Organization tips.

[seanocean]

dry_erase_magnets_1M.jpg (5.56 KiB) Viewed 1402 times

hey so i been doing tidy work.. yes i am procrastinating. but it feels good to clean up and i was thinking the tape strips on my desk get really gummy if i put electrical tape or other masking tape etc. and it sucks to move gear to different channels... anyway. they sell these pre printed magnets with "keyboard" or "vocals" etc. on them for 20 bucks a pop when you can clearly get a DIY method for way less. i came up with the idea that you can either cut up the magnets pictured above and write on them or get a labeler and print whatever you like on them. really dumb simple, and i'm sure i'm not the first to think of it, but i thought it was worth sharing nonetheless.

does anyone here have any other clutter reducing strategies?
for example, i still am having issues dealing with spaghetti cables in my outboard. does anyone have any hacks to help make cable management painless? i've seen some stuff for cat5/cat6 ethernet cables that look appealing...

[surface]

Nice idea with the magnets.
I guess coloured velcro strips are the obvious choice for cables...and legomen!

[Lost to the Void]

What is this "organisation" that you speak of?

[innovine]

Get a long wooden board and screw lots of 10-15cm dowels into it with about 10-15cm spacing, and mount on the wall. Super useful for holding rolled up cables.

Label everything. I make tiny paper labels and set them on my patchbay, mixer ins, sends, under knobs, everywhere. Use a tiny bit of blu-tack to hold them in place and they'dl be super easy to move. Any time I move a cable I am careful to update the label positions. If you ever wonder whats connected to what and end up tracing a connection through your gear then you will benefit from this.

Some other strategies: I always remove any cables I find with a disconnected end. Keep the studio nice and clean, frequently tidy away all the small shit all the time, have and use a dedicated box for adapters and small things like that. Having a dedicated place for every single item s important; cleaning begomes just moving everything back to its home and shit will always be where you expect it. Good storage is essential. Those sticky strips are great for holding guitar plecs. Have a beercan holder mounted at knee height on a mic stand or table leg so even if it spills it won't get on gear. Use those remote controlled power switch things on difficult to reach power outlets, I've a couple remote switches mounted on the wall by the door which power up several sections of the studio independently.

[seanocean]

Cool. i did look to saddle cable clips (for cat5/6 installs etc.) to keep my rig in nice shape, also could give me stress relief on some shorter cables. i totally agree that colors are the way. though i used to love seismic. some of their xlr cables failed on me recently so.. i'm -_____- about that company.. though their colored TRS cables seems to be soldered on strong. so idk. I do think i have frittered away a lot of time with organization but maybe it's trading the time spent being frustrated down the line because i forgot exactly how an aux was routed. blah blah. thanks for the tips.