August 12, 2011
Say, How Long is That Cable?

After watching a gentleman in charge of setup go back to the equipment closet four times to find the right length monitor cable, I taught him a simple solution. Measure all of the cables and mark one end to designate the length. This can be done with a permanent marker, colored shrink tube, colored hook-and-loop fasteners, colored rope or just about anything which will allow you to quickly and easily identify the length. A color can represent a length or just write the length on the connector or shrink tube. This way, when you need a cable “just a few feet longer”, you know what you have and what you need to get. Oh, by the way – when working with microphone cables with XLR connectors, just label the male connector since it won’t be seen nearly as much as the female connector (at a microphone or direct box).

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