Guitar Cable Length - Why Size Matters

In this video, Mr. B explains why guitar cables need to be kept short. Also explored are ways to put some distance between the guitar player and the amplifier for recording isolation.
Anthony Beardslee ( @MrBintheStudio ) is a Media Arts instructor at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska.
Twitter: / mrbinthestudio
Camera and audio by Josh Talbott
Media Arts degree programs at Northeast Community College:
northeast.edu/media-arts/
For you guitar players out there:
/ fluff191
/ @tacguitar
/ robs70986987
• How to Record Heavy Gu...

[@walthaus]

Hi, Mr. B Werner (The German guy who got your old job down in Lincoln, haha) here. Just came across this series by chance. Great work, keep it up. As far as guitar cables go I'd like to offer an alternative approach. As a player I find that DI boxes do affect the tone of my guitar , mostly because the input impedance usually doesn't match the defacto 1MOhm standard most guitar amps (and pedals) offer., it's usually way lower, around 100KOhm. That will matter a great deal if the player uses his guitar's volume and tone control, since they'll act completely different. Plus there is the issue of what running the signal through 2 transformers will do to transient and frequency response. IME the guitar tends to become mushy and less focused which is why re-amping isn't the last word in guitar recording IMO. A much better approach (and cheaper than two DI boxes) is a quality buffer. If you have a guitar tuner with a decent buffer or any other buffered pedal (that isn't "true bypass") then just put it in between the guitar and amp, simple as that. Now you're driving that cable with a low-Z load and length becomes almost irrelevant. You can also get a hi-qualty buffer like the Concord from Emerson (no affiliation) for $79.00 or something similar. To the purists I'd say that a buffer will affect your guitar's tone way less than two DI boxes in series. One more thing, the cable doesn't just roll of highs when it's capacitance increases (due to poor quality or length), it moves the resonance peak lower, and that's an effect you can actually use to your advantage, just ask Jimmi Hendrix how he tamed the highs from his ice-picky Strat. Again, great work!!!!

[@MrBinthestudio]

Hi Werner! Thanks for watching! Great advice as always. I've often wondered about the coloration from the DI's, so that makes sense. Cheers!

[@ccapdepon]

tks for the info - i play with a Boss TU-3 after a volume pedal and in front of 3 other pedals then a 1/4" cable into a powered DI - then a XLR approx. 30' into another DI and out with a 1/4" cable into the high impedance input on my amp. i would like to remove the powered DI's from the chain - since the TU-3 is buffered can i run a 1/4" cable from the pedalboard 30' to my amp?

[@walthaus]

@@ccapdepon First, I'd put the TU-3 before the volume pedal, that way your volume pedal will cut less highs when rolled back since it's seeing a low-Z signal. Then I'd just get rid of the DI's and use a high quality low capacitance guitar cable to connect. best advise: Use your ears. And again, a lot of it depends if you use your guitar's volume and tone controls.

[@davidreynolds6718]

I tried this last night. Previously I was using a 25 foot cable and then 3 additional 18 foot cables in my wet-dry guitar rig (including effects loop and to the second amplifier). It sounded very good. But then I replaced all those lengthy cables with 6 foot cables for my pedals and a 12 foot cable for my guitar. Boom! Immediately I had more high end frequency responses. This not only improved my tone, it also gave me greater flexibility to use more different settings effectively on my amp and guitar. Thanks!!!

[@artbremer4076]

I heard you too old to make jokes and other crap, man...)))) Please, continue be funny as it helps to digest material better and more comprehensively. I don't get overwhelmed with info this way. Some youtubers just dump it on you for 15 min straight and making it boring. You doing an amazing job, please keep it up. One of the best audio channels on the entire KZbin. The amount of work/time you put into every video is immense. The way you approach a particular topic is very detailed and understandable. Insanely awesome content.

[@AHWD]

Thank you for this. Saved me so much time and anxiety lol

[@CoolDaysEnd]

Excellent video with exceptionally clear explanations combined with mixed in humorous medleys. Thanks!

[@CJ-jz2eg]

please do more informational videos,you're genius sir :)

[@MrBinthestudio]

Thanks!

[@commentfreely5443]

i used to buy what the store had. i got a chinese cable and could hear a staticy sound. plugged in my planet waves the next day and the sound was good. thought electronics in my guitar had gone. moral of story, never use cheap cable.

[@protoman247]

damn. wish this guy was my -teacher- dad

[@luistorres5729]

Lmao, daddy issues....

[@protoman247]

@@luistorres5729 I was just making a joke 🤣

[@TheShfanfan]

I cant believe i genuinely laughed out loud two times during a video about guitar cable lengths.. brilliant work! seriously, please never stop.

[@theHAL9000]

Good ol' KZbin ... ended up watching this video during a search for something else. Extremely interesting and informative video. Just ordered a 18 ft. instrument cable yesterday and was wondering if this length would have an effect on tone ... now I know. Thanks for covering this topic, and in such an educational manner ... and a touch of humor.

[@TheGman458]

I can tell you are a professional teacher... yer good at this !!! Very interesting and informative video... Thank-You for sharing your knowledge. Hope to see more in the future :)

[@NealWalter]

Mr B, you're awesome! if I were in Nebraska I'd definitely take your class, just to enjoy my day..that was the best video I could've watched on "what's the best guitar cable length for recording" you rock! \../, thank you.

[@edwardkenemorales]

Great video Mr B! Wow, I did not even think that DI Boxes work either way. I have always wondered how to use a tubescreamer with a vocal mic and this video sparked an idea. AWESOME!

[@PeekaPeep]

Very interesting bit of info I picked up in that upload. As someone who's JUST now beginning to take up the electric bass for the first time ever at the ripe young age of 38 (lol), first thing I went out looking for is a proper-length instrument cable for it. Wouldn't you know on the first try without even knowing the importance of length beforehand that I wound up settling for a 10-foot Mogami gold cable simply because the glowing customer reviews for it were too unanimous to ignore??? Whew, thank goodness I didn't spend more on a longer one knowing what I know now thanks to you Mr. B! Was only planning on playing bass at home, anyway. ;-)

[@williessandwhich9725]

best music engineering teacher i've ever seen. thnk you good sir!

[@izmar]

Great video! Thanks for the detailed explanations.

[@THETHINKINGMINDS]

Good tutorial, very informative. Thanks for posting it.

[@antoineleedolliole7549]

Mr. Badass! Thanks!

[@anahowana]

Fun and informative video! I love it ! Subed. Cheers from Morocco

[@catalystAl]

For long runs, I bought and use a Zero-cap cable. They have a box that lowers the capacitance to near zero. Your guitar sound is now like using a 1 foot cable. It works great!

[@greefer9645]

these videos are really helpful

[@georgeamodei2886]

Very Informative, Thank You

[@vyoufinder]

Thank! I almost wasted money fixing my tone control knob, but now I know I just needed a longer cable! And using the formula, I am able to adjust the tone by simply installing a different cable. Problems solved!

[@josephemmanuel3423]

Very informative. Thank you

[@SidLaw500]

Great video!

[@nateschmok7300]

Nice Video and Info

[@jfufilms]

Awesome video dude

[@J040Z1NH0]

great video, direct information

[@wurlitsyzer9810]

great video, love your humor :)

[@sameldin2022]

You are amazing.. we need more..

[@DeadKoby]

Good useful info.

[@TempoDrift1480]

Hey hey!!! Greetings from Valentine! I was just gonna sub because you weren't being a total goober, then you said Norfolk so that's cool!

[@MrBinthestudio]

Great to hear from you! Thanks for watching!

[@elcochipit]

nice video!

[@tonerjay9363]

Thanks Sir...

[@sharathchandraks4316]

This guy is the best! You can see Zero dislikes!

[@user-lb4ew7gr2j]

nice

[@HazeAnderson]

Thanks! :D FWIW the resistor and capacitor configuration is pretty important. Depending on which is where, you either produce a low pass or a high pass filter. If the input signal first crosses the resistor, then on the other side of that resistor, where you tap that signal to send it to the next stage, is a capacitor that is connected to ground (aka shunted). This is a low pass filter. On the other hand, if the input signal first crosses the capacitor, then on the other side of that capacitor, where you tap that signal to send it to the next stage, is a resistor that is shunted to ground. This is a high pass filter. The impedance of the load being driven by this high pass filter should be much higher than the value of the resistor to prevent circuit loading effects on the filter's output.

[@MrBinthestudio]

Yep, all correct!

[@HazeAnderson]

@@MrBinthestudio Excellent! I am still learning. :) I wish that when I was attending my classes in the 1990s someone had told me to just do more instead of trying to read more. I had a very hard time learning electronics and what finally allowed me to breakthru was simply DOING. If you have any students that are struggling with learning electronics then maybe they might benefit from the times we are living in. About 1 year ago I bought an "Arduino starter kit" on Amazon for about $17. I recommend the ones that do not come with an Arduino, just the basic kits that come with a breadboard, 5v power supply, buttons, jumper wires, buzzers and a bunch of jelly beans: resistors, caps, LEDs. Rexqualis and Elagoo are both decent brands. Now the problem of sending audio signals thru the breadboard arises, and the student has to really learn. :)

[@MrBinthestudio]

I quite agree. Our program is a combination of theory and hands-on. I can talk all day, but the best learning happens when you actually do it.

[@yiqitahmetcrkn]

thanks!

[@JohnLCadelina]

Gold!

[@stephensummers1958]

Wow, what a great video! I'm getting ready to record my own stuff and I started researching stuff like this. More of this kind of stuff please. :) How about the materials that the cables are made from? Do gold plated make a difference?

[@MrBinthestudio]

Thanks for watching! If you're new to recording, I would first check out my "9 puzzle pieces" video. It covers the basics of recording. As for gold plating, and whether it makes a difference... in a word, yes. Enough of a difference to justify the cost? Not when you're just starting out and have a bunch of other gear to invest in.

[@mysticphilosopher7777]

You could also use a longer guitar cable that has very low capacitance, such as Klotz AC110, which is only 70pF (picofarads) per foot. 25 feet of this cable will not ruin your guitar tone at all...

[@Sherifsound.]

Love 💓

[@baardk2]

Great video. You just saved me for wasting money for a 30 feet cable...and me make an video playing my guitar outside.

[@LutherBaker]

Great overview! You've started to connect my rudimentary electronics understanding with my rudimentary musical ability! I have one question about the "concept" of impedance and would appreciate understanding it with respect to a guitar. Given the "flow of water" analogy to electricity, I understand impedance to represent the "resistance" that the flow encounters (IE: water is trying to flow down the stream but it keeps meeting rocks or some sort of alter current that pushes back). If this is the case, given a guitar and a preamp, can you elaborate more on why the preamp needs to have 10x more impedance than the source? Naively speaking, my brain hears "the guitar has the ability to push through X resistance ... so we need to plug it into something that has 10x that resistance!" That makes me think "I can lift 100lbs, so, please put 10,000lbs on the barbells"? It seems like nothing should happen at this point bcs I can't budge 10,000lbs. I know I'm wrong but I'm trying to clear up my analogy flaw. Otherwise, I simply go with the rule of thumb and hope that this mis-understanding doesn't come back to bite me in some other way.

[@MrBinthestudio]

Thanks for watching! The weights analogy doesn't quite hold up in this instance. When you connect two devices together, you are basically connecting them in parallel. So take two resistors as an example. If you have a 10-ohm resistor that is drawing 1-amp of current, then you connect another 10-ohm resistor in parallel, it now is also drawing 1-amp, making the total draw of current 2-amps, effectively cutting the total resistance in half. Now, if you connect another resistor in parallel, this one with a resistance of 10,000 ohms, it only draws .001 amps, so it is effectively "invisible", in that it has very little effect on the total circuit. That's what we're trying to do by having an input z that is 10x higher than the output z driving it. By having the input z adequately high, it becomes invisible to the output device so it doesn't load it down. To put it in other terms, if the input z isn't high enough, the input device thinks that the input is it's own output, and causes a drop in signal and other issues as well. Hope that helps!

[@mohd.avaish7696]

Good sense of humour comes with intelligence 🧠

[@sodavive]

This is great stuff. Thanks so much. I have a question though? How much of this applies to the scenario where you connect the output of your pedalboard to a the power amp of a combo speaker via the "return" plug. My pedalboad gives me the option so turn the output into a "line" or "instrument". I would like to know which option is recommended (line/instrument) for this scenario and what's the maximum length the cable should be? Sometimes I am on the right side of the stage with my speaker next to me and sometimes I need the speaker 8 metres away on the other side (normally when I play with 2 amps in genuine stereo). Thanks in advance . Pablo

[@MrBinthestudio]

Hi Pablo, great question. It's possible (in fact, likely) that your pedal board has a "buffered" output so you might not have the high frequency loss in either scenario. If I were you, I would just test it with a long cable and listen carefully to the difference. If you hear a difference using the Instrument output vs. the Line output, you'll know which to choose. Cheers!

[@jsnichols1]

Love the video - very informative and entertaining! Question: When playing live I generally use a 15' cable from bass guitar to a pedalboard (all true bypass pedals, I believe) then a 10' cable from last pedal to amplifier. The cables ARE high end (Tsunami Cables), but do you think that I could be experiencing any significant high end loss over 25+ feet or am I OK? Thanks!

[@MrBinthestudio]

Well, the question is, have you heard any loss? It's also possible that your pedal has a buffered output, which eliminates the issue. My guess is you're fine 🙂

[@jsnichols1]

@@MrBinthestudio I haven't heard any loss per se, I was just more curious than anything. Many thanks for the reply!

[@Kashfrmdaway]

Just Ordered An Mogami 3ft Hopefully I See A Difference Between This 10 ft XLR Cable

[@mPDC-gh8jy]

5:19 You should mention about the Insertion-loss caused by "double" passive transformers. The guitar-signal would be weakened by the loss. So you shouldn't try to "make-up" the guitar sound on your guitar amp BEFORE inserting two passive DI in the signal line. It doesn't make sense.

[@TheSebi1968]

Only part of this is correct. Since the guitar pickup is a coil and the cable is a capacitor you have a second order low pass with a resonance peak at a certain frequency, as long as the volume control is full on, so it will not dampen the alternating charging between coil and cable. This resonance peak is more pronounced the lower resistance a pickup will have. you can tame a shrill strat or Tele with a longer cable, not only reducing treble, but also shifting down the resonance peak. This resonance peak is much of the character of the sound of a guitar. A too short cable will shift the resonance up high and kill a lot of the character...ice pick sounds come to mind. Many old school blues players used this trick btw. playing through a super reverb with a Tele with a long cable and sounding fat...

[@pumpkin1982]

Can you do more videos on live sound?

[@MrBinthestudio]

I'd like to, but haven't come up with a solid idea for a video yet. I'll keep thinking!

[@lazarusalhat4909]

Which cable , should be buy for microphone.

[@jimcamp2423]

Does any of this apply to a UHF or a BT wireless instrument guitar & amp system ? I went with both, but haven't received both types. Was really about the same cost when I consider getting a 20' instrument cable. The cable I ended up with is a 18'6" length. Beyond the 10' rule, but enough cable to be anywhere in the room(s) of the house. If the wireless really is the better solution and I do understand that line of sight and distance effects reception, but since we're talking about a single room, limited furnitures, I can be as close to the amp with the guitar as I want to or stand to be. I'm really hoping the cable can be a backup and rarely used vs the UHF wireless. This videos helps to explain why the amp always sounds so much better at the store, they have the shorter cables to demo the equipment.

[@jimcamp2423]

Meh, just realized that was the difference between 10 & 200 foot instrument cords (who would do that anyway ?). So, is there really that appreciably noticeable difference between 10-20' of a premium same brand cable ? I realize that the cord should have a certain amount of quality reduction inherent mathematically as the cable length gets longer ? But then there's the amp itself and what the hardware has for pushing range as well. Ideally the amp has the highest quality/fidelity sound internally at the connection, the cable is a premium fidelity as well. Is the difference between 10' & 18--20' so negligible that it doesn't matter enough to stress out over for perfection ? With any cable the efficiency degradation(s) starts at the wiring of internals, then the connection, then the instrument cable inch by inch. I'm beginning to think that theoretically that might be the case as well for a wireless system with range distances of the transmitter & receiver, line of sight and objects that would block and absorb reception from the guitar to the amp ? Which is the better wireless transmitter & receiver being used.

[@MrBinthestudio]

@@jimcamp2423 thanks for watching! Generally speaking, I would say your assessment is correct. You will have some high frequency loss by adding more cable, but whether you will notice 20' vs. 10' is debatable. Using a wireless system is a viable option, as long as the wireless transmission does not color the sound.

[@stephensummers1958]

Also, I'm new to this... I plan to get either an axe fx II or a Scarlett interface. Would those double as the DI box as well? I plan to just use the guitars DI and then use VST's later on.

[@MrBinthestudio]

Yes, the "instrument input" on those units suffices as your direct input to record the direct signal from your guitar.

[@stephensummers1958]

@@MrBinthestudio Thank you for the fast reply! Loving your channel. Wish it had more. I will definitely watch those. :)

[@KadeTurner]

A always great videos. Questions - When recording guitar or bass with multiple DI’s, do the cables need to be the same length, and/or do different lengths create phase issues? Seems to be the shorter the unbalanced cables the better, would a balanced mic level cable of high quality, say ‘Mogami’, lose any top end or audio quality at say, 10 meters? Kade

[@MrBinthestudio]

It's not so much about the cable as it is the impedance of the output device - in this case, the DI. By having a low Z output, the cable can be longer before you have any high frequency loss. 10 meters shouldn't be an issue, even with standard grade mic cable. Thanks for watching!

[@KadeTurner]

@@MrBinthestudio No probs mate, you’re a wealth of knowledge. What about for unbalanced cables connecting the DI’s or pedals (through jacks etc) does it matter or cause any issue if you have multiple different lengths?

[@MrBinthestudio]

@@KadeTurner All of your cables between the guitar and amp can potentially make a difference. Between pedals, it's hard to say for sure, since pedals can have different electronics in them that will affect the impedance differently (see the pinned comment from walthaus). The bottom line is to listen to the final output for yourself, and decide if you hear any loss of high end.

[@KadeTurner]

@@MrBinthestudio Ah yes I understand, and a very good point mate. I got phase issues when using four DI’s at the same time. I wasn’t sure if this was just characteristics of the gear and natural to happen with different DI’s together, or the fact that the lengths of the XLR cables were different and that was causing a micro time and signal difference to the DAW. (If that makes sense)

[@MrBinthestudio]

@@KadeTurner have you checked the polarity of your cables? That could also cause a phase issue if you're using them simultaneously

[@Zilmayjaink]

Hey Mr. B! What about cables involved in fx loops in the 4 cable method? Also recommend no longer than 10 feet? But, in total or each cable?

[@MrBinthestudio]

That's a little trickier to answer, because some devices have an impedance buffer that allows longer cable runs, and others don't. But if each of them has a "true bypass", and you have all pedals off, you would want to look at the total of all cables that are connected at any one time. But in reality, you could get as much as 20 feet and you might not hear any high frequency loss. Bottom line, if you are losing high end, and you have the ability to shorten any of you cable runs, that would be a good place to start.

[@Zilmayjaink]

@@MrBinthestudio wow normally I wouldn't expect such a quick answer and also really complete! Many thanks Mr.B! Gotta check this myself!

[@380stroker]

A good recording engineer will not record a wet signal.

[@hadleymanmusic]

Where can i get a roll of low impedance cable? Should I just make using mic cable and just double up on the inner conductors???

[@MrBinthestudio]

Yes, using mic cable is perfectly acceptable. You don't really need to double up the inner conductors, though. Just connect the shield to the connector sleeve, and just one of the jacketed conductors to the tip. The remaining conductor can just be trimmed down.

[@arturitmos]

Yessss, give me all the equations!!! But sadly, I couldn't find many capacitance/impedance information from the manufacturer :,( How does the impedance level compare to, let's say, that from an analogue synthesizer? Does it have a big impact on the possible length of the cable, is a high impedance input also recomended?

[@MrBinthestudio]

Well, that depends on which analog synth. What's the model, and how old is it?

[@arturitmos]

@@MrBinthestudio Hey, thanks for answering! I've got DSI Rev2, 8 voice version. Was released just last year actually, no idea about the cables tho

[@MrBinthestudio]

@@arturitmos I can't seem to find the output impedance in the tech specs for it, but since it's a newer device, I'm betting that it has a low Z output, so cable length shouldn't be an issue

[@HazeAnderson]

The general rule of thumb is that you want inputs to be high impedance and outputs to be low impedance. For inputs, high impedance implies voltage source, whereas low impedance implies current source. Synthesizers are pure electrical devices however, and even "consumer grade" -10dBV high impedance outputs on these devices deliver a strong signal (especially compared to -50dBm mic level). After all, ALL synthesizers have internal amplifiers! :D Your DSI Rev2 is a professional grade keyboard so I would wager a dollar that its output(s) are low impedance, nominal +4dBu. KZbin has a few channels that explain this stuff in detail, you just gotta search diligently. Here is an example: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zl7PiZyMZ8mLha8 but no ... we are not building transmission lines (and would rather avoid them). That's just an example of the wealth of info on these subjects that are out there. Thanks to Mr. B for helping to compile it all down in a way we can utilize. :)

[@Wissperwind]

What is your opinion about speaker cables? I never imagened that a 200m guitar cable does have an impact. And I still think that a speaker cable can't work like a tone control knob. But am I wrong?

[@MrBinthestudio]

Amps and speakers do not follow the same impedance rules as low-voltage cables, so speaker cables can be run for long distances without any problem.

[@RockAlongRecords]

haha funny as. thanks for the info!

[@rareform6747]

Some use the effects loop or in front a buffer ..

[@biwashstha]

Do your college provide sound engineering course online

[@MrBinthestudio]

No, sorry

[@Lyndon539]

I need a cable for home practice. Does a cable makes a difference between a 10 feet and 20 foot cable?

[@MrBinthestudio]

It will make a difference, but probably not enough to be noticeable. Thanks for watching!

[@Andrey.Balandin]

Well, as Mr. B explained in the video, it depends on the impedance of your guitar. Do you use low output single coil pickups with impedance of about 6 kOhm? Or do you use high output humbuckers that can have impedance of 10-18 kOhm and inherent dark sound with muffled highs? From what I understood from Mr. B's explanation the humbuckers are going to be more susceptible to further tone suck from a longer cable. I think there will be a difference and you should be able to hear it if you listen carefully. Whether that matters in a home practice setup is up to you. But then, why would you need a long cable in your room?

[@juliansist]

Very useful video! So I need to be worried about my 15ft guitar cable for home practice?

[@MrBinthestudio]

Hi Julian. Thanks for watching! No, you don't need to worry about that for your practice rig. It only matters when you're performing or recording. :)

[@funfishLP]

does this effect also appear on speaker cables? From an amp to a cabinet?

[@MrBinthestudio]

Nope. The amplified signal from the amp has a different circuitry that is not prone to HF loss.

[@funfishLP]

@@MrBinthestudio okay thanks for the quick answer

[@Kooler_1]

I have a question. I have a Keyboard ( Korg kross 2) to be precise. What h explained in the video does it apply to my keyboard? Does a shorter cord sound better than a longer one?

[@MrBinthestudio]

Keyboards don't have the high impedance outputs like guitars, so you can get away with a much longer cable before you have any noticeable high frequency loss

[@Kooler_1]

@@MrBinthestudio dude u posted this over 4 years and ur still responding! Thank you! You are one of a kind!

[@vyoufinder]

I think you might know the answer to: When connecting a keyboard with two TS outputs to a field recorder, should I be using microphone cable or instrument cable?

[@MrBinthestudio]

What's the model of keyboard, and what's the model of the recorder?

[@vyoufinder]

@@MrBinthestudio I was actually hoping for more of a general answer as to where it is appropriate to use instrument cable (guitar cable) vs. quad core microphone cable. I could wire up some unbalanced instrument cable into the 3.5mm unbalanced input on my Mixpre using a TRS connector and bring the two 1/4" outputs from the Yamaha P-125 one to each side, or I could use some quad core or other microphone cable and do it that way, also using a 3.5mm trs unbalanced input on the Mixpre (100k Ohm input). The specs on the Yamaha (just one example) don't tell me the output impedance of the outputs. They don't even tell me if it's line, mic, instrument, or speaker level.

[@MrBinthestudio]

Since the keyboard is unbalanced, if you were to use mic cable, any benefit that you gain from the mic cable (common mode rejection, for example) is lost by the mere fact that it's an unbalanced connection from the keyboard. So, it really doesn't matter which cable you use, but instrument cable will be fine. As for the output impedance of the keyboard, I think we can safely assume that it's line level out, so your input impedance into the XLR/Phone combo inputs should be well matched.

[@vyoufinder]

@@MrBinthestudio Thanks for the informative answer. However, I should not e that the reason I prefer to use microphone (quad core) cable is because it allows for a stereo signal through only one cable, whereas the instrument cable would require two cables in a y. There is also the issue of the semi-conductive layer of instrument cable. Would this have no effect? And what about impedance handling? Is this not a major difference between microphone and instrument cable? The impedances of my inputs are different, which is why I am wanting to use the 3.5mm 100kOhm trs input rather than two of the xlr inputs 4kOhm. Since the signal coming out of the keyboard is not balanced, cable isn't goingto make any difference anyway, so that isn't what I was actually asking about. I was actually wondering more about the physical characteristics of different cables as far as impedance handling, capacitance, etc. as it relates to situations using actual gear and to people not studied in electronics.. No videos and hard to find the right information I am looking for out there.

[@MrBinthestudio]

There's really no difference. The term "instrument cable" was really coined to prevent people from using instrument cables as speaker cables.

[@shannonleealvarez9828]

What's the best length for recording/producing?

[@MrBinthestudio]

3 meters or less

[@shannonleealvarez9828]

@@MrBinthestudio thank you, Sir!

[@mickhudson]

Me watching this video with a 30ft coiled cable: 👁👄👁

[@marcospintor1333]

You don’t need the double DI, that’s too expensive. You just need a buffer that’ll convert the 1meg ohm down to 150 ohms

[@ed278]

Does 3 meters cable and 1 meters cable have noticeable difference?

[@MrBinthestudio]

Depends on the quality of the cable, but probably not a noticeable difference.

[@WillVRam]

what is the safe cabe length? I am going to buy a very expensive cable soon to record my guitar, , but I'm afraid to buy 4,5 meters and get these losts.

[@MrBinthestudio]

If they are very expensive cables, my guess is that the internal capacitance is lower than most cables, so you would be able to get away with a longer length. But I would check with the cable manufacturer to be sure. What is the brand and model of cable you were looking at?

[@WillVRam]

​@@MrBinthestudio oh thank you for your fast answer. I was going try buy Mogami Gold or Platinum but is very hard to buy here from Brazil. Now I will buy the "Tecniforte Animal", a cable from a very good brazilian manufacturer: I didn't find the technical specifications but here is a video of their other cable ("High Clear" model) kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5fdXp5oqKiGjNE The video is 8 minutes, is very old (2011) and the guy "tecniforte's representative" give some info in voice, and other technical infos are given in text in video (you cant caption it) So its too much trouble/work to you help me. I think I will buy it because I can't buy Mogami here in Brazil, the prices from those who import it are too much expensive and buying from Amazon have very high tax.

[@MrBinthestudio]

Those cables seem like they should work well. I usually tell people to keep the cables around 3 meters or less.

[@WillVRam]

@@MrBinthestudio yes this is my doubt. If I buy 3m I will have to move my 19kg weight Combo every time that I will play, brining it closer to my PC/Audio Interface. I was wondering if I buy 4.5m will cause any sound-quality-loss. But thank you for you time! I subscribed in your channel because your videos are great. Very technical infos with a bit of fun

[@MrBinthestudio]

Is there any way you can get a hold of a cheap 4.5m cable to test it? Another thing to consider for dealing with length is to get a buffer unit or a pedal with a buffered output. This provides an impedance modification that will allow longer cable lengths. I learned about these after I had made my video, and would have included it in the video if I had known. :)

[@miguelssupergaming1012]

Wait but how did angus young use a long guitar cable and sound perfect you can see it in the let there be rock movie

[@MrBinthestudio]

That's a good question. I've seen the movie, but don't know enough about what happened behind the scenes to answer for sure.

[@Kris-ex6yk]

So long speaker cables do not have single Loss?

[@MrBinthestudio]

Nope :)

[@Kris-ex6yk]

@@MrBinthestudio damn, this makes a lot of sense. Time to ditch my extra long cables.

[@thewoolycontacts]

Mr. B? HMM .. I bet the B stands for BAD FUCKING ASS! thank you sir!. Now if you can just make a video about how how to structure and produce a track. But with more cuss words and extreme sarcasm. I'd very much enjoy watching that lol

[@MrBinthestudio]

Well, thank you! My "Session Time - Just the Way You Are" video kinda does that, but without the swearing. If you want swearing and sarcasm, Glenn Fricker's your guy! ;)

[@Olegstuff21986]

Gotta love the clueless version of you :).

[@MrBinthestudio]

That version of me is the real me more often than I would like to admit!

[@Olegstuff21986]

@@MrBinthestudio Haha, excellent. Thanks for the quality presentation, cheers :).

[@matthewkleinmann]

Where to start. You are right, there is a difference between 10 feet and 200 feet. If your amp needs to be 200 feet away something seems amiss. I doubt you would be able to hear the difference between 10 feet and 25 feet though, and even if you could there are some thing you overlooked. The first one is the settings of the tone control on the guitar. If it is not backed all the way off, just back it off a bit and you are good to go. The bigger issue with long guitar cable runs IMHO is that the low level unbalanced high impedance signals are much more prone to picking up noise. The other thing that was overlooked was that 99% of the people playing an electric guitar will use at least one effect pedal, and the outputs from effects pedals are almost always much and in orders of magnitude lower impedance than the output of the guitar. So the whole impedance issue is moot, as are the noise issues. The DI box idea is interesting though if you are a signal purest I would question what going through the two transformers is doing to the signal unless they are nice high end audio units and you are not going to find them in an inexpensive direct box. The other option is a transformer less direct box, but they bring in noise as they are active devices, and again, good parts do not come cheap. The parts in most stomp boxes are usually pretty mid to low end, to be fair, but they contribute to the overall sound of the box, an interesting case of a bug becoming a feature. I would say if you need 25 feet, go with a 25 foot cable, if you use a stomp box you can use a short cable into it and a long cable out of it. About the only time I would ponder the DI box solution is if I really needed to go > about 25 feet in a noisy environment with a raw guitar. It is also not unusual for a larger studio to have either movable panels you can make a cave out of. for the amp. Also, don't forget if you move the speaker far away with cables, true noise is not an issue, but you add more impedance to a circuit that is low impedance and thus much more sensitive to changes. You can sacrifice bass performance. With very long runs you are not dealing with a linear resistance as you have the skin effect in the wires to contend with as well as the increased impedance lowering the damping factor. It is never simple. But again there is a big difference between 25 feet and 200 feet.

[@keysersoze9040]

Me looking at the 6M cable i just been gifted 🤓

[@MrBinthestudio]

You can always cut it in thirds and have three cables... provided you know how to solder! :)

[@thundergas007]

idk why ppl still use cables.. i swtiched to wirless systems 4 years ago and still banging hard on till this day

[@boobo3763]

Steve Albini's nicer brother...

[@AT-wl9yq]

Some important information was left out. The main function of a DI box is to convert a single ended signal to balanced, or a balanced signal to single ended. The properties of a balanced connection makes it suitable for long cable runs. Its important to know the details for compatibility issues. Balanced and single ended operation are not compatible which is why you needed the 2nd DI box. However, some mixers have functionality of a DI box built in to the input of a channel. If this is the case, you wouldn't need the 2nd DI box at the mixer. Either way, knowing these details is necessary. For example, you could have a noise issue that originates from short circuiting a balances/SE connection and not be aware of it, making the diagnostic process much more difficult. These types of issues are very common.

[@robertyoung7027]

Have never used a 200' cable

[@pittyman]

So get the mic cable longer and all's good. 👍

[@rjlchristie]

200 feet = 6o metres. That's extreme. In practical situations of up to 20 metres it isn't anything that an amplifier's presence control or eq can't address..

[@cgrimes72]

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ (snoring)

[@pray-for-peace]

Skip the formulas and equations. Use your ears!

[@ichbrauchmehrkaffee5785]

200ft??? 61m?? Who needs a cable that long??? If I wanted to be more than 10m (30ft for y'all metric-deniers) away from my amp, I'd get a wifi-transmission, not necessarily for the tone, but primarily to avoid tripping accidents

[@The_Bit_Player]

DO NOT BUY LAVA CABLES!!! VERY POOR QUALITY EVEN WORSE CUSTOMER SERVICE. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON LAVA CABLES.👎👎👎

[@dododale-ni7bf]

MOGAMI 12FT PLATINUM WILL DO THE PERFECT JOB!!!