04/07/2026
STOP CALLING EVERYTHING “XLR CABLE”
Minsan harmless lang ito.
Pero sa real production, this can cause confusion, wrong patching, damaged gear, or worse — safety issues.
Kasi XLR is only the connector.
Hindi siya automatic na “mic cable.”
🎤 MIC CABLE
Usually 3-pin XLR.
Used for balanced analog audio.
Typical use:
Mic > mixer
DI box > stagebox
Line output > console input
Usually shielded twisted pair ang loob.
Important dito ang shielding, flexibility, durability, at low noise.
For analog audio, hindi usually sobrang critical ang exact impedance like digital cables, pero important pa rin na proper audio cable siya.
Hindi porket 3-pin XLR, mic cable na agad.
💡 DMX CABLE
Yes, many DMX cables also use 3-pin or 5-pin XLR.
Pero DMX is data, not audio.
DMX512 is based on RS-485 style data transmission, so dapat cable siya na around 120 ohms impedance.
Mic cables can sometimes work for DMX.
Pero yan ang delikado.
Gagana sa rehearsal, tapos sa actual event biglang may flicker, random movement, delayed response, or nawawalang control.
Hindi ibig sabihin gumana once, tama na siya.
DMX cable should be treated as data cable, not mic cable.
🎧 AES/EBU CABLE
Ito pa isa.
AES3 digital audio can also use XLR connectors.
Pero digital audio siya, not analog mic signal.
Typical AES/EBU cable is 110 ohms.
Pwede minsan gumana ang regular mic cable sa short runs, pero kapag humaba na or critical ang setup, doon lumalabas ang problema.
Clicks, dropouts, unlocks, or random digital noise.
Again, same XLR connector.
Different cable requirement.
🔋 XLR POWER CABLE
This is where it can get dangerous.
May mga devices na gumagamit ng 4-pin XLR for DC power.
Common ito sa camera, monitor, broadcast, and some production gear.
Example:
4-pin XLR power for 12V or 24V DC devices.
Pero hindi ibig sabihin universal ang pinout.
Some devices use different voltage.
Some use different polarity.
Some use different wiring.
Same connector, wrong cable = possible damage.
Hindi ito “try natin kung kasya.”
Kapag power cable, verify muna.
Voltage.
Polarity.
Pinout.
Current requirement.
⚠️ SAME CONNECTOR DOES NOT MEAN SAME CABLE
Parang BNC din yan.
BNC connector can be used for:
📺 SDI video
📡 RF / antenna
⏱️ word clock
🎥 genlock
🎞️ analog video
🎧 timecode in some systems
Pero hindi lahat ng BNC cable pareho.
SDI usually needs proper 75-ohm video coax.
Word clock and genlock also usually use 75-ohm coax.
RF can be 50 ohms or 75 ohms depending on the system.
So kung sinabi lang na “BNC cable,” kulang ang information.
Anong BNC?
SDI ba?
RF ba?
Word clock ba?
Genlock ba?
Timecode ba?
Same connector.
Different signal.
Different cable behavior.
PERO TANDAAN…
Sa casual setup, minsan nakakalusot.
Mic cable used as DMX.
Random BNC used for SDI.
Short cable used for AES.
Generic XLR used for power.
Pero sa professional production, hindi dapat “nakakalusot” ang standard.
Dapat malinaw.
Instead of saying:
“Kuha ka ng XLR cable.”
Say:
“Kuha ka ng mic cable.”
“Kuha ka ng DMX cable.”
“Kuha ka ng AES/EBU cable.”
“Kuha ka ng 4-pin XLR power cable.”
“Kuha ka ng SDI BNC.”
“Kuha ka ng word clock BNC.”
“Kuha ka ng RF coax.”
Mas specific.
Mas professional.
Mas safe.
Hindi ito pagiging maarte.
This is how you avoid wrong patching, signal problems, damaged equipment, show delays, and safety risks.
In production, cable naming matters.
XLR is the connector.
BNC is the connector.
The signal and cable type are what matter.
Kayo, naka-experience na ba kayo ng “same connector pero wrong cable pala” problem?
