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Making midi cables

Discussion in 'Recording Gear and Equipment [BG]' started by FF Petro, Jul 6, 2008.

  1. Jul 6, 2008 #1
    FF Petro

    FF Petro

    Feb 16, 2004
    ATL
    I'm sure some of you have noticed from my previous post that I am starting to dabble in midi. My newest concern is about the cables.

    I've been to several shops north of Atlanta and the midi cable selection is extremely expensive for ridiculously short cables.

    Do any of you make your own midi cables?
    Does it make sense financially to make them?
    How long of a run can you make on a midi cable? (I know, it's digital so there will not be any loss of gain but I'm sure there is some signal loss)

    I've been making XLR's, 1/4", and various other cables for years, so if it's possible I do have the soldering skills.

    Thanks,
    Petro
     
  2. Jul 6, 2008 #2
    bassbrad

    bassbrad

    Aug 17, 2000
    Leander, TX (outside Austin)
    If you really feel the need to make your own you can but finding diy midi ends and the 7-9 conductor cable is gonna be a chore and likely pretty expensive as you will need to purchase a spool. I use the basic HOSA midi cables and have a couple of 50' runs & 6x25' runs with no problems. Midi does not carry audio only digital commands so there should not be any issue with capacitance or insertion loss.
     
  3. Jul 6, 2008 #3
    IanStephenson

    IanStephenson UnRegistered User

    Apr 8, 2006
    I've made midi cables years ago - just regular 5 pin din plugs wired straight through. You only need the middle three pins to be hooked as the end pins aren't used. I used whatever cabling I had around and it worked fine (20 feet should be no problem). It's pretty standard stuff, and you should be able to pick it up the parts cheap enough, but you can get premade cables on ebay for $5, so there's not much point. I wouldn't bother making one now days.

    Ian
     
  4. Jul 6, 2008 #4
    FF Petro

    FF Petro

    Feb 16, 2004
    ATL
    Just checked ebay and you're right. Thanks for the tip and saving me some time!