Can you use dmx cable for a microphone

My Studio. Try and see if it sounds bad Actually, I did try them and they sounded fine. My only concern is that I tried them on solo guitar, hence only one track. So I was wondering if any sound degradation could be difficult to hear on just one track, but could accumulate over a multitrack project. So I was hoping someone could provide advice either based on their own experiences or based on their knowledge of the technical differences between DMX and mic cables.

The difference in DMX cables to "normal" audio cables is the impedance of the cable. It is not defined with audio cables but specified to ohm with DMX. The cable impedance is adjusted during cable manufacturing by using different insulating materials around the copper wires and also different distances between the wires and insulation material.

The cable impedance is not relevant with audio bandwith signals. MarkusSampler is correct about the impedance of the cables, but that is not the only difference. I agree with his assessment except for the last line. The wires in a DMX cable have extra shielding and are a twisted pair to prevent interference from other sources. Great for audio, so go ahead and use the DMX cables for the audio.

If for some reason it doesn't sound right, switch them out. No harm done. If you use the XLR cables for DMX, they will not have the extra shielding or the twisted pair, so you're taking your chances.

You won't damage anything, but if you get through a whole show without getting weird reactions from your lights or other DMX devices, consider yourself lucky. Top Mentioned Manufacturers. Skip to the next paragraph to get the information that you need to know! DMX cable is designed and built for signal at a much higher bandwidth amount of data and frequency above our hearing range. There are tons of data packets traveling down that cable on a constant basis — this is very different from analog audio signal.

If you use microphone cable, you can and probably will eventually have problems with signal loss, dropped signal or interference. Got it? So, to simplify that even more , microphone cables do work for DMX lighting, but they are not guaranteed to work perfectly, and problems will probably arise when you least expect or need it to happen, like 5 minutes before doors open for your big production! This is digital audio cable, with a ohm resistance, as opposed to around 50 ohms for analog cable — this is just fine for DMX.

But, just like using mic cables, you stand the chance of having issues, so do this at your own risk! Again, check the link above to make sure you install it correctly!

Microplex, on the other hand, is analog and designed to work with any old microphone cable, so go ahead and use them. If you do own Microplex components alongside your DMX gear, you need to be very careful in your wiring. Microplex dimmers send back voltage down the XLR cable to power the console. Do you have a Microplex System?

Posts: Gender: Turning soundwaves into zeros and ones since I'm going to be heading into a taping situation which could use some long cabling. I don't want to invest in a pair though, as I don't really have any long-term use for long cables. Google searches have come back with mixed results so I'm turning to the experts at TS-- would I notice any ill-effects from using 50' DMX cables for running my mic's? True DMX cables are ohm and will work just fine for mic signal. Reaquanted myself with the DMX wiring spec.