Skinnyman Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Every gig we pack up all our cables. Neat and tidy, held together with Velcro straps. Next time we get them out, take off the Velcro and watch as they twist into knots that no amount of Boy Scouts could undo. Cue hours of untangling before we can run them across the stage. How does this happen? And has anyone found anything that will keep cables neat and tangle free? I'd put them onto cable reels but can't find anywhere that sells empty ones at a reasonable price.... Does this happen to everyone or is it somehow just me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLwwB29uQRg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I was just searching for a video that explained the same thing ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I always coil my cables as per the video. If you make all the windings the same way, you end up with more and more twist in the cable, which manifests itself in loops and kinks that encourage tangling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I've given up showing our guitarists how to coil cables properly. Their preferred method is to bundle them into a rough coil and then tie the coil in a knot before throwing them into a carrier bag. I could sort of understand such abuse if coiling properly was particularly difficult. Oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 We bought an empty hose reel for our XLR cables, we just snap them end to end and wind them on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger2611 Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I tie a loose knot in my cables after use, 9 times out of 10 the next time I dig them out they are fine, the 1 in 10 occasion when they are not I swear loudly and frequently about the fact that I clearly remember putting as many tangles as possible in the damn thing at the last gig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Coil it properly (as seen in vid) then I put two velcro ties opposite sides of the coil. Generally works- but doesn't help when other band members don't bother. (of course being the bass player I end up supplying all the PA kit!). We have two boxes for cables, one clearly marked Instrument & Mic leads, the other speaker & power leads. It would seem that most band members can't read either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinnyman Posted August 17, 2014 Author Share Posted August 17, 2014 [quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1408294162' post='2528721'] Coil it properly (as seen in vid) then I put two velcro ties opposite sides of the coil. Generally works- but doesn't help when other band members don't bother. (of course being the bass player I end up supplying all the PA kit!). We have two boxes for cables, one clearly marked Instrument & Mic leads, the other speaker & power leads. It would seem that most band members can't read either. [/quote] Is this a common thing? Bass players supplying the PA And doing the sound? I have exactly the same role in our band, the unspoken attitude being that I only play one note for very thousand that the guitarists play so I must have time on my hands to sort out their monitor mix, adjust the balance, make sure nothings peaking, etc, etc. oh, and change the lighting presets on cue as well. And I also get to spend a happy hour or so on a Sunday morning re-coiling all the leads that the singer just bundled into the (wrong) box.... And I thought it was just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinnyman Posted August 17, 2014 Author Share Posted August 17, 2014 [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1408289861' post='2528652'] We bought an empty hose reel for our XLR cables, we just snap them end to end and wind them on. [/quote] Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I'm going to get me one of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 [quote name='Skinnyman' timestamp='1408300021' post='2528803'] Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I'm going to get me one of them [/quote] Works well for us as we have 50+ XLR cables to contend with at bigger gigs. I cut an MDF 'circle' and slid it onto the centre spindle so we have long cables on one side and shorter ones on the other. The XLR connector on the end of 'the chain' is simply secured to the carrying handle with a velcro tie to make it easy to find later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 [quote name='Skinnyman' timestamp='1408299988' post='2528801'] Is this a common thing? Bass players supplying the PA And doing the sound? I have exactly the same role in our band, the unspoken attitude being that I only play one note for very thousand that the guitarists play so I must have time on my hands to sort out their monitor mix, adjust the balance, make sure nothings peaking, etc, etc. oh, and change the lighting presets on cue as well. And I also get to spend a happy hour or so on a Sunday morning re-coiling all the leads that the singer just bundled into the (wrong) box.... And I thought it was just me. [/quote] Me too! It always amuses me when the band ask for a monitor tweak mid-song, like I can just stop playing and sort it for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinnyman Posted August 17, 2014 Author Share Posted August 17, 2014 [quote name='cameltoe' timestamp='1408302129' post='2528833'] Me too! It always amuses me when the band ask for a monitor tweak mid-song, like I can just stop playing and sort it for them. [/quote] The tweak generally being 'can I have more me in my monitor?'. And usually just before the one bit in the song where I might actually be heard....which I invariably miss or screw up because I'm wondering how to make the relevant change (which is never 'more him' but always 'less everyone else'). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 [quote name='Skinnyman' timestamp='1408318619' post='2529021'] The tweak generally being 'can I have more me in my monitor?'. And usually just before the one bit in the song where I might actually be heard....which I invariably miss or screw up because I'm wondering how to make the relevant change (which is never 'more him' but always 'less everyone else'). [/quote] Exactly this!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
planer Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 That's a good vid. I was taught this by a PA hire company I worked for and it just works. They ran a training session just for cable handling. The ability to pull a cable out and chuck it across the stage is very handy sometimes, even if for me, this skill is now practised only in the garden with the strimmer cable! Long-term, it's good for the cable too, no kinks or knots, less intermittent issues with broken conductors, no yanking of kinked cables by inept band members, etc etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon. Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 The guitiarist in one of my old bands used to use the 'wrap it tightly round your elbow & tie a knot it in' technique on his cables - despite being shown multiple times the right way to do it. And yet, could never work out why he was having to buy new cables every 6 months, whilst I was happily using ones that were 10 and 15 years old... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinnyman Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 Our singers approach is to do the elbow wrap thing. But if a cable gets caught as he's winding it in, he just yanks till it comes free. Despite repeated advice to the contrary..... I have a nice collection of loose XLR and jack plugs waiting reattachment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 [quote name='Skinnyman' timestamp='1408299988' post='2528801'] Is this a common thing? Bass players supplying the PA And doing the sound? I have exactly the same role in our band, the unspoken attitude being that I only play one note for very thousand that the guitarists play so I must have time on my hands to sort out their monitor mix, adjust the balance, make sure nothings peaking, etc, etc. oh, and change the lighting presets on cue as well. [/quote] Me too. I then have to go round picking up the odd thing that didn't go back into the right place (Saturday night no-one had put the lights footswitch cable away in the lights case, or put the kick drum stand in the case with the mics). And when setting up with one of the bands, the guitarist keeps on whittering on at me when I'm trying to get the PA set up with advice that I can well do without (because I know moderately well what I'm doing and what all the gear does). I do the elbow wrap thing too, followed by a velcro tie. I really ought to do it better, but, let's face it, I bought all the bloody leads too. It's generally not too bad doing it that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 (edited) This looks like a quick technique (the second one in this video): [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEd7ru24Vx0"]http://www.youtube....d&v=pEd7ru24Vx0[/url] Edited August 18, 2014 by tauzero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BILL POSTERS Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 [quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1408361867' post='2529310'] I do the elbow wrap thing too, followed by a velcro tie. I really ought to do it better, but, let's face it, I bought all the bloody leads too. It's generally not too bad doing it that way. [/quote] Elbow wrap and then tie the lot in a loose overhand knot for me. My leads are mostly ancient, well gigged and all still fine btw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brensabre79 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 [quote name='Simon.' timestamp='1408352593' post='2529162'] The guitiarist in one of my old bands used to use the 'wrap it tightly round your elbow & tie a knot it in' technique on his cables - despite being shown multiple times the right way to do it. And yet, could never work out why he was having to buy new cables every 6 months, whilst I was happily using ones that were 10 and 15 years old... [/quote] +1 I now have a policy regarding the PA (Yep, me too) that nobody can touch one of my cables until they have learnt the above technique. The downside to this is that some of them have simply not learned a thing and as a result sit chatting while I set up / pack down the PA. The upside is I don't have to spend sunday morning untangling them all and most of my cables are still going strong after 20 years. The guitarist (who cannot even look at my stuff by the way) generally gets his tangled ball of cable at the end of the night and just throws it in his Asda bag, has to buy a new lead every couple of months. Keeps getting more and more expensive ones in the hope they will last longer. Mine are all homemade and considerably cheaper. Just looked after!! Ive started taking the ones he bins home, finding the fault and making patch leads out of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I think the truth is that is it doesn't matter too much how you coil a cable, [i]as long as you uncoil it by the reverse process[/i]. The problem occurs when you coil it say round an elbow, but uncoil it by just pulling it straight. The beauty of the methods in the vids are that it allows for the fact that you are going to pull it out straight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingBollock Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I have to confess that I have always coiled my cables with all the twists in the same direction. I was actually taught to do it this way when working for a guitar shop that had a sideline guitar cable company, even though I was only 15 I was one of only two assemblers. Any way, I discovered that I had been doing it wrong a couple of years ago but did nothing about it. The videos in this thread have convinced me to give it a try and it's actually quite simple. I shall be doing it properly from now on. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allighatt0r Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 (edited) I put my cables away by taking one end, pulling the cable through my hand (to make sure it's free of twists and tangles) until I get to the other end. Then with both ends in my left hand, pull the cable through again to find the middle, repeatedly folding the cable in half as many times as neccessary then tying a knot in it. Have never broken a cable using this method (although they do have a couple of faint kinks). Edited August 20, 2014 by allighatt0r Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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