Microphone cable, also called mike cable, is a flexible, generally shielded cable used to connect a microphone to a mixer, amplifier, or other input.
Microphone cable is a flexible cable, almost always shielded, designed to carry the low-level signal from a microphone to a mixer, amplifier, or other input. Because microphone signals are weak, the shielding is essential to reject the electromagnetic and electrostatic interference that would otherwise introduce noise. Flexibility allows the cable to move with the microphone and route easily on stage or in the field.
Many microphone cables also use low noise construction to suppress the handling noise generated when the cable flexes and moves during use. Balanced wiring, with two conductors inside the shield, further improves noise rejection over longer runs, which is why professional microphone connections rely on well-constructed cable to preserve clean audio.
In commercial and professional audio, the quality of microphone cable has an outsized effect on the final sound, since any noise picked up at this low-level stage is amplified along with the signal. Clean, well-shielded connections from the microphone onward are fundamental to clear, intelligible audio in presentations, broadcast, and live production.
Because any noise captured at this stage is amplified along with the audio, the quality of the microphone cable has an effect on the finished sound far out of proportion to its modest size and simple appearance.
At Windy City Wire, the focus on shielded, low-noise audio cable supports the microphone connections that commercial sound systems depend on. Supplying flexible, well-shielded cable helps maintain clean audio from the microphone through to amplification across presentation and production environments.
Also called mike cable