Firstly, sorry if I'm going slightly ot, but.... (this being mostly directed at Jim Henry's post) What to do for microphone wiring. the setup, mic jacks in one room running to my mixer in the other room. do i connect shield at both ends. I think yes, because the mic has no ground (unless you are holding and touching something grounded?). what about other balanced conections , say from mixer to powered monitors? disconnect the shield on one end?. how are off the shelf cables wired?( all three pins wired right). I am currently wiring up my studio and am trying hard to avoid hums and buzzes. what about mains wiring....all outlets in the studio are on the same circuit, does it matter which plug to plug the gear into? Thanks in advance!