Column 3

　In this and subsequent columns, we delve into the structure of cables used in musical instruments, about which surprisingly little is known. We will also touch upon the required functionality for individual component parts and elaborate on the level of dedication to excellence and detail that Providence incorporates in its products. Cables can be roughly divided into two main component parts, namely wires and plugs. Most manufacturers produce their products by combining ready-made parts. Also, it is interesting to note that the number of manufacturers who develop their own original parts in the manner of Providence is surprisingly few. Merely viewing things from this aspect alone should help you understand Providence's dedication to excellence in cable production.
5：Cable components

　When users compare cables, most users are apt to look at the specifications for sound qualities in numerical terms. In many cases, cables used for different purposes such as recording, PA and audio equipment are required to offer specifications to satisfy a wide range of frequency characteristics with the goal of being true to the sound characteristics of its original source. However, a “feel good” guitar sound differs subtlety from what is considered to be good sound characteristics in audio terms. A cable that is designed to specifications, incorporating proven materials and an audio field structure does not always convey or produce an attractive guitar sound. At Providence, thorough listening tests are repeatedly conducted from the standpoint of musicians to determine the respective materials and structures while being monitored by professional guitarists. Readers of these columns should perhaps keep this point in mind. It is also highly important to Providence to determine sound based on achieving a total balance through combining component parts to produce cables and not by emphasizing individual parts. All the component parts used at Providence are originally developed and produced by Providence itself, allowing us to offer the added advantage of enabling the characteristics of each component part to be adjusted flexibly.
　First, let's look at the different parts of cables in detail. When viewed from the center outwards, a cable is roughly divided into three layers, namely a conductor, the shield and the jacket. In the case of power cables or speaker cables, two conductive wires running in parallel, handle plus and minus signals, respectively. Musical instrument cables, however, usually consist of a single core (conductor) surrounded by a copper wire mesh. The signals processed by instrument cables are extremely low level compared to those processed by power cables or speaker cables. In the case of instrument cables electromagnetic waves penetrating the cable are mixed in and amplified along with the sound of the instrument which is annoying to the ear. Thus, a shield structure was developed and incorporated into instrument cables to help eliminate such noise. The shield, which surrounds the core, also functions as a minus or ground conductor. When the shield catches electromagnetic waves, it simultaneously diverts them to ground so as to prevent them from mixing in with the signals from the instrument through the core, and thereby function as a noise protector.
 ●Structure diagram of cables


6：Conductors

　Next, let's look at component parts of cables one-by-one. The conductor, positioned in the center of a cable, is the "core" of the cable as the name implies. It is called either the "conductor" or "conductive wire" in Japanese and functions as the heart of the cable in conveying instrument signals. In most cases, copper is used as the conductor in instrument cables. Next to silver, copper has a low specific resistance at ambient temperatures and is cheaper than silver. Copper is also flexible and ideal for use as a cable material. Copper with a high purity is an ideal conductor for transmitting electric signals. OFC (Oxygen Free Copper), which has a high purity due to removal of oxides, is widely used for audio and instrument cables. OFC is further classified depending its purity rating or on the manufacturing process used. As people interested in cables already know, a slight difference in copper purity has a great influence on the sound characteristics of a cable. At Providence, OFC is used for all of our guitar cables, ranging from entry level model cables to the highest grade models. We select the conductor type and use a stranded wire structure to match the particular model and provide a lineup of cables with characteristics targeting the instrument being used. However, in order to achieve a natural sound concept worthy of the Providence Cables that is common to all Providence products, materials having proven sound characteristics are used as conductors. "Natural sound" as used here refers to sound that offers a moderately expansive mid-range which is the most suitable for a guitar, while cutting out unnecessary ultra-high and low range sounds that interfere with the guitar sound. The Providence cable sound is realized through focusing on basic sound characteristics while making slight adjustments to change the sound characteristics for each model, and by combining elements other than conductors to achieve a total sound balance.
　Also, in the audio field, there are cables which use copper materials which achieve a high purity level of 99.9999...％. In fact, however, such copper materials tend to oxidize during the cable manufacturing process and the original purity is likely to become lost when the cable becomes a finished product. Also, cables using super-high purity copper tend to deteriorate faster due to aging and there is a higher probability that the sound conveyed by such cables will change as time passes. These points should not be ignored. However, the conductor material used in Providence cables is a standard OFC, which was selected by taking durability factors into account so as to maintain a high sound quality for many years.
　Incidentally, single-core cables having only a single thick copper wire are also used as the core. There are products which aim at solving the demerits of stranded wires made of bundled, thin copper wires, such as low-range distortion caused by phase relaxation. However, at Providence, in order to avoid the risk of critical problems and flexibility-related problems, we employ proven cable structures. The stranded wires adopted by Providence are made to high specifications with emphasis on high reliability backed by our traditional expertise. In the case of stranded copper wires alone, the sound characteristics conveyed by the cable can be altered by changing the number of copper wires and the diameter of the wires used in a cable. Throughout our years of development experience and up to the present, Providence has created a huge number of prototypes. Together with this background, and based on our extensive experience, we have grasped the trends of sound deviation so as to always adopt the best structure for our cables.
7：Insulators

　Next, let's examine the insulator which wraps around the conductor. An insulator is formed of an insulating material which plays the role of preventing the transmission of signals between the insulator through which plus signals pass and the minus shield. Although referred to as an "insulator", it does not mean that electric signals do not flow through it at all. A small amount of the electrical signals passing through the conductor also flow to ground and, depending on the frequency point where loss occurs, differences in sound characteristics from the insulating material being used will become apparent. Furthermore, a phenomenon called "capacitance" occurs between the conductor and the shield. Capacitance will differ and have an influence on sound quality depending on the type of insulator material used and its thickness. (For an explanation of "Capacitance", refer to "Thorough Analysis of Vitalizer Article No. 1".)
　As insulators for audio cables, Teflon materials having good capacitance are also used. However, Teflon is hard and lacks the flexibility required for guitar cables, and thus runs counter to the concept of offering "easy carry-around" portability for all of our cables. At Providence, we mainly use polyethylene materials which provide an excellent balance of sound characteristics and flexibility as insulators, but we also use materials that are generally termed to be suitable in offering "natural sound characters." The S102 was developed focusing on use for recording purposes, while NAP elastomer is used for its insulator. Although the NAP elastomer we are speaking of offers slightly less elasticity than polyethylene materials, it's a material that allows top priority to be placed on producing good sound quality. It also offers excellent characteristics in high ranges compared to general cable materials. The S102 offers a wider range than other cables, but generates a clear and fine sound without fading in the low range and without loss in the midrange, which is important in a guitar sound. For the unique P203, which was developed exclusively for use with patch cables, a double-layer structure is employed whereby NAP elastomer is covered with a special polyethylene material. The P203 was developed based on original specifications aimed at achieving a good blend of elasticity, the most important factor for patch cables, and sound characteristics at a high level. In the next column, we will examine shields and jackets, as well as the unique production control methods practiced at Providence.