Any suggestions on a good online audio cable source? I need something more than Radio Shack and the major MI dealers (MF, Sweetwater, GC etc.) because I've searched through their websites with no luck. I need inexpensive three foot 1/8" mini to left/right right-angle 1/4" and other odds and ends. Thanks.

HI Jim,
Hosa makes cheap stuff - it's not crap, but it's not high end either. I have many Hosa cables that have lasted a good long while. I only use them at home or school, but still .... they DO work, and they're CHEAP !

Jim, over the years I have collected a box full of practically every kind of adapter imaginable. The obvious advantage here is that with a few sets of standard cables (ie. 1/4 to 1/4) of different lengths (3',6',9',12') you can go from anywhere to anywhere.

Some people are concerned about possible signal loss, but I have not experienced this. Although I wouldn't use them for critical recording situations, they do offer a cheaper and more flexible alternative for most situations.

chas

Thanks guys... I already have a collection of Hosa cables and adapters that I've been using at home to test a new keyboard configuration, but I really wanted something that looked "finished" for stage use. Hosa doesn't make what I needed (I checked Hosa's website ) and a bunch of adapters just doesn't look professional.

Just for reference, on another forum someone pointed me to Redco Audio where you can design custom cables online and they make them. That's what I really wanted, and while Redco is not exactly cheap I was surprised that their custom cables cost less than those overly expensive Monster cables I see at Radio Shack now.

[This message has been edited by Esh (edited 09-15-2006).]

Buy cheap cables........ get cheap sound.

Cables and cases seem to be the area where many part-timers want to cut costs. DON'T.....! You don't have to buy boutique cables, with oxygen-free silver, etc., but don't use the cheapest you think you can get away with, Buy the most expensive you think you can get away with (with a lifetime warrantee).

Troubleshooting a poorly grounded cable or intermittent cable is VERY difficult for the average player, and can produce some very puzzling problems, and unsatisfactory gigs, for you AND your clients.

Don't cheat yourself......

Esh,

If you want high-quality, custom cables make them youself--then you'll know what you have.

Good Luck,

Gary

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Travlin' Easy

Y'know, I've soldered a heck of a lot of wires since I was a young kid, but I never was good at it and I just don't want to do it anymore. It's like changing the oil in my car - it's one of those chores that I'd rather pay someone else to do. Lots of people feel different I know. I've got a lifetime of cheap cords lying around that work in a pinch but for my stage rig I really don't mind spending a little more for quality especially if it's exactly what I need, but I'm not buying those damn gold-plated Monster cables from Radio Shack either. There's got to be a mid-range: better quality cables that aren't too fancy but ain't cobbled-together, dog-chewed relics either. Homemade ain't for me. I'm looking forward to seeing if the custom cables I ordered from Redco are good... if so I'll just order from them or someone like them.

I use Monster cables in my studio, but for live use I have had good results with Fender branded Electro Volt cables. They have a lifetime warranty (it goes bad, they give you a new one) and they have a nifty series with straight 1/4" jack on one end and a right-angle 1/4" on the other. Shrink wrap at both ends (this is important).

I prefer to put Right-angle jacks into keyboards, because if there is a hard tug on the cable, a right-hand plug puts a lot less stress on the keyboard's input jack (and it looks a lot cooler!).

I've had two sets of these in constant use for about two years, and not a hint of a problem....

Diki,

One of the things that made me go back to making my own cables was Fender cables. I purchased a half-dozen 20-footers that were about $30 each. They too were shrink wrapped at the ends and really looked well made. Of the six, two failed right out of the box (package) and were immediately returned for new ones. The dealer complied, gave me another pair and darned if one of those wasn't bad as well.

Of the four that I used during the next few weeks, three failed. In each and every case it was the lousy wire that was used in the construction of the cable. The inner wire (these were shielded instrument cables), which was very thin, was broken in half, often halfway down the cable.

I took all of them back to the dealer, explained the problem, he refunded my money, and while I was there I puchased a 100-foot roll of heavy-guage instrument wire, some solder type 1/4-inch plugs and then went to Radio Shack and picked up a pack of shrink wrap. That was four years ago, and the cables I made from those components are all still working just fine.

I guess it all comes down to the old saying "If you want something done right--do it yourself!"

Nuff said,

Gary

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Travlin' Easy

Well, Gary, YMMV.......

I must confess to taking VERY good care of my cables, I never let people walk over them, coil them carefully and snake as many together as I need so they don't get scattered all over the place. But I DO play in a marine environment (beachfront poolside) for 7 months of the year, and so far, no problems.

Just the lifetime warranty is what Esh needs to look for. As long as you can take a bad one back for free, 'no harm, no foul'. You are right, making them yourself if you have the time and skill is the best option, but if not, just get a guarantee!