Wait - speaker cable for hooking up your Tyros? That would be a no-no. I can't tell from the link you gave but speaker cables are usually NOT SHIELDED, and for any instrument signal cable you'll definitely wanted shielded cables or you'll wind up with RF noise/buzz. You probably knew that but I saw red flag with the words "speaker snake".

Jim (the Pro):

Thanks for bringing up an excellent point. I too can't tell if the speaker snake #SPK2-20' is shielded or not as it doesn't say anything about this in the product description. Does anyone else here know for sure?

I did inform the Gigcables.com sales guy though, that I intended to use the #SPK2-20' cable to go out from my Tyros keyboard (audio L/R outs) to my PA speaker (audio L/R ins) and he seemed to think the #SPK2-20' speaker snake (2 channel) was the appropriate one to use.The product description reads:

"Using superior quality multi-conductor speaker cable, 13 gauge conductors of bare copper jacketed in configurations of 4, 6 & 8 conductor all in one jacket. The shrink on each channel is color coded for ease of set-up." In addition, the diameter of the snake cable is approx 1/2" thick.

I'll be sure now to make sure (as you recommend) that the cable is fully shielded before ordering it. Thanks for the advice.

Scott

Scott, here are some cables I think would work real well for your KP 100S. It was stated by an earlier post that what you could do is get 2 of the cables of course, then use some type of tape, eg., "Electrical Tape", etc., and tape the two cables together with tape every 12" or so. If you get the 4 meter cables (13.12 feet) they would be more than adequate since your Amp will be placed in close proximity to your Keyboard and taping the cables would be a cinch because of the relatively short length. If you feel creative you could wrap the whole cable lengths "except for the 12" or so on each end" with special tape and do it all for under $5 bucks most likely. Here is the link to the Monster Cables I am talking about: http://www.monstercable.com/pro_audio/productPagePro.asp?pin=103

Best regards,
Mike

Hey Scott,

given that the tape around the cable trick is so effortless and gets the same results, perhaps you should go with whoever makes the best cable.

Beakybird

Only in the spirit of trying to help: this is all sounding like more trouble than it is worth. I swore off all tape long ago - it'll make a mess inevitably. If you really feel that you have to wrap some cables together then some spiral plastic cable wrap would do what you need (again, Radio Shack has it) but it would stiffen the cable and I don't think it'd result in any significant savings in time or space or neatness. Velcro straps are the best thing I've found yet and I only use them for attaching the cords to my stand.

Sometimes I will spend days working on some little nuance to my rig that may or may not save me half a minute in setup only to ditch the idea because it was over-engineering. Keep it simple.

I must agree with Pro. Hosa cables work just fine.
DonM

Hey Don, I hope the weather down there in Louisiana hasn't affected your judgement. I have kin in Houston and the Dallas area and sure as shootin' this time of year it starts to get awful hot and muggy. I've been down there many times in April, May, June, etc., and all a guy needs to do to take a sauna bath is to walk outside I've heard Louisiana is the same way. The thing I wish we had more of here in California is those famous Louisiana Cradads. There are a few Cajun restaurants in the area but not near as many as there should be Nothin' like a plate of broiled Cajun Crawfish with some fresh corn on the cob, some mushrooms, onions, red potatoes, and lots of those Cajun spices!

Now on to business Don, I have to disagree with you about cables. I have a set of Hosa's and I notice a BIG difference in sound quality compared to the Monster Studio Link cables. (And I don't mean in a good way). Particularly if you sing like Scott and I do using the Mic In of the Keyboard and especially when using the Vocal Harmony, I noticed quite a bit of distortion at higher volume with the Hosa cables. And I am talking about the 1/4" outputs not the Mic In cable. The Mic In cable is another story. When I ran the Hosa's to my Mixer and external speakers the distortion was clearly heard in the mix. Doing the same thing with the Studio Link cables eliminated the distortion altogether. Another important sound link is the Mic In cable of course. There again I would advise everybody to get the best cables you can afford. It will be well worth it and in the process your sound will go from possibly okay or good to better or excellent. Unless of course somebody's voice sounds like Don Knotts And it's not only the vocals that are affected. It is also the Sounds on the Keyboard. The quality of the sounds will be vastly improved imo and in my experience. PS: I don't think Jim was endorsing Hosa cables from reading his post.

Best regards,
Mike

hi Don: In ADDITION to what Mike stated, I've also experienced, on several occasions, different Hosa cables flake out unexpectantly, and at the most inappropriate times (on a job). Hosas are economically priced, but I don't think they're built to handle a lot of plug in/out use. My experience is that the cable often easily shorts out intermittently, when the cable is touched or repositioned. For situations where the cable remains plugged in all the time, the Hosa may be a economical option, but for situations where frequent plug in/out and best audio quality is required, it's imho, too unreliable to trust. - Scott

Doesn't anyone use Belden brand shielded mic. & instrument cables anymore ?
I always thought Belden was one of the better brand of cable Company's.
They are one of the more expensive brands around here in MN. anyway, but not
as spendy as Monster Cable, & I'm sure not as good.
But I never hear any mention of Belden brand cables.
Just curious.
Denny

Denny,
Most of my cables were custom made by Brown Music in New Ulm using Belden bulk cable.

RJM