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OMT rig snake

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EmRR:
Sometimes I run 2 channels, sometimes 3, sometimes more than 4.  Now that I'm moving towards 5 to 7 channel OMT rigs, I've ordered parts to put together (2) 4 channel snakes to keep wiring a little more sane. 

Looking at wire diameters I settled on Canare which I already like quite a lot. 

http://www.canare.com/ProductItemDisplay.aspx?productItemID=60

standard 1 channel is 0.236”/6mm
2 channel is 0.264”/6.7mm
4 channel is 0.299”/7.6mm
8 channel is 0.433”/11mm

My logic is while 8 channel would be the thinnest for 5 and up, it would frequently mean a lot of unused connectors hanging up a stand.  A 4 plus a 1 or 2 will still be pretty close to 3 singles in diameter. 

I grabbed Neutrik connectors with colored boots to differentiate channels. 

I'm considering making some sort of connector support bar for the snake at the top of the stand.  I usually run the short Rycote jumpers or similar from mic through shock mount clip to the longer wire run. 

I'll report back once I get it in use. 

Anyone have other experiences here? 

Gutbucket:
Good idea in that the mass of cables is one of the bigger hassles in running multi-mic rigs.   Not only can the cabling end up weighing more than all the stuff aloft and endanger toppling a small footprint stand, its just a PITA to manage.

Dealing with with unused connectors and individual fan-out lines of sufficient length to reach your desired potential mic positions is the main issue I forsee. You might consider some kind of small conn box located at the top of the stand, into which you plug short patch cables of appropriate length to reach each mic you have in use.  That would insert an additional connection point in each mic line, but would streamline things aloft.  Could make a handful of short patch cables of various length as appropriate.  That would leave no unused cables with dangling connectors to deal with up there for channel counts of less than the total through the snake.  Might choose mini-xlrs in the conn box to keep size and weight down.

Gutbucket:
My setups are unusual in this regard, yet may provide food for thought-

In my primary OMT rig I bundle individual small diameter cables together in techflex without permanently fixing the techflex at each end to provide a reasonable-diameter, fairly-flexible, coilable and otherwise-manageable 8-ch cable bundle from the recording bag up the stand to the microphones.  Because the techflex is not permanently fixed, I can re-adjust fan-out lengths as necessary or re-thread additional cables (such as the addition of the balanced cable pair when I added the center M/S configuration).  Once its all routed. I temporarily fix the Techflex at the mic bar end using gaff-tape and a cable-tie.  It remains unfixed at the recorder end which allows plenty of flex coil-ability as needed.  Once the stand is up and mics aloft, I can run my hand down the Texflex toward the recording bag to snug it up forming a tighter, stiffer, straight run down the stand without snagable bends or loops and it holds that state until I lower the stand and recoil it into the recording bag. This arrangement works really well.  It is easily manageable, reconfigurable, and allows me to adjust cable-lengths just right.  But it's intended for using the same setup each time, or slight variations on it, rather than reconfiguring for a different number of channels.  In working up to this arrangement I'd add or change cables through the techflex as I added or swapped microphones.

The cables I'm using are RG174-flexible coax with an outside diameter of just 0.10" / 2.54mm to 6 miniature DPAs (micro-dot connection located at each supercard, in-line microdot connection to the omnis) plus one of TS cable-maker Ted's small-diameter techflexed Teflon/silver balanced 2ch chopped RA XLR cables to the center M/S pair.  The DPA supercard Mid uses a DPA phantom adapter mounted aloft at the mic.  The Side 8 uses a balanced XLR connection.  The other 6 DPAs use Niant PFA phantom adapters at the other end, plugged directly into the recorder inputs.  When the Texflex is snugged-down the bundle is approximately the same diameter as my index finger.

Toughest part was adding the balanced cable pair for the M/S pair because the RA XLRs connectors would not fit through the Techflex with the 6 coax cables already in place, so I had to remove and re-solder them after threading that cable through. No problem running additional coax lines as they are microdot terminated on the mic end and mini-xlr terminated on the other to the PFA adapters, making either end small enough to be passed.

This arrangement is unusual in that I do not disconnect the cabling from the mics or the mics from the mounting bar when breaking down. I fold all the arms in and disconnect the mounting bar system from the top of the stand, coil the Techflexed cable-bundle and put the entire thing into a bag with the recorder (all mic connections remain connected).  I used to carry a separate bag for the mic/bar assembly which remained cabled to the recording bag, but I now use one bag for everything, except the tall stand.  A folding three leg foot and short telescopic extension fit into the bag, so if setting up on stage just above floor level or up to about 3' high, the single bag holds everything pre-wired and ready to power up and deploy.

Hope that's not too far off base and helps with ideas if nothing else.

EmRR:
Thanks, that helps with some alternate visions.

Your setup is pretty unique and ingenious, I marvel that you made such a complete fold-and-go kit. 

Yeah, I really like the idea of using mini-XLR but I don't yet want to pay for 16 of them, plus dedicating 8 short jumpers to XLRF->TA3M. 

Your conn box thought is similar to the connector support bar thought I had.  Maybe with a hanger grip for additional strain relief. 

Going with two 4 channel feels like the best way to minimize unused connectors in the air, with changing channel counts.  A bonus byproduct is since I run a Zoom F8n, it's 4 inputs per side.

Lately I've been using reusable cable ties on a bundle of cables ahead of time to make (sort of) a custom count snake as needed, and then using more ties on the stand at top and bottom to lock the weight inline.  One place I can get a safety cable around the stand about 4 feet up, over to a support bracket at FOH, so one more thing to keep stand tipping less likely. 

Sidenote:  I checked with a company I work with occasionally, and they can knock out some custom rigging aircraft cable sets for me once I get measurements.  At one place I think I can get go-ahead to set up a flown mic bar from their balcony right above FOH, so could route wire up to balcony or down to FOH as suits. That feels like it might be safer for the rig, and would keep cabling further from random audience hands. 

Gutbucket:
In place of cable ties at regular intervals you might consider a section of the split-side-entry type techflex or another side-entry cable-sleeve equivalent to form a temporary bundle.  Hoop tension of the split polyweave keeps the split closed.  Should work well even if the bundle consists of a single pair of snakes.  I imagine you could throw it on there at setup after the snakes or individual cables are run, and pull it off prior to breaking down.  I just have  never really liked the arrangement of ties every few feet, its snag-prone, doesn't coil well and never seems to lay flat.  Whenever I run extra channels in addition to what I have setup through the bundle I just use standard mic cables which I carry in coiled separately and velcro cable-tie them along with the existing bundle to the stand at a few points.

When I was changing things up alot, I considered a length of larger-diameter side-entry flexible fabric type cable sheathing that uses a velcro closure along the split instead of hoop tension to hold the split closed and retain the cables.  The idea being that the sheath would have a diameter sufficient to rap all the way around the vertical stand in addition to the cabling.  Length would be bit less than that of typical stand height down to the top of the stand legs.  I could then setup the mics however I wanted running individual cables or cable pairs, and put the cable rap on to secure the cabling in place from top to bottom as I raised the mics.  Reversing the procedure when breaking down.  That would be very flexible for changing things up and make for a slick streamlined stand with no free dangling bundle at all.  But the sheathing would need to be of sufficient diameter to go around the stand upright, the cables, and the stand's telescopic section securing knobs or latches.

In the implementation I'm using with a single non-side entry techflexed bundle and my recording bag either on the ground or floor beneath the stand or hanging from a stand knob near the bottom, I often need no additional cable ties along the stand except the one at the top, instead rotating the stand's telescopic sections so that the knobs securing each section in place act as cable retainers holding the bundle tight against the stand.

If you can determine the measurements accurately, that aircraft harness angle sounds sweet!

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