hey barry update.. we bought a harmony audio 12 channel snake box... we have 4 mics for our musicians.. after learning how to tie four mic cords 30ft togteher..and 2 stage monitors..we saved over 40 minutes setting up by following your method..all our band and our roadies are very happy now..now..we have much a shorter time setting up..and more time enjoying the show..thanks again.. have a great holiday!! dec 2023
Great tips. I’ve worked with a local sound company that used a single snake for front line and a single snake for back line. A/C, mic and bi amp monitor outputs packed together in plastic boxes strung out across the stage. I asked about cross talk and buzz from the A/C but it just wasn’t a problem. I think they used plastic wire sheathing to hold the snake together. They still had the odd DI to hook up plus individual mics and cables but it was super fast for a medium festival stage.
Thanks, I can appreciate that. There's a lot of stuff to hook up, and tear down at the show. I approached it like I did as a manufacturing process engineer, did my best to completely streamline the process through organization and as much as possible standardized processes. Dramatically cut down the amount of setup and tear down time, and reduced the possibility of making mistakes. Helps a lot, although at the end of the day it seemed like I still had a sore back. Best wishes!
Great video. I love the idea about a power snake. About the mic snake that also is a good idea however it is determined by the amount of mics needed as that could vary from one group/vocalists to another.
Nice power snake idea. Don't forget to manage the combined current draw from items connected to the power snake relative to the capability of the outlet it is plugged into. Just because you have boxes in the snake you still likely only have 15 amps total. No problem for keys/pedal boards but be careful if using powered speakers and amplifiers.
Great point! My stage power snake is used for powering stuff on stage like guitar amplifiers, keyboards, powered monitors etc, and generally that's not a huge power draw.
I find it important to neatly wind up cables, otherwise they have cablesex in the box and make my life miserable later. I have different plastic totebins or dividers in totes for each kind of cable (2-wire speaker, 4-wire speaker, XLR, DMX, XLR-snake, AC power etc). Bags sound nice, if that works for you. For me, the totebins are cheap, tough, and I can bring in a stack of them on a 2-wheeler so load-in/out isn't too bad. Road cases would probably be more "pro", but they'd be heavier, and I'm too old for too heavy.
@@Barry-Watson I have tote bins. The bags (clear and opaque) I've collected over years are sorted by XLR mic, 1/4 50' speaker, XLR patch, 1/4" patch / spare instrument, 1 for each short XLR snake, Speakon cables, and questionable cables. I keep all the crazy XLR / 1/4" / Speakon adapters, fuses, and banana cables in a two sided tackle box. I find the bags take less space in one tote. They are arranged with the most used at the top down to the least used in one bin. The two sided tackle box is kept in a soft side amp bag lid. The bags are the mostly fabric types you get at conferences and grocery stores. I do have a few heavy sealable clear bags for small stuff. You might consider a tag on each to help someone find what you need when you are away from the bin. This method works for me. I seriously consider grabbing one of those multi bin units from Ryobi / Milwaukee / Rigid / etc from time to time. It'd be great if you could adapt one of those to hold amps and other gear if they could handle 19 inch rack ears. I think that's a pregnant idea for someone to tackle.
Reliable professional level gear has always been expensive. But, I have seen some low priced IEMs lately that does seem to work effectively. Technology does keep getting better and more affordable.
