Organization

[Amped]

I was just wondering what methods people use to organize headphones, cables and assorted patch cords. I want them easily accessable so I was thinking some kind of wall mounted hook assembly. Im seriously getting tired of searching through a pile of spaghetti. Pics, ideas, opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Jim

 

[frederic]

I was just wondering what methods people use to organize headphones, cables and assorted patch cords. I want them easily accessable so I was thinking some kind of wall mounted hook assembly. Im seriously getting tired of searching through a pile of spaghetti. Pics, ideas, opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Jim

I will have one hanger on each side of my console desk, on the wall. One for each pair of headphones. Also, one in the vocal booth.

Cables will be in drawers, under the console desk at the sides, unless I'm too lazy to build drawers in which case I'll put more hangers, probably hooks on the ceiling. Boxes do not work!

 

[knightfly]

Being cheap (about some things) I made mine from scrap pieces of fiberglass angle (like angle iron, only made from fiberglass) - I work in a plant that uses all kinds of chemicals, so they get some pretty exotic stuff, and all the "mad inventors" who work there tend to "dumpster dive" as a new project is going in - mine were made from 4" angle, it was a bitch to cut all the slots.

The closest commercially available thing I've seen to mine are these -

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CBLD/

BTW, this

Maximum cable diameter is .025"

is obviously a misprint - they mean 0.25" :=)

For headphones, you want 'em when you want 'em - again, I custom made mine (no pix, place is a disaster at this time) but one thing that would work is those single hook-type towel holders, placed wherever they will be in reach of the mix position. Don't get the glue-on type unless you have a really good clean flat surface to glue them to.

For extra headphones (visitors, talent, etc) I found some individual-sized containers made by Sterilite, called "ShowOffs" - one container, one set of phones, they stack 3-4 high without tipping, they're clear so you can see what's in them, and they keep phones from gathering dust when not in use.

http://www.sterilite.com/Category.html?Section=Storage&ProductCategory=42#

The 1892 and 1894 are the sizes I use most, 1892 for phones and 1894 for all the various accessories/pieces of a particular "goody" - example; one has all the accessories/charger, etc, for my digital camera (including the camera in a small shoulder bag) one holds my brother label maker and over a dozen label tapes, the manual/cd, the PC cable, etc - one holds my rotary laser level with targets, laser reciever, etc - for that one, I took some 2" packing foam and made cutouts so the stuff doesn't rattle around but is easily accessible.

The rest of my (organizational) life is a freakin' disaster :=((

 

[Light]

I have a section of pegboard, about 32"H x 24"W. I don't have a huge amount of cables that are not permenent install, but what I have, is coiled (over-under, thank you), tied, and hung on hooks on the pegboard. All of the XLR are on one peg, the instrument level stuff on another, RCA gets one, as do headphones, and then a couple of misclanious pegs (for MIDI, tube mic cable, and of course gaff tape). MOst of the big studios I have worked in have done some variation on the same thing, though I got it from my families guitar shop, where all of our tools and merchandise are hung on pegboard.

It is very simple, made of a piece of pegboard, with a 1x2 frame on the back to hold it away from the wall.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[Amped]

Hey, thanks for the input! Whildst rummaging thru some stuff at work, I stumbled across some new pegboard, I dont quite know how it made it into the trunk of my car, oh well. Im probably gonna cut a 24" x 36" piece, back it with some 1"x2", find some hooks and slap the thing on the wall, and of course, paint it black. It should do the trick.