ETK Cables back in July last year, to be used for a MS rig: it was, I recall, designed to suit my MS pair in a retrofitted Rycote Nano Shield. It was good value, made using good parts, and expertly put together. Since then Ed has made more cables for me and we have got chatting – batting ideas around about new internal windshield cables, new cables to then connect the windshield to a mixer/recorder, and even on the subject of his website (now redesigned, and making it easier for people to order all sorts of different variations – as well, of course, still being able to contact him for bespoke designs). It’s been fun and, I hope, helpful to support his new business in a rather modest way. Anyway, since ‘wiremen’ like Ed aren’t two-a-penny and as, what with his website shop, he is probably one of the more accessible ones (including to those not in the production sound industry), I thought it might be useful to some readers of this blog to run through the various cables he has made for me, which give a flavour of what ETK Cables provides and, in so doing, perhaps help the odd reader think more generally about their cable solutions – whether they continue to solder their own, buy off-the-peg or get bespoke cables made up by Ed or anyone else. It’s certainly good for recording efficiency, reduction of cable-borne noise, and reliability to have the right cables for the job.
Internal windshield cables
As I said, Ed’s particular background has been with internal cables for windshields, and this is where ETK Cables differs from, say, the excellent specialist cables made by Pinknoise Systems (where the emphasis there is on cables for connecting equipment – e.g. timecode cables). In my case, I have had four internal windshield cables made by Ed. My original purchase was a fairly simple mid-side (MS) split cable with full-size XLRs throughout: nothing very specialized about that, I know, as I’ve made several similar myself, including some with low-profile connectors. But following on from that Ed has made some rather more specialized cables for me, two of which have Sennheiser MZL connectors (i.e. the connectors that fit to Senneheisers MKH 8000 series mics, allowing the XLR modules to be removed and making the mics much more compact) and one of which has low-profile XLRs. The MZL ones are double mid-side (DMS) split cables: three MZL connectors joined by nice and supple Mogami 2697 cable to a Neutrix 7-pin XLR male (NC7MXX-B) connector. One of these has equal 18cm cable lengths, and is what I have been using when fitting DMS setups in the Radius Windshields Mini-ALTO 115. The second DMS cable is a more specialized one with different cable lengths of 17cm, 23cm and 31cm: it is for a native B-format array in my Mega-Blimp, and would be equally applicable to a similar setup with ‘vertical’ DMS mics with side-address cardioids above and below a horizontal fig 8 mic.
The third internal windshield cable that ETK Cables has provided is an MS cable that Ed came up with, inspired by my MS clips designed for Radius Windshield’s hoops and, thus, also for the Mini-ALTO windshield. Ed’s idea was to use thin (2.1mm diameter) four-core and screen (i.e. stereo balanced) Mogami 2739 cable from the 5-pin XLR to the first low-profile XLR, and then a short second cable running from that to the second low-profile XLR. It’s a really elegant solution, reducing cables inside the windshield, making the cable exit less fiddly, and, at the same time, reducing cable-borne noise. It makes my previous conventional split cables for MS look a bit cumbersome and clunky now!
DMS breakout and stereo splitter cables
The above are just a few examples of specialist cables that are mainly for internal use in windshields (though could be used for bare stereo and three-mic arrays too), but looking at Ed’s initial website shopfront I was struck by the absence of cables that would form the next link in the chain: that is, taking the 5-pin XLR of a stereo setup or the 7-pin XLR of a DMS or similar three-mic setup and breaking out, or splitting, to individual 3-pin XLRs for each channel. It’s an obvious cable, but it’s surprising how few makers there are of them out there. Pinknoise Systems make some using Van Damme blue series multicore for stereo/MS and DMS. I have used their stereo one for a few years and love the easy coiling of the blue series cable, but the 7-pin DMS breakout version is not quite so appealing to me, being limited to 1.5m: for my use, that isn’t usually long enough to reach the recorder, and would lead to XLRs trailing in the mud and damp on the ground before you connect them up to single XLR cables. So Ed has produced a series of much longer versions using the same Van Damme cable, but, at the same time, utilizing the gold-pin black Neutrik XLR connectors. And he has done likewise with the stereo version.
For field recording I’ve long found the Van Damme blue series multicore absolutely spot on, and love going straight from a connector at the windshield to the recorder some distance away from the mics. Sometimes, however, such specialist cables aren’t the right length (and it’s hugely expensive to purchase a whole range of lengths) and you find yourself needing something much longer. Like many I have a much greater range of lengths of regular balanced mic cables for single channels, so on those occasions it makes sense to split or breakout from 5-pin or 7-pin to individual channels near the mics. With that in mind, Ed produces shorter cables using Mogami 2697, with a variety of lengths: I’ve found it very useful for the DMS one to have a staggered cable length option (cables of 17cm, 34cm and 51cm lengths) so that the three XLRs are not clustered together in an unwieldy bunch, but sit neatly against the stand or tripod one above the other.
In the course of our discussions about such cables in the autumn, Ed also suggested another option, which was to have a DMS breakout cable using the same Mogami 2697 as these short cables, but to protect the thin cable further with braiding. The example I have has three 40cm cables, but there is no reason why a staggered version couldn’t be supplied.
Final words
So there we have it: a fairly quick run through a few of the cables that Ed at ETK Cables has supplied to me, to give you an idea of a few of the options available. Most of these have been added to his on-line shop, but don’t take the options in the shop as more than an intro: much of what he makes is like the output of other ‘wiremen’, which is cables tailored to the specification of the customer. Key things to think about when ordering (or, indeed, DIY-ing) cables, beyond the parts used, are the exact lengths (just how much slack is ideal for that internal cable?) and how you want different channels indicated: on some of the above I should have specified coloured boots for easier use than numbers, but – as it is easy to do with no re-soldering required – I have swapped black for coloured rings on the XLRs. And if you do contact Ed (or any other ‘wireman’) for a bespoke cable, please try and be exhaustive with your specification. This applies especially if you are citing one of my setups with my 3d-printed clips, as otherwise, Ed asks me to try and decipher what is meant!!!