How to Wrap a Cable the Right Way | Sound Setup Tutorials

Get your free guide- How to Lead your Church Sound Team: bit.ly/leadyourchurchsoundteam
Learn how to properly wrap a microphone cable. When you wrap a mic cable properly, it speeds up your setup, it doesn't damage the cable, and you can spend more time mixing... and drinking coffee.
When you learn the over under method for wrapping your mic cable, it keeps the cable from being twisted, so you're not untying knots, you're not untwisting it to get it to lay flat, and it keeps your solder connections in tact. Wrap a microphone cable the right way so you can spend more time making music and mixing.
Twitter: / attawayaudio
Instagram: / attawayaudio
Facebook: / attawayaudio
Intro and Outro music composed by Judah Earl. Check out his artist page on Spotify:
open.spotify.com/artist/0lpe8...

[@ajchelliah]

Everyone and their mother needs to watch this video.

[@AttawayAudio]

Right! I'll get my mom to watch right away!

[@freemandiaz5123]

@@AttawayAudio she would be proud. Now, you got time for dat. 😆

[@AttawayAudio]

...with a cup of coffee

[@PanRider939]

Love this tutorial. I don’t like the knot on the end though, so we bought 100 black Velcro cable ties off Alliexpress for $5. Also for not much money you can get a 20 metre roll of 10mm wide, black double sided Velcro. Cut the length you need and wrap around cables to make looms like for a drum kit, floor monitor or keep them nicely bunched together and going up microphone stands.

[@jennifercastro6827]

This is awesome. Thank you!

[@tronlady1]

Love this dude!

[@bugazavr]

I was always doing the overhand underhand method, gonna practice your method, looks really fast. Thanks for the great video!

[@AttawayAudio]

Enjoy your extra time for coffee!

[@mark12.31]

I completely agree with you on this but I did run into a guy doing audio for a group that performed in the venue that I manage that said it was a "waste of time, a fad, something wanna-be's do", etc. I just kind of chuckled at his mini-rant but then he did ask me something that did make me think - "do they come that way from the factory or are they all rolled the same way?" he didn't give me time to answer as he said "all the same way, just like they should be put back...". I don't agree with him but his last question did make me think about it. Great job on the how-to!

[@AttawayAudio]

haha yeah I know people from the UK wrap it over-over and make great music... so there's that 🤷‍♂️

[@TomCee53]

The factory rolls it by machine over a spool, so it would cost more to do over-under.

[@RexyFan]

Do you actually toss out each cable (mic and instrument) when unwrapping ? I usually unwind it slowly of fear that If I toss it, I might damage the connector that’s hitting the ground. I’ve also used the overhand underhand technique for many years, as that’s the way my father taught me when I first joined the church band 22 years ago. I will try your way, as that looks much quicker and easier to teach new recruited band members, as they always seem to struggle with my overhand / underhanded technique. Thank you.

[@DavinPetersen]

This should be posted monthly, on principle.

[@AttawayAudio]

first of the month, get paid, do the budget, watch how to wrap a mic cable

[@TomCee53]

I prefer Velcro straps to tying the cable. Less stress. The Velcro should be at the male (mixer) end. This is great for any cord over 6 feet (2m) long. I also use it for ac extension cords and network cables. You didn’t mention the figure-eight over arm method,which falls somewhere in the middle. It throws easier and is faster to wrap. It does put more stress on the tiny wires inside microphone cables.

[@FoulOwl2112]

What man? Don't you like that little velcro strip tickling your beard when you sing. Also then you deprive your audience the two hours of wondering to themselves "WTF is that black thing dangling around rught at the bottom of the microphone"?

[@paulmorrey733]

Thanks

[@alcraig1]

I've been in broadcast for 46 years. We usually have significantly longer cables to deal with. I'd just like to point out the it makes no difference which end you start with and which way it is pointing when you start. You should also be able to do this using either hand. There are times when the surplus cable ends up being somewhat in the middle of the run. During bump out, its easier to pick up the surplus (which I left neatly hidden) and pull in each end. One also needs to learn how to do this flat on the ground for things like 100 metres of 12 pair multicore. This is also a good way to keep your garden hoses from kinking. Same goes for really long anchor ropes. For really thick cable (think 3 phase power or camera triax) rather than over under we use the figure 8 method. Finally, almost everybody in the broadcast industry secures cables with electrical tape, whether it be mic cables, coax cables, fibre optic cables, camera triax, camera SMPTE and even 3 phase power.

[@AttawayAudio]

thanks for the tips!

[@freemandiaz5123]

Ladies first. Genius!

[@freemandiaz5123]

Title should be How not to throw up lol

[@AttawayAudio]

+Freeman Diaz HAHA!

[@freemandiaz5123]

@@AttawayAudio Worked perfectly! Immediate need for an additional mic. Threw the cord, watched it lay perfectly! Fast!

[@AttawayAudio]

@@freemandiaz5123 Welcome to the club. Feels so good doesn't it?

[@Gretsch0997]

Ain’t no one gonna drink coffee at a Morman Church. 😃

[@AttawayAudio]

Sweet! What school do you go to?

[@Gretsch0997]

What School do I go to? Lol , I’m a college professor in Alberta Canada. But weekend sound tech, as a side thing. In my early days I used to operate old school Martin cabinets. Yikes! Lol

[@opmjazzplaylists2912]

0:10 yes it did

[@OverUnderAudio]

(Right handed method) If you are struggling with the under; hold the cable between your 1st and 2nd finger on your right hand with palm to the sky whilst also holding your over loop in the left, Run the right hand down the cable about 30cm (12 inches) and then twist your hand 180 to the left to make a loop and bring it up towards you. Should make an under loop perfect length every time.

[@aidan5550]

Have you tried the jump rope method?Put both ends together then again and again until it is small and you can either velcro or wrap inside itself.

[@AttawayAudio]

Only for extension cords

[@ParmerleeTube]

Yes. I call it the "bedsheet" method. As far as avoiding tangles, it is almost as good as the over-under method and it is faster. More importantly, people often want to "help" by wrapping cables. There is no way I can say "don't touch my cables unless you know the over-under method." Instead of being a jerk, I can say "Fantastic, just start somewhere in the middle, pull the cable through your hands to make sure there are no twists or knots, ending with both connectors in one hand. Then just fold it in half and then again like a bedsheet until it is a couple of feet long, then Velcro it." I realize this will place some stress on the wires if the folds tend to happen at the same places, but in 30 years of doing this stuff, I have only had one cable go bad that wasn't a matter of replacing one of the connectors. And no. do not tie a knot at the end. Use Velcro.

[@alcraig1]

Don't think that would work very well with a 100 metre cable.

[@Widgett2k11]

Something most people dont think of outside of rolling cable is unrolling a cable. So often during transport the connector end that is not binding the rolled cable will fall in between other loops. Take a few seconds to make sure it is correctly on the outside of all other loops. Throwing a cable you know was originally rolled perfectly now has 10 knots in it disheartening.

[@AttawayAudio]

yeah that's a disappointing moment when you throw it out the wrong way. Thanks for the comment Huck E!

[@rwadley15]

6:10 I don't even wrap round once, I put the mid point round the boom length adjuster knob. If the singer wants to go hand held all they need do is flick the cable off and away they go :-)

[@shankarjogdand6239]

Nict sir

[@AttawayAudio]

Thanks Shankar!

[@billhooper4182]

Just make sure yoy don't pass either end through the loops before you toss it out or you end up with a series of knots. Been there done that.

[@AttawayAudio]

"how to tie 10 knots with a single motion" is the name of that move

[@bondo1955]

I’ve got cables I’ve had for 30 yrs that I’ve rolled like the first method you showed and plug them into each other and it cuts time for tear down 10 sec per cable

[@AttawayAudio]

Cool! Thanks for the tip!

[@FoulOwl2112]

Y'all sounded awesome bro! Can l help you pack up you stuff? It's called a load out man. No thanks. I can roll up your cords man! They're cables buddy and for the LOVE OF ALL THATS HOLY, NO!!! But l can help! Ok stand beside that door and dont let anybody out that's not wearing one of these black shirts. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I've that exact conversation.

[@ryanmccann2539]

I've heard it called the roadie wrap, and the way I do it is by alternating my thumb direction like you also showed. I've gotten pretty good at it, and I use it with my vacuum's power cord and extension cords. It becomes second nature and no more knots.

[@AttawayAudio]

No kidding! Unfortunately many power cables are already so twisted that it's futile. If only we could make this part of compulsory education.

[@rouvenottjes9693]

...and if you just wrap "over-over" you'll never run into the problem that you'll have multiple knots in a cable. Just learn to do "over-over" properly and it will look as tidy as your "over-under" but be a lot hustle-less.

[@AttawayAudio]

Show me! I’d love to see it. You can post the video link here and I’ll put it in the description or even an info card.

[@ernestoramirez2088]

I’ve failed you, I have the cables candy striped to the overhead stands to mics

[@AttawayAudio]

It's forgivable. It's only a mic cable.

[@longsnapper5381]

My cables are just "back and forthed " into a ziploc bag labelled(color coded) for cable length. The male end is left sticking out through the "zipper". They all get tossed in a big tupperware-ish bin. Tangles are few and far between.

[@josephmossbridge]

u sound like david schwimmer

[@AttawayAudio]

thanks? :) that or Ray Romano

[@Amor_fati.Memento_Mori]

Damn. This is hard. Been at it for about 15 min straight! So annoying.

[@AttawayAudio]

Wax on, wax off.

[@natesoundguy]

You look like Jerry Seinfeld lol great video though 👍

[@littlealex3719]

Candy Stripe ...... I hate this one sooooooooooo much !!!!!!

[@AttawayAudio]

Oh me too. It’s definitely cringe-worthy

[@jepomer]

I hate coffee. Many people hate coffee. Don't expect that drinking coffee is an incentive for everyone.

[@AttawayAudio]

sorry 🤷‍♂️

[@jepomer]

@@AttawayAudio Just my little pet peeve that since most people drink coffee, they assume everyone else does. We non-coffee drinkers are not "strange", but a minority. We do like to be acknowledged as otherwise "normal" people. I just never liked the taste of coffee. When one of my managers learned that I did not drink coffee, he asked how do I get going in the morning. I smiled as I did watching this episode. Just because we don't drink coffee doesn't mean we are against caffeine. We may simply consume caffeine differently when needed AND it actually is more effective. --- I thought it was an appropriate moment to voice my pet peeve since the episode was a couple of years old. I thought it was nice that you do respond to comments from older episodes. By the way, I have learned a lot watching your videos over the past month. Thank you.