We have a 7 (nearly 8) -month old Labrador. I have a nice audio interface that I use to record while practising.
In between practices I would like to keep the cables I use with the interface as far away from said Labrador as possible. Given that I practice in a room that we use as an office, and allow the Labrador into (to tell us she needs to go outside, and to have a nap while we’re working), I’m trying to work out how best to achieve the separation.
Will I noticeably shorten an XLR cable’s life by unplugging it from the microphone and interface after each session and coiling it up to put it in a drawer? Am I just overthinking it?
Experts may have different opinions but for years I disconnecteed everything at the end of practice/recording each day and never came across any degradation. In my early vocal recording, I never knew where I was going to practice, depended on the song (especially with some collab invites). So I could be in the garage with AI and laptop or up in the “loft” 80sq mtr grenier ! Or in our/den/study/music room. Probably only in the last 3 years have I left some of the plumbing insitu. Mustang and Ultravox left connected to AI but mics have always been unplugged, as they are used less…well until last year but still unplugged.
With an 8 month lab, I’d be tempted to pack up, before the pooch drags your pride and joy outside next it needs to do something. Our 12 1/2 year GSD just sleeps, so quite safe but has been known to make an audio appearance on past recordings !
You are probably over thinking it ALTHOUGH not completely. Practically think about what any gigging player does lots and lots and lots of times…they pull cables out coil them, uncoil them, plug them in, unplug them, coil them up and so on. So in theory it wont cause a problem BUT there are cables and interfaces and there are cable and interfaces. So - Generally - speaking something that is at the cheaper end of the spectrum price wise is going to fail quicker than something that is more expensive/better made. I know that’s not always true (and I’ve had a few cheap cables that are really well made) but generally it is. So in particular you find the cheap cables start breaking the more you pull them in and out, they just aren’t particularly well put together. Could be the same for input for the interfaces. However it’ll probably take quite a while for that to happen so I wouldn’t worry.
