Cable routing: any suggestions?

dverno

dverno

Average Member
Hi everyone,
I'm a bit new here. This is the first time I've started a thread. I've looked through this forum and haven't found anything on the subject of cable routing. Am I perhaps missing it in another forum?. If not, then I'm looking for suggestions on how to best organize my more permanently placed cabling. I've been looking at plastic wire "looms" (or also called “raceways"), kind of a 'U' shaped channel with openings along both vertical walls and a removable cap piece. These look like they would work for me, but I'm interested in how others are organizing their wires. Also, the looms I'm talking about are kind of expensive, and I'm wondering if there is a cheaper alternative. I've never seen anybody talk about this, but since we all have wires to deal with and some of them stay hooked up for long periods, I assume this is a subject that could benefit everyone. Hopefully, I'm just a late-comer and there is some standard system I've managed to miss. Any suggestions are welcome.

EDIT: Since seeing the replies I've gotten on this thread, I would like to suggest a slightly different question:

HOW DO OTHERS ON THIS SITE ACTUALLY RUN THEIR WIRES AND CABLES THROUGHOUT THEIR STUDIOS, AND WHY DO THEY USE THAT METHOD?
 
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Hey,
I'm a botch-job of kind guy so it's cable ties and tacks all the way for me. :)

Are these looms above the table surface and what kind of distances are you talking about?
 
Yeah, they are made in different sizes and lengths, but the ones I was thinking of trying are about 39" long, and 1.5 inches on a side. You can see pictures at Wiring Ducts, Wire Ducts, Wire Duct, Plastic Wiring Duct. I like the open slot idea, because that gives the structure without being hard to change (sometimes you just have to do work arounds that involve changing wiring).
 
I forgot to mention, the ducts can be mounted at any angle or orientation (screwed to the top, sides, or even under horizontal surfaces). That was one reason I was looking at this type: I want to run a group of wires up, around and over my Studio desk without it looking like slightly organized spaghetti.
 
You're on the right track. My studio desk came with metal channels for just such keeping, but of course after four or five cables the channels are full and look like my hair first thing in the morning. I'm probably going to get measurements and go looking for some kind of cap for the channels, but something that holds the cables under the back lip of the desk is perfect.
 
Oh yeah, I've seen that type of desk. Alas, my desk is a converted secretary's desk, and as far as I can tell they didn't consider wiring to be a major need for secretaries.

I had hoped to upgrade to a desk like the one you have, but now I've invested a lot of time incorporating this one into my Studio (in fact it occupies the center), and I'll probably keep it for a few years.

The duct idea appeals to me for another reason too. They can be used elsewhere, next to (or attached to) equipment racks, tables, shelves, etc.
I've seen "hoop" style cable runs (usually a flat piece of metal with D shaped rings every inch or so) that would work for this also.
 
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There are lots of very neat systems - oops, U-channel with lids and plenty of stuff - but the problem always seems to be that whatever size you put in, you fill them up, and worse, removing one or adding is a horrible job. For under the surface use, where it can't be seen, then I screw in small closed loops and then put releasable cable ties through them, hanging down - not tight, just joined, and then I thread new cables through each big tie loop. It keeps them together but makes adding and changing easy.
 
That's pretty much the system I've BEEN using, and it works great, but I'm at this point trying to make the area better looking as well as functional. While I think you are right about any enclosed system getting full and being harder to alter, I am only looking for something to make the runs that I DON'T change often look more aesthetic. I agree that for frequently altered connections a closed system wouldn't make sense.
 
I looked too. There's not much out there now that everything is digital and run through routing selections in the program. But for microphone cables, I will tell you some of the prevailing wisdom from the analog world. Cables tied too tight together can cause microphonics or bleed. Notice one reply mentioned tying them loosely. Channels were usually used in studios for an additional shielding to avoid crosstalk but also for neatness. However, the very best way is, unfortunately, loose and scattered with cables crossing at about 90degrees. I once built a wooden tray that lay along the back side of my large table and I simply placed the cables in it. It was about 6" by 6" and the length of the table. In this case neatness is not the goal. Try to hide them but don't make the cables bundled tightly together. The science and physics of this might be better explained by an electrical engineer. I hope that helps.
Rod Norman
Engineer
 
Rod Norman said:
Cables tied too tight together can cause microphonics or bleed.
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Maybe. But the lines in my multicore are as close as you can get and I've never experienced that.

Rod Norman said:
cables crossing at about 90degrees.
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I've seen this advice given to power and microphone cables, i.e. lay these out at 90 degrees to each other, though not just to microphone cables. I don't know about this. I've had power and mike leads running beside each other in parallel without experiencing problems.
 
Thank you Rod,
I appreciate your time in replying. I have read that in other places too.
Generally I'm only running 2-4 mics at a time, and since their routing changes between instruments, and songs, I'm not looking for a way to route mics. I'm much more looking to run line level interconnects and (usually low voltage d.c.) power lines. The kind off thing you generally only change when re-locating equipment, or fundamentally altering the type of music worked with (e.g. acoustic jazz to electronica, etc...).
My studio is a one room affair, and I generally have only 1 or 2 musicians tracking at a time. So mic runs are not really an issue for me at this time.
Obviously, if I ever expand to an external tracking room, I'll need to re-evaluate my needs.
 
The bleed phenomena is very rare, especially with modern cables, screening techniques are very good, and the low level cabling is almost certainly balanced - so in practice it never seems to cause grief. People are now running DMX, and comms down multicores where the cores are tightly packed and interference is largely a thing of the past. The old guidance to keep power cables and speaker cables away from mic circuits is often simply impossible nowadays with airspace between the very difficult or impossible. It's good practice to separate wherever you can, but not normally an issue nowadays.
 
Studio Wiring

To all:

Wiring in a Recording Studio must be done a certain way, if you want to have trouble-free utility and safety!

-Remember that a GROUND is for SAFETY 1st, and noise reduction 2nd.

Many MYTHS abound! - First I would recommend that everyone read the articles that I have posted on my publications page - They are NOT by me, but by many other Experts in this field. The Zero-Loop-Area paper in 'my articles' is mine but it was inspired by Neil A. Muncy, who I have the honor to work with in '98.

After reading, please present further questions here.

Cheers,
John
 
I don't really buy that running balanced signal cables alongside each other is a problem. How would an audio snake ever work?

I totally agree that power cables and signal cables don't get along, but the tangled mess of power and signal cables behind my current desk don't seem to generate issues for my short cable runs. Or if it does cause any noise, it's masked by other environmental factors in my room (computer fans, self-noise of my mics, preamps, etc.)

I like the idea of the zip ties though. I'm going to need some sort of cable management system once I get all up and running in the new room. That sounds like as good of a system as any...one pathway for signal cables, one for power cables.
 
Thanx All, for the replies. I appreciate your time. I am still interested in the question of how others actually run cabling and wiring in their studios.
I've been involved in pro sound and recording, in some form or other, since the mid '70s. I have some knowledge of how this is achieved in professional, purpose-built studios. MY question is how do we NON-pro studios cope with, jury-rig, purchase or build systems for dealing with the myriad of wire we must all have in our studios??
 
dverno said:
MY question is how do we NON-pro studios cope with, jury-rig, purchase or build systems for dealing with the myriad of wire we must all have in our studios??
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This is how I cope:

Tadpui said:
but the tangled mess of power and signal cables behind my current desk don't seem to generate issues for my short cable runs. Or if it does cause any noise, it's masked by other environmental factors in my room (computer fans, self-noise of my mics, preamps, etc.
Click to expand...

I did try cable ties once. I abandoned the idea on the occasion of having to take out a cable and having to cut all the ties to do it.
 
Suppose it depends on the quality of the cables. If you're running Sommer Pegasus or Gotham GAC, you might not ever have any problems. OTOH, some of us are using the $3.99 for a 20' mic cable special, and I'm pretty careful about how they run around the room.
 
"tangled mess method" works for me, too! Whenever I have to move something or add in equipment the wires all get pulled and relaid in. I cut several slots on the back edge of my new desk to put all the cables through, so they are somewhat more orderly now, but I've never noticed any noise issues from having power and signal cables running together.
 
I run a snake from my drum kit to the interface. It runs along a wall behind stuff. Other mic cables, instrument cables, speaker cables, power cables, etc just fall over and around each other. No problems. Use quality shit and you can leave that crap in a pile. If you want it to look neat, make it look neat.
 
Not sure if anyone mentioned this option....

Here's what I did, and it worked out great, and holds a lot of audio cable, but it depends on the location of your gear/mixer, etc and your room.

I went to Home Depot and got some white vinyl roof gutters, and attached them to the two walls closest to all my gear.
Basically I have an L-shaped gutter running on two walls, and my console and side racks also follow that L-shape, so it matched up nicely.
I just screwed them to the wall beams, about 2 feet off the ground, using the typical gutter hangers (also vinyl)...and they also have an L-shaped joint to connect them together at the corner.
Very easy...very neat...did exactly what I wanted….and pretty inexpensive.

I ran all my AC electrical cords right on the floor below that, so there's 2 feet between the audio lines and the AC lines.

Here's a picture that shows a piece of the gutter with the lines going in:

Studio_RackWiring.jpg
 
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