Cable Labeling

[bachelorb]

Any Hints on what to do when labeling each end of the cable? I'm thinking along the lines of "Tape Out 1" being TO1, "Compressor Insert 1" being CI1 etc......

Is there any standard on this?? (Standards are good because I can see me a year from now going "Now why would I have labeled this "too one"??????

 

[miroslav]

Whatever makes sense to you.

 

[mixsit]

I haven't needed much in addition to what comes on the the patch snake cables in my setup. A pair of 8 x DB25 each for 16 A/D and D/A's. They're numbered 1--8, I just added sets 'A and B to their main lines. Most (many) stay put, other than swapping A/D's some to diff pre outs.
Mic cables is where I needed marking. There[ different colors as much as possible, then felt pen bands around the wires 1 --- 4 ' for when the colors are duplicates, and length in feet on the XLR's.

 

[sweetbeats]

I just number my cables sequentially with numerals if I need any numbering at all. Most of my snakes have numbers printed on the individual channel jackets and they are pretty colors so that helps. I'd do whatever works for you so you can keep track when changing patching during your process.

---------- Update ----------

My brother found these neat plastic tabs on zip ties you can zip on to an end and write on them.

 

[Track Rat]

I Bellcore style of labeling called near end/ far end. It seems complicated but it's really not. I have my racks numbered and the rack spaces are also numbered from the bottom up in 1.75" (1 U = a single rack space) increments. If a device is 3 rack spaced from the bottom of rack 2 and went to, say, patchbay 4, port 7, the near end tag reads 2-3-input (or output as the case may be)/patchbay 4-7 OUT. The far end would be that cables destination. All this information on the tag at the one end. At the other end of the cable the same info but reversed.

 

[miroslav]

When I initially laid out my snakes, it's mostly 1-2-3-4-5-6...etc...and it's about pairs (1-2 = L-R) and then input/outputs....so 1-2 = L-R Input and 3-4 = L-R Output...and so on...plus I number my snakes, which are either 12, 24 or 48 channel snakes. All of that I write down, mainly so when I need to get behind the racks to rewire or move some equipment around, I can trace the cables easily and know I have the right ones at both ends...
...but the real labeling is done at the patch bays, as I rarely have to pull/move the actual cables on the backs of the units.

On the bays...I'll write out the name/model of the gear...like VLA would be my ART VLA compressor, and on the bay, the top is usually the gear's output, and the bottom points are the gear's input, and everything is configured as Left and Right.
Sometimes I break from that format, like with my pres, I only have outputs on the main bays (the inputs are on my XLR bays)...and so I may have two outputs on top and two below them for a 4-channel pre...to better use the available points.

These are my actual patch bay strips that I created...all on one sheet of paper, and then I cut out each strip and slide it into the left or right or top or bottom of the patch bay label strip holder.