Doug Fowler wrote on Wed, 21 September 2005 17:06 |
H E L P
Can someone tell me how to explain to a small system operator why using this stuff is bad? I am at a loss for words, other than "you look like a backwoods PA farmer when you pull those out".
I am at my wit's end with this. There is someone locally that is very close to having a respectable package, but refuses to get rid of this crap (it's paid for, after all , and still insists on stringing cables willy-nilly between racks, from inside each exposed rack, instead of either making or buying some simple XLR input/output panels which could be color coded to make persistent connections, using color coded XLR looms.
I give up. I don't know how to explain how amateurish this is.
Of course there are other obstacles (like basic stagecraft, neat cable runs, that sort of stuff) but this is really glaring. Ugly piles of cables are bad enough, but when they're orange, well, you know what I'm talking about.
-doug, Mr. "perpetually frustrated over this"
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Doug,
About all you can do to push him a little in the right direction. Show him how a nicer, coherent presentation of the equipment can be a selling point for his company even for people without a clue. Since ANYBODY can figure out if something looks nice or looks clusterf**ked, keep the dayglo cables in the back out of site and any tangles, too. It's entertainment, appearances count. In the small operator stage myself, I see no major problem with safety colored AC cables that have to run from outlets to the using area, especially OUTSIDE. BUT I prefer to make my own out of black cable.
The first goal to teach him is the advantage of working easier and quicker, avoiding the brute force, stumbling approach. I.e., how:
a. neatly wrapping the excess cable around each monitor that may be moved means no (or less) rats's nest around the amp racks, which further means easier cable wrapup at the end of the night.
b. saving a hour of total labor between loadin to loadout means more true profit in less beverages bought, less assistant pay, more sleep, ect. AND allows for the inevitable "something is not right" corrective time.
c. simplifying setups means less stress figuring out HOW to wire the gig and allows more concentration on fixing those little (& not so little) problems that pop up.
d. having everything labeled plainly makes it easier finding the right cable AND allows helpers to actually help vice being in the way.
e. separating cables by type into their own containers really does make thing go smoother.
I KNOW you KNOW all this. The trick is getting the concept through to him, how an appoach like the above will allow him to avoid the crisis, flapping & flailing, beating of chests, and getting nothing done on time. The above are just some prime examples to teach him. Until he understands this, he won't see the big advantage of a simple I/O panel to stop reaching inside racks unnecessarily. I'd say part of this is him realizing his time and efforts are worth something so he shouldn't waste either.
Mike McNany