Recs for XLR cables with minimal handling noise?

O

oxband

Well-known member
I have a 5 foot cable I have been using for a while, but I find, if I'm recording handheld, I need to wrap it up and I can get some handling noise. I'm thinking of getting a shorter cable, but even in the idea situation, I might be doing a one on one interview, going back and forth to the subject, and I can picture even a short XLR cable rubbing up against itself and giving me handling noise.

I wanna get me a top end cable that will have as little handling noise as possible. With that as a goal....any recs?
 
Generally speaking the noise is not "from" the cable. Any rubbing touching of the cable though translates to the microphone and depending on the mic can be pretty loud. So the trick is to have some place where the cable is fixed so any vibration on the cable stops before it gets to the mic. The normal fix is to make the last bit of cable immovable related to the mic. If it's in a blimp you can zip tie it to the shock mount with a nice little loop to the mic. If it's hand held you can loop it so your hand is holding the mic and a loop of the cable. Generally mics that are meant to be hand held rarely have this issue. On a boom pole you can do a little loop and attach the cable to the end of the pole.
 
What microphone do you have? The handling noise is being telegraphed up the cable into the mic itself. If the mic is designed to be used handheld and you're having that much handling noise, then you probably have bigger problems than a cable. If the mic is not designed for handheld, then typically the cable is clipped close to the shock mount, either by an integrated clip (like the Rycote Invision) a connector clamp, or a special cable.
 
I'm using a AT 4053b but I've recently been told that's not the right mic for that. I'm thinking of switching to an EV RE50B I have. I'm guessing that'll help?
 
The RE50 is by far the most popular reporter's mic in the US and gets more air time than Roseanne reruns.. even before the networks cancelled them.

An 4053 for handheld? .. no freak'n way.
 
Some rubbish cables can be microphonic, but I agree the usual cause is simply mechanical noise being transmitted through rigid cable. All the decent mic cable I have, which coils nicely is silent. Cables that don't coil properly, are the noisy ones. Of course, some mics are just very prone to it - Shure genuine SM58s, for example reject this noise with proper internal decoupling, while the counterfeit ones that are everywhere are MUCH more noisy.
 
Yeah, I bet it is the cable making mechanical noise since the 4053b is so short.

If I start using the EV50, would you still recommend a shock mount, something like the Rode PG2-R or is that overkill for the mic?
 
If it is really old and beat, you can have the shielding layer start to come apart, then if you are using phantom power you can get noise when the cable is moved. I've had this a few times in the last 30 years, but normally this is with intercom cables that get abuse, or the cheap twin cables that often get used on news live trucks (foil and drain wire with the twin cable). Might be part of the problem, but normally if the cable is even close to used and stored properly, this isn't a problem. But again any old cable that is foil and drain wire shielded will get this when the foil starts to break down over time.
 
oxband said:
Yeah, I bet it is the cable making mechanical noise since the 4053b is so short.

If I start using the EV50, would you still recommend a shock mount, something like the Rode PG2-R or is that overkill for the mic?
Click to expand...

As others have just said, nope. Don't need a shock mount for standard reporter us e.

Also: I'd probably get an Electro-Voice RE50L in black. The "L" version has a longer handle.
https://www.electrovoice.com/product.php?id=2611

There's also a version with higher output that might be helpful with certain cameras/recorders, but someone else here will have to chime in with when to choose that over the "classic" RE50.
 
The OP didn't mention what he records to, and it will matter with an RE50.

The RE50N/D-B is a upgraded version of the RE50. It has stronger magnets and creates a hotter signal over the standard version, or so I'm told. I have the upgraded model RE50N/D-B, but never had the opportunity to compare it to the standard version which brings us to the topic.

While I agree with everyone about recommending the RE50, there are a few considerations. There will be a huge loss of signal going from a 4053 to a RE50. So if your preamps are anemic, this WILL create a problem. If you have a late model video cam with decent preamps or any kind of top quality preamps like a Sound Devices product, you will be OK. If you are recording directly to a cheapo video cam or recorder, your results will vary case by case and it may not be good. Been there, got the T-shirt. A 4053 can certainly be rigged for "short booming" using all the same stuff you would normally use; good suspension, Baby Ball Gag, and strain relief on the cable. The exception being the substitution of a pistol grip for the boom pole. Just like conventional booming, this is a skill....just sayin. Which brings us to the next topic:

The reason they call the RE50 the reporters mic, is the reporter holds it. And a good reporter knows how to hold it (we always hope). The RE50 is a mic that you should hold close due to the weaker signal, which also takes advantage of the mics best feature: rejection. You get the idea, whenever you handoff a mic to anybody besides your crew, who you direct, it is a real crapshoot what you can expect. Turning heads, varying distances, wiggly hands will all have a bad effect on a handheld in bad hands.
 
I haven't taken one of the newer B versions apart, but the older versions are nothing but a 635a with felt around the mic to provide "some" shock absorption, also has a larger windscreen. You'll want it fairly close to the speaker and noise from the cable can still be present, especially as the felt packs down and they start to rattle (again assuming it is still like the old version).
 
EV called the 635a a "sportcaster's" mic and was designed more for stand use. The mic element is the same as RE50 but does not have as mach isolation from handling noise and wind, it also has a low output (-55dB). For comparison the SDC AT 4053 is –33 dB. Dynamic mics inherently have a lower output than most powered ones.
 
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