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Church Sound System Tune Up: Cable Wrapping 101
Protect your cabling, give more durability, avoid tripping... A look at the over-under wrap.
Mar. 14, 2010, by Mike Sokol
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  Audio Basics, Church Sound, Cable Wrapping

One of the most important things a church sound operator/technician learn is how to properly wrap cables for the sound system.

A properly shop-wrapped cable will not only lay flat without any loops to trip your musicians, but the wire itself will last longer since there’s less stress on the conductors.

And that means fewer sound failures during a worship service, something we can all aspire to.

Wrapping and laying cables for a worship service may seem to be a lowly job, unappreciated by most of your congregation.

But know that in the professional world, the A1 (lead engineer) expects and appreciates when a stage crew rigs the stage properly.

Perhaps the most common method is called an over-under shop wrap. This procedure pre-twists the wire clockwise and counterclockwise with each loop, so the cable will lay out without any twists.

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Comments (8) Most recent displayed first | All comments in chronological order
Posted by bose lifestyle t20  on  08/19/11  at  04:46 AM
Every commet is best. but I like somthing different.

So make sommthing new.

Posted by Jon J  on  10/27/10  at  09:13 PM
Another technique that can be used for very thick, long cables (such as a large snake) is to coil it on the ground in a figure-8 pattern. The over/under method is often unwieldy for these large cables, which can weigh in well over 100 pounds. You could do the over/under technique on the ground, but it can be tricky with large cables.
Posted by willliam  on  08/28/10  at  01:59 AM
Nice post and you tell to everyone step by step.

I Like your method and post is too good but For longer cables you can start in the middle and work back to either end. The Over and Under is best if you are wrapping a large cable into a road case - you always know which end to grab, so the knots aren't a problem.Thank you so much for a good blog.

Posted by Tom Crosswell  on  03/25/10  at  05:17 AM
I used to do the over/over method. I now use the over/under method described here. I always roll the cable from the male XLR end to the female XLR end. I also have my cable strap at the male XLR end.

I very seldom get knots when the cable is rolled out and it always lays nice and flat with no kinks.

However....trying to get the rest of the crew/musicians to follow the same procedure is another story entirely.....

Posted by steven Larson  on  03/23/10  at  09:08 PM
I have better luck putting the two ends together then folding the cable in half till it's about 3' long then tie in a loose knot. No need for ties. To undo untie knot grab the two ends and toss. You only have trouble if the cable ever gets coiled.

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