Black spaghetti on stage

[Phil Starr]

I wonder what you all do about the mess of leads on stage? They look awful and constitute a trip hazard for band and audience.

The problem for most bands is that every venue is different and usually far from ideal. Leads that are too short in one venue are too long in the next etc etc. On top of this one band member or another will always turn up late and pull out a 50 metre mic lead they wrap around every item on stage, before dumping the excess 35m in front of the monitors or at the foot of the mixing desk.

Sorry, serious question, I shouldn't rant. What do you do? I'm considering making up a wiring loom of some sort or perhaps just a couple of short multicores with a stage box each, one for front line and one for backline. Anyone tried this? Any other suggestions for tidying the mess?

[Mudpup]

Wireless transmitter for the guitars and vox
Velcro cable tidies to roll up excess cables
Large thin rubber mat (believe its an old darts runner) to go over the cables on the floor

Nice and tidy!

[KevB]

I was in a band once where we ended up with a stupid number of leads (mainly due to the drummer insisting on fully mic'ing his drum kit which was overkill for pubs and a PITA to get decent mixes of) and I ended up buying multicore 'snake' with 16 inputs. It was still a bit of a mess onstage (gaffer tape is your friend) but at least only 1 cable leaving the stage to go out front to the desk.

[bertbass]

All leads at the back of the stage go behind any backline and drums. All leads at the front of the stage run along the front and are taped down in front of the mics. All leads going front to back go along the sides of the stage and are taped down if needed. Any excess, which is normally front to back, is hidden behind the backline.

All our leads are long enough for the largest stage we could possibly play so there is normally quite a lot of the leads left over but never seen and NEVER across the stage to trip over.

I feel your pain and gaffa tape is your friend.

Building multicores and stage boxes is a good idea but then it's more to carry, more to set up and more to go wrong.

[mrtcat]

I'm a bit of a cable nazi in our band. Every mic lead has to have one of those little velcro fasteners so that any excess is coiled up and secured. I also insist that cables run in straight lines (horizontal or vertical) and then once all are down I tape them in place. We also carry a few lengths of the rubber cable covers (http://www.theworkplacedepot.co.uk/snap-fit-coloured-internal-cable-protector) to put down if we ever have to resort to running cable in areas where public can access.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='bertbass' timestamp='1442306894' post='2865842']
All leads at the back of the stage go behind any backline and drums. All leads at the front of the stage run along the front and are taped down in front of the mics. All leads going front to back go along the sides of the stage and are taped down if needed. Any excess, which is normally front to back, is hidden behind the backline.

All our leads are long enough for the largest stage we could possibly play so there is normally quite a lot of the leads left over but never seen and NEVER across the stage to trip over.

I feel your pain and gaffa tape is your friend.

Building multicores and stage boxes is a good idea but then it's more to carry, more to set up and more to go wrong.
[/quote]
[quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1442306968' post='2865844']
I'm a bit of a cable nazi in our band. Every mic lead has to have one of those little velcro fasteners so that any excess is coiled up and secured. I also insist that cables run in straight lines (horizontal or vertical) and then once all are down I tape them in place. We also carry a few lengths of the rubber cable covers ([url="http://www.theworkplacedepot.co.uk/snap-fit-coloured-internal-cable-protector"]http://www.theworkpl...cable-protector[/url]) to put down if we ever have to resort to running cable in areas where public can access.
[/quote]

These ^^, no exceptions, and allow no 'cowboys' to mess stuff up with careless cable runs. No problems in nearly 40 years; must be doing something right.

[KevB]

Current band aren't particularly 'mobile' so as long as we can segregate each band members area and keep cables in straight lines (front to back or across the stage) we haven't had any real problem yet, last Sat's was a bit messy as they suddenly announced they wanted us to go on just after 9pm before we had properly secured everything. No casualties though and no cables running where joe public had to step over them.

[Phil Starr]

Looks like we are all in similar places. I too am the cable nazi. Dads comment about the 9.00 pm issue rings so true. We've had situations where "you can't set up until Jethro has finished their sticky toffee pudding" or until a match on Sky ends. Then there's no time for a sound check never mind taping stuff down.

I'm not completely happy about gaffa tape either, it makes a real mess of your leads when it is warm and the adhesive melts/softens.

Mains leads are expanding too now we are using active monitors, mains powered pedal boards and our own lights. They used to be back line only.

[bassace]

One of the joys of jazz is that bands often come together as freelances. At best, the leader/fixer will set up a PA with leads routed sensibly round the back of everything where possible. But very often each guy will turn up with his own kit: the saxes usually have individual AERs on sticks and mains music stand lights, keyboard player a massive amp twice the size of the bass amp and completely overkill. Mercifully the drums seldom mic up but by the time all this is set up there's spaghetti everywhere. My only priority is to find a couple of square feet on the stage to stand where I don't find a cable under me. And don't get me started on the clown who turns up with a four- way mains splitter - IN WHITE...........

I long to go back to the days when I played in a name band with everything all organised and a techy to sort it all out.

[Roland Rock]

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1442310770' post='2865880']
...And don't get me started on the clown who turns up with a four- way mains splitter - IN WHITE...........

[/quote]

You'd love my black mains splitter then .... into which I plug my two orange mains cables.

[gapiro]

Similarly, (assuming the backline is in approximately a line, and the singers/horns are in a line at the front), one run of cables goes behind/under monitors at front, and the rest all go behind the amps/kit to the end of stage, and only then go back to the front.

I personally suggest carrying just 3/5 m XLR's but carry lots of spares - just daisy chain them if you want/need longer.

[bassace]

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1442311213' post='2865884']


You'd love my black mains splitter then .... into which I plug my two orange mains cables.
[/quote]

Orange?!

[Lozz196]

In a band I was in that had particularly clumsy band members we all bought wireless kits for gtrs/bass/lead vox. Sorted the issue pretty well. Plus being an 80s-type glam band it gave us the opportunity to strike those poses without toppling amp-stacks or each other. Which was nice.

[Truckstop]

It's the new black

[xgsjx]

My last gigging band were all pretty tidy when it came to cables. We had looms for multiple wires going to the one place.

If you're no good at keeping tidy, may I suggest a couple of rugs to lay over the mess on stage. Just make sure you flatten out the spaghetti first.

[tauzero]

I've just indulged myself and bought a wireless mic, so the mics and instruments are now all wireless. We have mains leads and input leads to both PA speakers and both active monitors, sometimes mic up the bass drum, and other than that there's just the leads from pedalboards to amps. Oh, and the lighting. The only leads now that go across the stage (rather than round the back) are the bass drum mic lead (which we put under the stands so there's as short an exposed run as possible) and the lead connecting the two monitors. Reasonably tidy, there may be a bit of room for improvement in the mains area.

[Low End Bee]

Curly leads.I like the old telephone look and they don't tangle up.

[TimR]

I eventually bought 4 black 4-way mains extensions. 2x3m and 2x1m.

I'm a great believer in selecting the right length cable for the job when mains is required.

Regarding XLR leads I try to do similar. We have two very long ones for active speakers and two very long 1/4" jack-jack for the active monitors. Everything else is 3m. You can always extend XLR by daisy chaining.

[Rich]

[color=#222222]Cable nazi and proud [/color][list]
[*][color=#222222]Wireless from bass to rack case receiver.[/color]
[*][color=#222222]Shrouded cable ‘snake’ between rack and floor FX containing send, return and FX power supply leads (FX supply is case-mounted). Cables are fully labelled both ends.[/color]
[*][color=#222222]With the exception of 12" patch leads, [u]all[/u] my cables have either Velcro or elastic cable ties.[/color]
[*][color=#222222]The inside of my rack case is equally tidy -- cable runs are neat with cables tie-wrapped together and anchored, and all mains plugs are fully labelled with their function and fuse size.[/color]
[*][color=#222222]If I buy new leads these days (a rare occurrence) I tend to get coloured cable -- faultfinding is impossible when you’ve got a stage full of black.[/color]
[/list]
[color=#222222]I cannot [i]stand[/i] untidy wiring/cabling.[/color]

[Truckstop]

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1442315791' post='2865943']
I eventually bought 4 black 4-way mains extensions. 2x3m and 2x1m.

I'm a great believer in selecting the right length cable for the job when mains is required.

Regarding XLR leads I try to do similar. We have two very long ones for active speakers and two very long 1/4" jack-jack for the active monitors. Everything else is 3m. You can always extend XLR by daisy chaining.
[/quote]

Exactly! Only the mons and tops/subs need to be any sort of distance away from the mixer. Everything else should be within 5m away.

[KevB]

We must have used at least two, if not three, four way splitters (in white) at our last gig. Oddly enough none of the audience seemed to be bothered by it, they were too busy asking us to play more (ended up doing 3 sets) nor the club management who, presumably after looking at what they'd taken over the bar, immediately rebooked us.

[gapiro]

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1442320700' post='2866002']
We must have used at least two, if not three, four way splitters (in white) at our last gig. Oddly enough none of the audience seemed to be bothered by it, they were too busy asking us to play more (ended up doing 3 sets) nor the club management who, presumably after looking at what they'd taken over the bar, immediately rebooked us.
[/quote]
But did you have music stands?

[JTUK]

[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1442305861' post='2865828']
I wonder what you all do about the mess of leads on stage? They look awful and constitute a trip hazard for band and audience.

The problem for most bands is that every venue is different and usually far from ideal. Leads that are too short in one venue are too long in the next etc etc. On top of this one band member or another will always turn up late and pull out a 50 metre mic lead they wrap around every item on stage, before dumping the excess 35m in front of the monitors or at the foot of the mixing desk.

Sorry, serious question, I shouldn't rant. What do you do? I'm considering making up a wiring loom of some sort or perhaps just a couple of short multicores with a stage box each, one for front line and one for backline. Anyone tried this? Any other suggestions for tidying the mess?
[/quote]

The worst EVER, IME was the Greeks... but that is another story.

I hate to see an untidy stage..it just looks so poor to start with.. so a fortune is spent on gaffa.

The general rule is to have the cable runs round the back and round the front of the 'stage'..so the band is ringed by cable... none of this mass of gunk going thru the middle..as it is harder to gaffa down and is an accident waiting to happen.

Also, your runs should be isolated where ever poss from the audience as they'll trip it as well.
Best case scenario, they pull a cable, worst case, they cause an accident and in comes PLI and grief..!!.

[Phil Starr]

I'm loving the responses, thanks everyone, I've just replaced all our white mains leads with black and am busy swapping out some of the 1m mains leads for 3m leads. I've recently cut my 10m mic leads into two and have just bought 4x3m leads. I went wireless about a year ago.

I was thinking it was just me.

Any more suggestions welcome.

Edited September 15, 2015 by Phil Starr

[TimR]

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1442320700' post='2866002']
We must have used at least two, if not three, four way splitters (in white) at our last gig. Oddly enough none of the audience seemed to be bothered by it, they were too busy asking us to play more (ended up doing 3 sets) nor the club management who, presumably after looking at what they'd taken over the bar, immediately rebooked us.
[/quote]

It's like wearing white socks with black shoes and trousers.