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Author Topic: Load Out advice - Mic cable winding  (Read 33990 times)

Justin Bartlett

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Re: Load Out advice - Mic cable winding
« Reply #30 on: November 28, 2011, 05:18:50 PM »

That's all fine, but the original post was made by a guy who wanted to find a way to strike and load out faster when working alone. That's different than trying to train a different group of monkeys every night.

If I was in a situation like what you describe above, I'd just say "That's OK, we'll wrap the cables", and then have someone direct the local load-out crew in the actual loading out.

A truck/trailer pack with the cable trunk near the back end will prepare you for this contingency.

Besides, everybody knows that some local crew people can destroy a cable just by being in the same room with it.

Fair point regarding the OP's request; ours is certainly *not* the best solution for his situation.

It works well for us though - our load-outs are in the 75-90 minute range from the last note to the trailer door closing, and we haven't had major trouble with dead mic cables.

If I was in a situation like what you describe above, I'd just say "That's OK, we'll wrap the cables", and then have someone direct the local load-out crew in the actual loading out.

Our crew consists of me and the LD, so we don't really have a "someone" to have direct the local crew right away after the show.  One of the bass players typically does exactly what you suggest once autograph time is over, but at that point we usually have enough local crew to keep some busy with cables.

I'm certainly not suggesting that our method is for everyone - and I'm still open to being convinced that it's not even the best solution for us - but it does work pretty well in our case.
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Rob Spence

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Re: Load Out advice - Mic cable winding
« Reply #31 on: November 29, 2011, 12:26:13 AM »

One thing I did to speed up set up AND strike on my B rig was to use sub snakes and make all the cables be 20'. Now I don't spend time finding the "right" length cable. If it really turns out too short (which happens), just add 20'. At strike just pull all from the subsnakes and coil. With short cables like 20', they coil fast.

Ok, I lied -)  I have a few 10' right angle ones for around the drum kit...

When I can afford it I may get some of the Whirlwind Mini12 sub snakes. They will pack smaller than normal stage boxes.
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Eric Eskam

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Re: Load Out advice - Mic cable winding
« Reply #32 on: November 29, 2011, 12:53:08 AM »

If you put a piece of colored tape around each end, you can quickly tell the length.  Just one piece and have the cables in multiples of 10'.  So brown is 10' red is 20' orange is 30' yellow 40' etc.

One tip I saw on another forum was to use resistor labeling.  Pro's - it's a standard, so if someone leaves, it's pretty easy to do a google search to find out what the values mean.  The con is it's a little weird at first.  But the pro tends to way over-ride the con.  It makes cable sorting a snap once you are used to it.
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Jay Barracato

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Re: Load Out advice - Mic cable winding
« Reply #33 on: November 29, 2011, 12:19:57 PM »

One tip I saw on another forum was to use resistor labeling.  Pro's - it's a standard, so if someone leaves, it's pretty easy to do a google search to find out what the values mean.  The con is it's a little weird at first.  But the pro tends to way over-ride the con.  It makes cable sorting a snap once you are used to it.

I have never really understood this fascination with the resistor code. I guess because they had to learn it in middle school shop class people feel inclined to use it.

I don't really think it is all that hard to look at a 10 foot coiled cable and a 20 foot coiled cable and tell which is longer.

Also , in practice, I don't want help coiling cables. Any time saved by the help is usually lost on the next show when I have to uncoil them.
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Jay Barracato

Mac Kerr

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Cable label colors
« Reply #34 on: November 29, 2011, 12:29:43 PM »

I have never really understood this fascination with the resistor code. I guess because they had to learn it in middle school shop class people feel inclined to use it.

I think it is a good idea to have a color code because it is not always easy to see the difference in the dark when the cables are all piled together in a road case, I just don't think the resistor color code is any better than any arbitrary group of colors. I can pretty much guarantee that the local hands don't know the secret code, so what is the point? Pick a code, and put a label inside the lid of the cable box of with the code on it.

I grew up with a 4 color code, 10'-yellow, 25'-red, 50'-blue, 100'-white. Short jumpers get bundled in bundles of 10 cables so they are easy to identify. Either tape, or colored shrink works fine, although eventually etape liquifies.

Mac
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Rob Gow

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Re: Load Out advice - Mic cable winding
« Reply #35 on: November 29, 2011, 01:30:27 PM »

My trick is to set up in a specific order.

FOH
monitors
Power
Frontline mics
Back line
Drums

Then I tear down in reverse order. While it looks like a big jumbled mess by the snake. Everything is in order and comes apart quickly. 

I over/under everything quickly, and they all fit into respective cases. 
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Tim Weaver

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Re: Load Out advice - Mic cable winding
« Reply #36 on: November 29, 2011, 04:37:48 PM »

My trick is to set up in a specific order.

FOH
monitors
Power
Frontline mics
Back line
Drums

Then I tear down in reverse order. While it looks like a big jumbled mess by the snake. Everything is in order and comes apart quickly. 

I over/under everything quickly, and they all fit into respective cases.


I do something similar, but in a different order.

Loading in is;

Power cables or Distro (if there is one)
run snake
Stack speakers/set out monitors
amp racks
speaker cable
stage power and subsnakes (before the band takes the stage if possible)
FOH/Tune pa while band sets up (keeps me off the stage and out of their way)
set mics and stands
run mic cable

Strike is the reverse of this, EXCEPT the stage cabling. I tend to wait until the band is off the stage before rolling stage cable. Makes it much easier if you have a clear stage with no monitors and guitar amps. One other thing is, I try to line up my cable trunks in front of the stage while I'm rolling. I can then toss cables into their homes right as I am rolling.
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Dave Dermont

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Re: Load Out advice - Mic cable winding
« Reply #37 on: November 29, 2011, 06:53:33 PM »

I have never really understood this fascination with the resistor code. I guess because they had to learn it in middle school shop class people feel inclined to use it.

I don't really think it is all that hard to look at a 10 foot coiled cable and a 20 foot coiled cable and tell which is longer.

Also , in practice, I don't want help coiling cables. Any time saved by the help is usually lost on the next show when I have to uncoil them.

I know of more than one cable manufacturer that uses the resistor code for the jackets of the individual pairs inside their multi-pair snake cables.

Knowing the code means not having to seek out those teeny tiny numbers. That can really speeds things up.

Maybe that only helps us bifocal wearers.  ::)
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Tim Padrick

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Re: Load Out advice - Mic cable winding
« Reply #38 on: November 30, 2011, 01:22:20 AM »

I know of more than one cable manufacturer that uses the resistor code for the jackets of the individual pairs inside their multi-pair snake cables.

Who, please?  I'd like to get some of that cable for my next project.
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Tim Weaver

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Re: Load Out advice - Mic cable winding
« Reply #39 on: November 30, 2011, 02:15:40 AM »

Who, please?  I'd like to get some of that cable for my next project.

I know belden makes multi with IJ pairs that are resistor color coded. I have some 3 pair.
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Re: Load Out advice - Mic cable winding
« Reply #39 on: November 30, 2011, 02:15:40 AM »


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