Please clean up my rig(s): Help with tidy cable & pedal options that are easily inter-changeable.

[obxa]

Seeking amnesty and advice. My rig is ugly.  Just saw some pics from past week shows.  Have a couple of different setups I go out with.  No roadies. 

 The usual time crunch between day of gig group travel,  limited setup time, then soundcheck/rehearsal.   Followed by tiny window to eat/shower back at hotel or tidying up my rig before showtime.   You can see which I often choose.  What are folks doing these days?  Reusable cable or Velcro ties and plastic tubing?   Custom snakes?    Many thanks in advance!

 

Below:  Sunday's gig in Greensboro SC wtih the Drifters,  Coasters & post gig tear down.  Stereo rig: Usually two keyboards, 3 Ctrl pedals, 1 sustain, 2 footswitches, Bluetooth page turner, 2 Ipads, IEM mixer. K&M Stand, Bluetooth Midi Router.  AC, Audio & USB  cables. Occasional Mainstage/Laptop.

 

 

 

[jpgxk3]

Hi Chris, my simple advice would be to have a nice black 3 sided drape made up cover up pretty much all the "eyesores"from the NES2 to the floor. I'm sure you'll get better advice for the logistical end of it, but I'm in the keep it simple camp these days. Nice shows too! Joe

[cphollis]

EDIT: @jpgxk3 beat me to it.

 

I'd be thinking along the lines of a simple black drape or similar to hide the plumbing.  A few pieces of velcro, a nice hunk of velvet -- you'd be set.

 

I've seen guys on stage acts use them, they don't look half-bad.

[Reezekeys]

My setup is nowhere near as crowded as yours but I think my method would work well: velcro strips to bundle cables together, then gaff taped to the underside of the keyboard and down the stand legs. Gaff tape is easy to tear away at the end of the gig and leaves no residue. Having wires bundled turns them into quasi-snakes that can be deployed quickly for setup and coiled quickly at teardown. I'm not too keen on drapes – looks like they'd have to reach to the floor to hide everything, which would look strange to me, and still leave you with a tangled mess of cabling to deal with, albeit hidden from view.

 

Here's the best pic I could come up with that shows my simple cabling setup - four cables bundled together coming out the left side, gaffed to the bottom of my board and down the stand. Other than the four plugs protruding from the keyboard, the cabling is invisible to the audience.

 

 

I bought a 35ft roll of velcro at Harbor Freight, but might have gone for the 20-pack of ties if I had seen them. Pretty sure I will not need another roll ever! Unfortunately gaff tape isn't cheap but I'm lucky to not have to buy any, since our tech guy carries a roll - and many venues' crews have gaff tape they always share.