Behind The Mixer

Learn Church Audio Artistry | Church Sound

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Photo provided by mjtmail

Photo provided by mjtmail

On April 18th, I read the most frightening article I’ve ever laid eyes on.  Not that I pulled out my eyes and set them on the article.  But as I read through the article, my eyes were ready to pop out. What was the title of the article?

“No More Tangled Extension Cords: How to Wrap Up Your Extension Cord Like a Contractor.”

Foolish me, when I first saw the title, I thought the article would outline how to use the over-under method for wrapping cords.  I was wrong, very very wrong.  What added to the horror was the article was featured in a great web site which a lot of men follow, The Art of Manliness.

The below photo shows how they suggested wrapping extension cords “like contractors” using the Chain sinnet method.

chain_sinnet

I don’t care how contractors wrap extension cords.  It’s their money, their extension cords.  But the idea of a sound guy taking this same method and applying it to audio cables….[shivers].

The problem with this method is the amount of tension placed on the wires within the cable.  Add to that the memory of the wire which would then produce a cable that doesn’t lay flat.

The proper way to wrap an audio cable

  1. Take the end of the cable in your left hand, with the plug facing away from you, and with your right hand, reach down and pick up a bit of the cable two feet away.
  2. Bring this cable up into your left hand so you form a loop of cable in which the cable naturally loops. Remember that a cable is made with metal that has a natural coil. Make sure when you make this loop, that you twist the cable so your loop is going with that coil, not against it.
  3. Continuing to hold the cable in your left hand, loop the cable again but bring your right hand around the opposite side of your left hand.
  4. Continue through steps 2 through 3 until you’re all done! The back and forth process enables you to wrap the cable while maintaining that natural wire coiling.
  5. Secure the cable with a Velcro strap. Do NOT tie knots with the cable ends. You’ll only put excessive wear on the cables and increase the probability of having a cable problem.

I’ve included a video below – yeah, I found it on youtube but the guy does a great job.  Also, hearing the voice at the end of the video is kinda funny.

The Take Away

Wrapping cables the right way leads to longer lasting cables that also lay flat on the ground when unwrapped.  It’s not hard.  Once you learn the over-under method, you’ll have cables that will last you a nice long time.

One Last Note

I know it’s been a week or so since I posted up an article.  I’ve been working on a new version of this site that will look great in all mobile devices.  It also looks better.  I’m hoping to get that out either this week or this weekend at the latest.

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Comments

  1. Use this method on all round cables. But, NEVER us it on flat cables. It will put twists in the cable so it will not lay down flat, the reason you bought flat cables for in the first place.

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  2. I learned this technique in the 1970’s from Ken Wahrenbrock the developer of the PZM microphone. Currently I reel my cables on cable reels and store in a chest for transport.

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  3. I love the Art of Manliness site but I agree that there is a world of diference between contractor grade electrical cables and mic cables. My father taught me to use the method Josh Schultz describes about 30 years ago and I have done so since. I will give this a try with an open mind the next time I need to roll up a cable.

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  4. The fastest way I learned to wrap cables was to use a hose reel like those available at any hardware store. You would secure the first cable to the reel using a velcro strap; wind it on to the reel, match up the connectors on the following reel and repeat until all the cables are on the reel. It goes very fast.

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  5. My dad is also a sound tech and he used to make me practice coiling cords when I was growing up. Now, whenever I see somebody doing the wrist-to-elbow method, I literally cringe inside and have to stop myself from yelling at them to stop. But I will go over and say, “That’s really not good for the cord. Can I show you a better way?” I pretty much use the over-under method for every cord no matter the thickness of it. I just can’t bring myself to wrap it around my wrist and elbow.

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  6. I wrap all cables in a similar fashion….but not the under part….I’ve always put the cord in my left hand, right hand grabs 1.5 feet down the line, right thumb and pointer finger gives a slight twist (to keep the cable straight) as it pulls up to the left hand….as this happens, then end spins out. When I need to uncoil the cables, if I have room and the cable still is in a good coil, I like to give it a gentle throw to no where (except for speakons connector based cables, I’ve broken a few of those clips before), this uncoils it almost all the way, then plug in one end and twist the other end till its fully uncoiled.

    This consistency has kept the coils always perfect without having those deadly under the rubber twists…..I’m continually reminding anyone that coils up the cords to stretch out the wire so that the cable has no loops, then to start coiling…..I can get away without stretching it, but I can tell how much twist I need to keep it in a straight coil. Most others haven’t figured that out yet…..but they are learning.

    Ultimately, no matter what method you use (over-and-under, over-and-over, etc), keep the consistency for all cables and with all volunteers, both in method and size…and keep the cables loosely coiled, not tightly. This will help the cables the most through its life.

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    • Josh, your comment on breaking a few speakon clips reminds me of another tip I learned, from a few personal experiences. Wrapping cables slowly will prevent you from accidentally having a plug swing up and whack you in the…

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  7. I do it a bit differently too, still over-under though. I’m right handed but it feels more natural for me to start with the plug in my right hand facing away from me.

    Protip: If you need to wrap heavier cables you can still over under them, but into a coil on the floor.

    Chris

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  8. Our church’s new sound guy is an electrician, and naturally, he wraps cables like this. He was showing me how he does it, and I realized, “Wait, that’s not going to undo straight!” I tried it on a 20-25′ XLR cable, and what do you know, it unwound easily, but came out “wobbly,” if you know what I mean. I’m sticking to the method you showed in this post for audio cables. The contractor’s method does seem to help for long (40-50′) and thick, heavy cables, where the over and under method is rather difficult (and painful) to use. Thanks for clearing up the difference and the reason why the contractor’s method doesn’t treat cables mercifully!

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  9. Somehow when I learned how to wrap cords forever ago I learned it left handed and backwards.
    I hold the cable in my right hand with the plug facing towards me. That is how I have done it for years and now recently I have “learned” the “right way” from 3 or 4 different places and everyone does it opposite from me. Oh well.

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    • Thomas, as long as you’ve got the general idea, it shouldn’t make a difference. I’m glad you’re not wrapping it around your elbow and wrist!

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  10. Thanks for this post. I’ve been wrapping my cables carefully for a long time, but never got the roadie wrap down quite right even though it had been explained to me a few times. The video post fixed it. Just grabbed a cable and practiced a bit and got it down. Now to hand my knowledge on to others…

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