Cable management trick

[vvv]

So I run pairs of mic cords around my house, putting amps in various rooms, recording M/S or near/far pairs.

And it's a PITA keeping the cords from tangling, especially when I'm inna hurry to set-up or clean up.

Enter ... pipe cleaners:

[digitaldrummer]

I use velcro myself. Big rolls... also use it to keep cables on drum mic stands from falling all over, especially when they are setup semi-permanent, but even temporarily - why not, it's velcro! Need a four channel snake - boom! 4 x cables and some velcro...

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id= ... VgQAvD_BwE

[vvv]

Yeah, I use velcro when I ('lectrican style helps) wind 'em.

This is offered more for when they are in place being used. The pipe cleaners stiffen the cables for 6" - 3-4 pipe cleaners onna 20' pair stays in place, is less likely to hook yer foot, when finished is easily wound and then the loops fastened with ... velcro.

And the colors make the cables more visible.

About US$3.00 for 20 ...

[losthighway]

Good lord, I should start doing something for the 5-9 cables running between my panel and the drumset. Sometimes I get into the idea of leaving mics up and just having things ready to go. And then I get tired of the endless jumble of black spaghetti. One straight clump of cables going across the floor might be nice.

[digitaldrummer]

next you will want a label maker... or you can number the XLR's pretty easily with a sharpie (on the XLR connectors, or get a silver sharpie for writing on black cables).

[vvv]

I use colored elec tape on cables.

In the pic above, red is for room, blue for close mic.

And I do have a paper tape labeler that I use on ... almost everything.

[digitaldrummer]

I find that electrical tape eventually shrinks and then falls off and leaves a gummy mess. I've been using gaff tape instead, which is black, but a silver or gold sharpie works nicely on that. And the gaff tape comes off easily and usually no mess. I do also have a Brother label maker. Some of the labels have held up for years, but I've had some that was a bit like the electrical tape experience... so I have to be careful what kind of label to use (but can't remember which kind was bad)

[vvv]

I gotta say, in this thread, I feel like I'm having a bloody argument.

That tape has been on there years, 5 at least ... and those cables are used a cuppla times a month, sometimes weekly.

Yeah, the paper labels are quick and convenient, but some eventually fall off - sometimes I put transparent tape over the labels. ITOH, the ones on my patch bays have been there for - you guessed it - years, 5 at least ...

[ashcat_lt]

I just use the blue painter's tape for most semi-permanent stickifications. A while back, I bought a set of thin little tapes in 8 colors that I use for coding cables which aren't themselves colored. Certainly not trying to argue with you at all. I can see where this pipe cleaner trick could give you some options that other ways might not.

@losthighway, if you've got a couple dollars to spend on it, you might look at a cheap snake, of course, or there's a couple of brands now of products which adapt 4 XLRs to CAT 5. Two of those would cover you as long as you don't add that 9th mic.

[digitaldrummer]

I certainly didn't mean it as an argument either. Was just adding options.

I bought one of the Monoprice XLR 4-ch snakes a few years ago (don't see them on the website anymore but it was cheap - under $20). I use it for band rehearsals so there is only one mic cord to trip over. still works.

[vvv]

I've had my coffee now, all is .