Band mates won't wrap cables properly

[Honkey tonk]

https://www.amazon.com/3M-12174-Sco...t=&hvlocphy=9014226&hvtargid=pla-434424462453
a piece of # tape on bolth ends, it's a good thing
What's more frustrating trying to figure out what's what or poorly wrapped cables

 

[Guild B301]

Man, this is 2020. You need to invest in some smaller, lighter gear! If you're still using road cases and rack gear you ain't doin' it right!

That all depends on the size of the places you play, the length of your tours and the number of crew you have working for you, doesn’t it?

 

[Guild B301]

https://www.amazon.com/3M-12174-Sco...t=&hvlocphy=9014226&hvtargid=pla-434424462453
a piece of # tape on bolth ends, it's a good thing

Labels like those are invaluable for electronic drums.

 

[HolmeBass]

Does anyone run across folding? A number of old salts I know prefer folding end-to-end, then continued folding in half until you have 1 to 2 feet of length, then you tie the whole thing in one lose knot.

 

[Guild B301]

Does anyone run across folding? A number of old salts I know prefer folding end-to-end, then continued folding in half until you have 1 to 2 feet of length, then you tie the whole thing in one lose knot.

I seldom see that anymore. That would still cause the copper to break if you do it often.

 

[HolmeBass]

I seldom see that anymore. That would still cause the copper to break if you do it often.

Don’t know about that, they are pretty loose folds and a loose tie. Seems to work pretty well. They don’t pack as flat as coiled cables.

 

[HolmeBass]

I mean they do that, I coil my cables over/under, lol.

 

[Jared Houseman]

Seems this one resonated with a lot of people. I'm glad I could provide a place for all are cables rants. This probably has something to do with that other thread that found bassist are usually the techie ones in a group.

 

[lfmn16]

Perfectly consistent story - no wonder at all why the first DI box he tried on you didn't work. Any decent sound company has a procedure whereby such things are isolated/marked in the field so they don't get put back on the shelf, and fixed promptly when they get back to the shop. I have no issue with a sound company having a failure, but if I saw what you described, I'd definitely hire a different sound company next time.

Unfortunately the festival hired him. But I agree, I’d never hire him or recommend him.

 

[Slade N]

I just throw them out and buy new ones.

what, band members?

 

[darwin-bass]

I haven't read it all so apologies ...

The problem is more than just cable life. It is setup / deployment speed. Properly wrapped cables are much LESS likely to turn into a rat's nest when you need to run them from the mic/DI to the stage box.

Wrap them like a gorilla and sure it may be fast, but you'll waste lots of time untangling a mess.

At church I'm the only one who wraps over/under. Two other sound techs don't. One knows how but won't. The other has no idea. He wraps them between his thumb and elbow.

 

[StatesideRambler]

I’ve driven bandmates to distraction when I not only coil cables over-under but I also tuck my cables into 1-gallon baggies marked with my name. They fail to understand or even notice that my setup goes faster than theirs.

 

[ArtechnikA]

A couple of hours?
How many cables are we talking about?

There's a big tangled rat's nest of cables...
So let me think back to the last show I did sound...
4 channels of drums
3 miked guitar amps and bass DI
2 DI channels for keys.
4 vocal mikes
2 main outs to the center sub
1 from the sub to each side tower.
4 wedge monitors

So that's 21. most are 25'. a few 20's (unless I'm using the snake, and then they're probably all 20's...).

The sub, the towers, and each wedge also has a power cable.

I _could_ do it faster, but like I said, it's mindless therapeutic manual work I can do on the morning after while drinking coffee...
I have the satisfaction that it's done right, I've wiped spilled beer (or whatever...) off the cables, checked them for damage...
And it gets me out of the venue faster after the show.
I accept the tradeoff.

 

[two fingers]

That all depends on the size of the places you play, the length of your tours and the number of crew you have working for you, doesn’t it?

Well, yes. I did assume weekend bar bands. But if you're "on tour" and the musicians have to spend two hours packing up, you're STILL not doing it right. Jist because you play a different town every night, I'm not sure I would call it "on tour" if you're having to load in/out your own gear. You just happen to be playing a different town every night.

 

[TNCreature]

There's a big tangled rat's nest of cables...
So let me think back to the last show I did sound...
4 channels of drums
3 miked guitar amps and bass DI
2 DI channels for keys.
4 vocal mikes
2 main outs to the center sub
1 from the sub to each side tower.
4 wedge monitors

So that's 21. most are 25'. a few 20's (unless I'm using the snake, and then they're probably all 20's...).

The sub, the towers, and each wedge also has a power cable.

I _could_ do it faster, but like I said, it's mindless therapeutic manual work I can do on the morning after while drinking coffee...
I have the satisfaction that it's done right, I've wiped spilled beer (or whatever...) off the cables, checked them for damage...
And it gets me out of the venue faster after the show.
I accept the tradeoff.

You are the ultimate Cable Caretaker!

 

[Guild B301]

Well, yes. I did assume weekend bar bands. But if you're "on tour" and the musicians have to spend two hours packing up, you're STILL not doing it right. Jist because you play a different town every night, I'm not sure I would call it "on tour" if you're having to load in/out your own gear. You just happen to be playing a different town every night.

Exactly- cause that’s not what the OP said.
(“Not sure where you got that, 'cause I never said it ...)” from his answer to you.
He said he liked to go back later, after someone else loaded his stuff, and then straighten out the cables himself for a couple of hours ...because it was kind of therapeutic. That’s a not my kind of fun, but I guess it keeps him out of trouble.

 

[two fingers]

Exactly- cause that’s not what the OP said.
(“Not sure where you got that, 'cause I never said it ...)” from his answer to you.
He said he liked to go back later, after someone else loaded his stuff, and then straighten out the cables himself for a couple of hours ...because it was kind of therapeutic. That’s a not my kind of fun, but I guess it keeps him out of trouble.

There was another poster who stated that his load out took two hours. That began sort of a side conversation.

 

[Guild B301]

There was another poster who stated that his load out took two hours. That began sort of a side conversation.

Ok. Thanks. I personally don’t wanna load up my own cables ever - much less, for fun.

 

[5StringBlues]

In 11 years on TB I've never said it.




Fire the drummer.

 

[two fingers]

JBL

In 11 years on TB I've never said it.




Fire the drummer.

Welcome to the club! It's about dang time!

(You have to be in the club for a year before getting the code to the executive washroom. But I'll PM it to you later. Don't tell anybody.)