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When discussing a professional sound reinforcement system, people usually think of loudspeakers, microphones, and mixing consoles. Cables tend to be a less visible part of an audio system project, even though a properly designed cable infrastructure is essential for reliable signal transmission and for the entire system to perform as intended.
Problems may only become apparent during commissioning or even after a venue has already opened. If the cable has already been installed inside walls, under the stage, above the ceiling, or in hard-to-access cable routes, replacing it means not only purchasing new material but also repeating installation work, incurring additional costs, and potentially delaying the project.
We spoke with Danila Khavtorin, Brand Manager for L-Acoustics and DiGiCo at Sound Creations, about how to avoid these situations. Danila has more than 17 years of experience working on concerts and tours, corporate events, and international projects, and has repeatedly encountered situations where mistakes in cable system design resulted in additional costs and delays during commissioning.
According to Danila, cable selection should start not with a specific model — and certainly not with price — but with an analysis of the entire future cable line.
— You need to understand where the cable will be used, which loudspeakers, microphones, mixing consoles, and other equipment will be connected, what cable length is required, and whether the system may need to be expanded in the future.
The first question is the purpose of the cable line. Cable requirements depend on what exactly needs to be transmitted: analog or digital audio, loudspeaker-level signals, video, data, or control signals.
This is why simply identifying the connection points is not enough. At the design stage, it is necessary to understand exactly what type of signal will travel through each line and what characteristics are required.
One common mistake is using a cable that can physically connect two devices but does not meet the technical requirements of that particular line.
Cable length directly affects cable selection.
When calculating the required length, it is important to consider not only the distance between connection points but also how a particular type of signal behaves over that distance.
This is why a cable suitable for a short connection between two devices in the same rack cannot automatically be used for a cable run several dozen meters long. For longer distances, signal loss, maximum transmission distance, and the requirements of the specific signal type must be evaluated separately.
Fixed installations and mobile concert systems may require different solutions.
In a theatre, conference room, or studio, a cable is often installed once and then remains in the same place for years. In concert rental applications, cables are repeatedly coiled, transported, laid out at venues, connected, and disconnected. In the latter case, flexibility, mechanical strength, and the ability to withstand repeated handling are especially important.
— If you choose the wrong type of cable or fail to consider its operating conditions, the problem may only become apparent after the system has been commissioned. At that point, replacing the cable becomes significantly more complicated and expensive than selecting the right solution from the beginning, Danila explains.
A cable cannot be considered separately from the connectors and equipment it connects. Before purchasing the cable, it is necessary to determine the signal type, the connectors required at both ends of the line, the connection points, and the installation method. This helps prevent situations where the cable itself meets the required specifications but the completed line has to be rebuilt because of incompatible connectors or incorrectly planned connections.
Labelling is also important. Cables and connectors should be marked so that a technical specialist can quickly identify where a line originates, where it goes, and which equipment it belongs to.
Typical examples include XLR connectors for analog audio and AES/EBU; 5-pin XLR for DMX; speakON for connections to passive loudspeakers; BNC for SDI and other coaxial video lines; RJ45 or etherCON for network connections; and optical connectors for fiber-optic lines.
However, using the same connector does not mean that cables are interchangeable. For example, XLR connectors may be used for both analog audio and digital AES/EBU signals, while the requirements for the cable itself are different.
Another important consideration is allowing room for future expansion.
After a venue has opened, additional zones, loudspeakers, microphones, displays, or other equipment may be added. If all cable routes are already full and there are no spare lines available, even a relatively small system expansion may require additional construction and installation work.
For this reason, the design stage should include spare lines, available capacity in cable routes, and additional connection points in areas where the room configuration may change.
This approach was used at the L-Acoustics demonstration facility in Highgate, London. The infrastructure was designed from the outset to support different scenarios, including listening sessions, film screenings, performances, events, and immersive installations.
A network of connection points linked to a central rack was created across two rooms, while the design also allowed for equipment that did not yet exist at the time of construction. As a result, new use cases can be added without rebuilding the entire cable infrastructure.
Danila recommends avoiding cable selection based solely on price.
— When preparing a project budget, it is very important to include cable costs from the beginning, because the cable system is an essential part of the overall audio solution. Saving money on cable infrastructure during procurement can lead to significantly higher costs for rework and repeated installation later.
— At the final stage of a project, timelines are usually already tight and the budget has been allocated. If it turns out at that point that a cable needs to be replaced, doing so quickly can be expensive and sometimes even impossible. As a result, part of the technical infrastructure may remain unusable and the project launch may have to be postponed, Danila notes.
One example is the modernization of Abbey Road Studios in London.
Van Damme Blue Series Studio Grade Multicore was used for analog audio lines, Green Series Digi Grade Multicore for AES/EBU digital audio, and HD Vision Flexible Coax for digital HD video.
The 2,300 meters specified for this project refers to the total length of Blue Series cable used for analog audio lines, rather than the length of a single cable run.
A project of this scale demonstrates why, at large facilities, the purpose of every line must be defined in advance and the cable infrastructure must be designed as an integral part of the entire system.
Van Damme manufactures cables for audio, video, and control signal transmission. However, the specific solution for each project should be selected primarily according to the signal type, cable length, connected equipment, and operating conditions.
For a detailed overview of cable types and applications, see the previous Sound Creations article, “How to Choose the Right Cable Solution for Your Project”.
— A well-designed cable system is an investment in project reliability. A technical specialist who works with the cable infrastructure every day should not have to constantly think about the condition of cables and connections. They should be confident that the equipment will operate just as reliably during initial commissioning as it will several years later, Danila Khavtorin concludes.
Saving money therefore begins not with finding the cheapest cable, but with designing the cable system correctly.
By defining the signal type, cable lengths, operating conditions, connection points, and future expansion requirements in advance, it is possible to avoid repurchasing cable, additional installation work, and delays in commissioning.
Van Damme cable products are available from the Sound Creations warehouse in Tashkent, and Danila Khavtorin can help you select the right cable type and length for your project:
kda@sc-electronics.com | +971 54 997 3227
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