Here's my thoughts on the subject of wire types to use when building outboard gear...... I await the incoming missiles!
Not knowing your circumstances I don't know if you are building for a small home studio or a commercial studio; in the final analysis it probably won't matter.
Starting off by considering that there are two areas of complex cabling in a typical studio:
1. Mixing console internal wiring (including the patchbay), and,
2. The studio inter-equipment fixed wiring.
The sum total of wiring that signals will pass through in the journey from microphone-to-mastering can be anything from possibly 100 metres minimum (small studio set-up) to many kilometres (large multitrack commercial studio).
Console wiring, audio:
I am taking 3 of the UK's high-end console manufacturers for reference where I have direct experience of working on their products.
These types of wire are used in the line-level interconnects:
Shielded twisted twin (Canford FST and similar),
Ribbon cable: some twist & flat, some flat only,
Twisted pairs of wire-wrap wire (yes, you read it correct),
Shielded ribbon cable.
Twisted-pair 7/0.2,
One company that no longer makes consoles used Mogami for all internal and patchbay wiring.
Mic level interconnects are typically Canford FST or similar.
Console wiring, power:
Exact wire size depends on the current required at the end of the wire, but the 3 top-end console manufacturers use nothing more exciting than "equipment wire"....... 7/0.2, 16/0.2, 24/0.2 and so on, as supplied by RS, Farnell, CPC, etc. Use "Tri-rated" if you want an easy ride through international safety standards..... irrelevant if you are only doing home-build.
Studio wiring:
In a broadcast environment, the cables are best described as shielded telephone cable!
Music studios tend to gravitate towards Van Damme, Kelsey, Gepco, Sommer and similar multicore cables for bulk signal carrying.
Wiring your own self-build equipment:
With the above as a reference of what the "big-boys" use, you would not go wrong in using equipment wire for virtually everything in the build-up of outboard equipment. A quick and cost-effective way of getting some nice to use shielded-pair cable for internal wiring of outboard gear is to buy a couple of metres of multicore (Van Damme, Gepco, Kelsey, Sommer, etc) cable and strip it for the individually shielded and jacketed pairs.
Nothing special went into the original 33609 units..... it's a good point to remember when you need to sober-up on a wiring decision!
When a lot of this kit was first manufactured, "equipment wire" and "shielded twin" was all that was available.
If the suggestion of "Use silver plated cable" is made, ask yourself this: How much of the rest of the set-up is wired in silver-plated wire? Will a couple of metres really make a huge difference? How many studios and consoles are fully wired in silver cable?*
Hope this helps.
Gareth.
* yes, such studios and consoles do exist.
