Most MXL USB microphones come with an included 6 foot cable. If you need to extend the distance between your microphone and the computer, you have some options.
Important: There are physical limitations to USB cables. The signal will start to degrade after a certain length, depending which version of USB you're using. The cable will usually be marked to denote the USB version, either on the connector or on the cable itself. Refer to the graph below:
USB Type | Connector | Data Transfer Rate | Maximum Cable Length |
USB 1.0 | White
| 12 Mbit/ps | 9 ft. |
USB 2.0 | Black | 480 Mbit/ps | 16 ft. |
| USB 3.2 Gen 1 (formerly 3.0) | Blue | 5 Gb/ps | 6-9 ft. |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2 (formerly 3.1 Gen 2) | Teal | 10 Gbps | 9 ft. |
USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 | USB-C | 20 Gbps | 9 ft. |
| USB 4 | USB-C | 40 Gbps | 3 ft. |
In order for the signal to travel further distances, you'll need active repeater USB cables. These powered cables boost and repeat the signal over a longer distance to get from point A to point B. For USB 2.0 connections, the maximum length of an active USB cable is 98 feet. For USB 3.2 Gen1/Gen 2 connections, the maximum length of an active USB cable is 59 feet.
Active repeater USB cables can be daisy chained, as long as each cable has it's own power supply.
To go even further, you can convert USB to Cat5 cable, which can easily run 328 feet. This can be accomplished by using extenders such at these. Remember to pay attention to the USB version of your cable so you can get the maximum data transfer rate.
Here is a chart that shows the different types of USB connectors for good measure.
