MAJUSCULE Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 What's your method? Cables often come shaped to the packaging and generally not to whatever size of circle you roll your cables. I would like to try whatever it is you do to get it to a nice supple form without shortening the lifespan of the cable itself. Quote Eric Website Gear page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 cables suck. The only thing worse is a garden hose. My method is not to curse loudly everytime I am dealing with cables (most days) because they just don't behave the way you want them to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 I'm flexible. I figure if I can gently coil them (over-under, of course) to the size of roll I want, I'm good. But always over-under. Quote "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 cables suck. The only thing worse is a garden hose. My method is not to curse loudly everytime I am dealing with cables (most days) because they just don't behave the way you want them to. Ha!!! "Cables are bad" is a mantra of mine. Unfortunately, I also dislike batteries. Wired or wireless, two choices and both bad. Too bad acoustic isn't loud enough!!!! But... it isn't. And, I plug cables into guitars with active pickups / batteries. So, double-bad for my favorite thing. Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAJUSCULE Posted May 22, 2020 Author Share Posted May 22, 2020 So there's really no good way to speed up the process, eh? Just gotta roll it enough times that it loosens up and follows? Quote Eric Website Gear page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dboomer Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 Lay 'em out in the hot sun. Then roll them up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 I roll them up, over and under and use a Velcro competitor strap to hold them. Since I gig for a living, if they have XLR connectors, I always make sure they are connected to each other before putting in the bin. It keeps the male end from getting bent out of shape. Since in my duo I sing and play sax, wind synth, flute and gutar and my partner sings and plays guitar and synth, stringing cables is the most time consuming part of setup. Like KuruPrionz I dislike batteries even more than I dislike cables. Oh, and when something doesn't work at sound check, the first rule is this: "It's a cable. It's always a cable." Insights and incites by Notes Quote Bob "Notes" Norton Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com Style and Fake disks for Band-in-a-Box The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 MAJUSCULE, my apologies for making light of your question. I think we have all been there. The curl in your (and pretty much everybody's) cables are often a "set" taken from the cable itself being mechanically spooled and left curled for unknown periods of time. Some cables will eventually "loosen up" and others can keep the "set" much longer. While the advice to leave them in the sun to let them loosen up may work, there are times when it does not. I don't know if he still has it but a friend used to have a very long microphone cable. I think he said it was 50'. He kept it "just in case" he needed an extra long cable. No matter who coiled it or how carefully it was put away, when it came out of the gig bag it was ALWAYS a nightmare to unravel it for use. We were in a band together for a few years and that cable tormented all of us. At a certain point, I concluded that the cable was possessd by demons and could not be made to comply. He left it stretched out straight on the driveway one hot, sunny summer day, with a rock on top of each end to hold it in place. It was there for hours, a black cable in direct sun. Eventually he carefully coiled it back up and returned it to the gig bag. Next time he pulled it out, it was all snarled up and evil again. I suggested we use a heavy duty pair of diagonal cutters I owned to cut it into short lengths, open a bottle of whiskey, commence to consuming the whiskey, start a big fire in the fire pit and sacrifice it to the flames and the coals. He would not do it, possilbly out of fear that it would come back to haunt him and rob him of his sleep. Hated that cable. I still hate it, even if it is gone forever. It represented all that is evil about cables, especially it's obstinate refusal to malfunction and provide an excuse to kill it. I have a couple of stiffer cables that don't seem to comply, they are many years old and still unruly. They are only 10 to 15 feet long so I use them in the studio space. They never go on gigs. The rest of my cables were probably flexible when they were made, I've had few problems with them. Note's first rule is good trouble shooting advice but not all inclusive. While the vast majority of gig problems are indeed cables, a small percentage are also switches and jacks - in that order. If you come up with a working technique, I am sure all of us would love to know it. Cheers, Kuru Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 Lay 'em out in the hot sun. Then roll them up hey Eric, I haven't tried this but they say it works. From the company that makes the BeatBuddy, which I do use https://singularsound.com/product/cabli-instrument-cable-management/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAJUSCULE Posted May 23, 2020 Author Share Posted May 23, 2020 Thanks guys. It'll be another month or two before we get hot enough for that up here. Quote Eric Website Gear page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderton Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 I think I'm seeing why wireless is taking off Quote Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeteethree Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 Neumann says on their website that it is safe to use a little olive or coconut oil to condition and clean cables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieGuy Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 Oh, and when something doesn't work at sound check, the first rule is this: "It's a cable. It's always a cable." Insights and incites by Notes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderton Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 I knew a keyboard player with a wicked sense of practical joke-oriented humor. He had an Ensoniq sampler loaded with samples of pops, crackles, hum, etc. When the sound people did something like plug in a cable, he triggered samples. Cruel, but hilarious. Even the sound people had to admit it was pretty creative Quote Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 I knew a keyboard player with a wicked sense of practical joke-oriented humor. He had an Ensoniq sampler loaded with samples of pops, crackles, hum, etc. When the sound people did something like plug in a cable, he triggered samples. Cruel, but hilarious. Even the sound people had to admit it was pretty creative HA!!! Was in a band for a while with a bassst who was a soundman as well. He had mastered a whistle that sounded exactly like microphone feedback and could do it without looking obvious. He'd discreetly whistle towards a microphone, it would come out the speakers and the soundman would struggle to fix it. Drove other soundmen completely insane more than once, including me!!!! Cruel but hysterically funny. Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeteethree Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 There was a patch named Bristol, in one of the Roland JV expansion boards that would do the trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAJUSCULE Posted May 23, 2020 Author Share Posted May 23, 2020 Amazing. My best take on those kinds of practical jokes was when I played piano for the wind ensemble in first year of my degree. I would always hold a chord to tune them, but one day, when the prof was a little late, I hit the chord a semi-tone down, held the sustain and then gently slid my fingers up to where they were supposed to be. It went on for a few minutes, causing much confusion and really testing my poker face. Thanks everyone for your replies, I'll try heat and maybe some oil as well! Quote Eric Website Gear page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 Amazing. My best take on those kinds of practical jokes was when I played piano for the wind ensemble in first year of my degree. I would always hold a chord to tune them, but one day, when the prof was a little late, I hit the chord a semi-tone down, held the sustain and then gently slid my fingers up to where they were supposed to be. It went on for a few minutes, causing much confusion and really testing my poker face. Thanks everyone for your replies, I'll try heat and maybe some oil as well! That is evil, love it!!!! Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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