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Gear / Technical Help => Microphones & Setup => Topic started by: bluntforcetrauma on February 10, 2008, 08:51:23 PM
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I am using the DPA 4022 and I would like to keep the mic cables coiled. I know the obvious is velcro--but i find the Velcro sliding down and around the mic cable. I was thinking of gaffers tape, but using that each time on the mic cables might get a little tedious as to always taking it off and storing the mics after shows. I am looking for a snug fit without cable compromise. Also i dont mean to a pole either, this is for other kind of recording
Please advise
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ive kept schoeps actives tamed by a piece of electrical tape every 12"
coil them first, before taping them together, they will stay coiled
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I appreciate the replies thanks so much, I will try that you guys
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I found some spiral cable wrap at a local hardware store. See attached picture
Googling for "Spiral Cable Wrap" brings up a few hits.
Edit: oops just reread your post guess these might not be that useful but they certainly do the trick for open recording. Never get tangled and easy to coil.
-e
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As Moke points out, gaffer tape does not self adhere very well so it doesn't work well for wrapping around a cable and back onto itself.
Most electrical tape gets gooey and nasty pretty quick..
I have been wanting to give a heat shrink tape a try. There are some other similar products by 3m.
http://cableorganizer.com/adhesive-heat-shrink-tape
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i just used very small zip ties every 6-8" on my old cables and it worked great and was very cheap
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I also feel zip ties are not a good choice. Too much strain on the cable. Not as great a concern on regular mic cables but not so good on actives.
BUT.. if you do use zip ties hit the end with a flame after you've snipped it off. That will melt the sharp bits and prevent hand cuts and snags.
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zip ties can draw the more flexible jackets of cables into the locking mechanism of the zip tie, and it will bite the crap out of the cable. first hand, personal experience.
i watched what i was doing and used finesse, i did not muscle anything on them. never had a problem myself. ymmv
my silver clads don't get anything like that though, it was on my canare cables.
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To bundle my rather stiff microdot extension cables I flake them out straight, tape one end of both cables to something so I can put some tension on them and do a sort of 'rope braid' type thing. I hold both cables taught and parallel and and spiral them around each other, hand over hand. The trick is to not allow the cables to twist- your wrists should not rotate as your hands orbit each other. You do need to snug-up each rotation on each twist by either holding your hands apart or having someone help you. I then just gaff tape each end to keep the braid from unraveling. The braid keeps entire center section of cable together as a unit. The cables actually spiral around each other without any twist so the cables are not stressed, but if you try and separate the two somewhere in the middle (without undoing the braid) you introduce a twist force that resists the separation.
Hard to describe and I'm not sure that makes sense, but it's basically like two stranded rope with a very long period twist. Same idea as the principle behind how plain old three stranded rope it stays 'twisted' and together.. as long as the ends can't untwist the center 'wants' to stay together.
Here are a few photos from another thread that kind of show it indirectly. Look for the loosely twisted cables. Most of the cable is coiled inside the shaving kit bag under the recorder and preamp. Works well for me to form two separate 10' mic cables into a single 'stereo pair' that can be easily coiled and stowed. [edit- and easily un-braided again at any time. ignore the pole below with the mic leads coiled around the TV antenna, it's the cable pair leading into the bag that is of interest here]
(http://taperssection.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=96009.0;attach=74605;image)
(http://taperssection.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=96009.0;attach=74611;image)
(http://taperssection.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=96009.0;attach=74591;image)
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Electrical tape
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a while back, someone here posted pics of a very useful device, it was a roundish storage device with a cranking arm, and it actually wound up and stored (inside it) the unused cable onto an axle, similar to the device used to recoil and store garden hose but on a much smaller scale, wish I knew where to find it now, it appeared super simple, small and dry
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a while back, someone here posted pics of a very useful device, it was a roundish storage device with a cranking arm, and it actually wound up and stored (inside it) the unused cable onto an axle, similar to the device used to recoil and store garden hose but on a much smaller scale, wish I knew where to find it now, it appeared super simple, small and dry
I use these for my regular XLR's. I think these are what you're refering too:
http://www.cordpro.com/
(http://www.cordpro.com/indexlaptop.jpg)
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etymotic sells one of those for their headphones. i think i have one lying around
a while back, someone here posted pics of a very useful device, it was a roundish storage device with a cranking arm, and it actually wound up and stored (inside it) the unused cable onto an axle, similar to the device used to recoil and store garden hose but on a much smaller scale, wish I knew where to find it now, it appeared super simple, small and dry
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3M blue tape is great stuff.. within it's limits. It's a temporary use tape designed specifically for low tack applications and to leave no residue. Works great for masking or putting temporary numbers on the race car, etc. It's paper backed, so rather weak and rips very easily, easier than than masking tape, much easier than fabric backed gaffer tap. The paper also makes it less smoothly malleable than fabric gaffer tape. Very limited stick, a poster will fall off the wall in about 2 hrs, but like most paper tape, if you leave it on something too long (a week or more?) it will become harder to remove and come off in torn bits.
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Yeah i see, I am trying to find some type of tye down or tape to keep the mic cables together as they are coiled up together. I have tried velcro but the mic cable just slips thru it. Like Moke says gaffers tape but a pain each time and its not always able to hold. I thought of heat and cold shrink but it seems " too permanent" in the fact that taking it off every now and then might cause cable strain over time. I guess I am looking for the least amount of strain on the cable with the best hold for the cables together as they are coiled after 30 inches from the Mic body. Saturday is close and closing so I dont know which way to try next
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how 'bout some kind of bag? I do the twisty thing above to hold two cables together, but to store or hold any kind of coiled cable I find the easiest and neatest solution is to put the coil in a bag about the size of the coil. I have lots of coiled cables in ziplocks- sandwich, quart or gallon size. Leave the bag open if your using it to hold a coil while the cable is in use. The bags also make it easy to sort through cables in a storage bag or box and keep everything tangle free.
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or something like this stretch tie (http://www.burpee.com/product/gardening+supplies/garden+growing/stretch+tie+-+one+roll.do)stuff?
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I've had good luck with a Cable Turtle:
http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=74534&PRODID=59992
http://cableorganizer.com/cable-turtle/
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sandwich bag twist ties, spiral wrapped up around the cable??
(not twisted or tightened down so as to damage the cable!!)
I also played around a wee bit with nylon covered elastic shock cord tied in a single overhand knot.
Maybe small sections of rubber bands wrapped and tied??
nice !!!
I am overwhelmed with the all the great ideas
thanks