Episode 036: The Cable Guy

Practical Bass

00:00 / 30:26

Here are some tips on how to keep from dealing with cable spaghetti at gigs, and keep your sound rocking.

Tell me a story about badly run cables!

Dave
- Floor level stage area, a sloppily placed XLR cable, and a dancer who exited the dance floor…with my mic…and stand.
Paul
- Guitarist had run his cable straight from his instrument to amp
- Did one of those slide across the stage on his knees moves at the solo climax
- Guitar came unplugged and ruined the entire moment

Covering the stage area

Have enough length to cover what you need to do on stage
- Idea: Use a guitar extender like Radial’s SGI unit if the stage is big
Think about where people are going to be moving, traveling, etc.
Balancing preparedness and overpacking – how many cables are too many?

How does your cable plug into your amp, and your bass?

Dave
- I use a shorter (12’) cable from my bass to the pedal board
- From the pedal board, cable goes around my “space” to the amp
  - With power cord and sometimes XLR if possible
- I try to have just enough slack – not too much, not too little
Paul
- At the bass, I do two things: (1) use a right angle connector for less stress on the jack in case of an unforeseen yank; (2) loop the cable around my strap to provide stress relief and an early warning.
- At the amp, I route the cable with either a loop through a hardware handle, or use velcro tie on the amp to hold it in place on a cabinet

What about on the floor?

Dave
- I like to group together my lines
- Create personal space (4’x4’)
Paul
- Always have a roll of gaffer’s tape available… sticky enough to hold, but doesn’t leave residue on wood, tile, glass, or — most important! — cables

Floor tips

Pick a couple places (not everywhere) to route things together
Use tape to hold down cables to floor, a few feet apart
Avoid spaces where it’s easy to slip a toe under and trip
Try to stick to the perimeter of the stage
Also be thinking about patrons in the venue, make sure they’re safe and can’t easily mess up your cable or sound