How To Organize Your Cables & DJ Gear!
Whether you’re a DJ or producer, audio cables are a must. But you’ll know that cables can turn even the cleanest desks or DJ booths into an unbearable mess. It’s even worse when you rock up to a gig only to pull out a bunch of disorganised cables that are all jumbled up and tangled together.
In this article, we share 5 tips to organise your cables as well as how to keep your workspace or DJ booth clean and organised. Most of these tips are not only simple, but they also don’t cost a whole lot either. Like putting some order to your music library, getting your power cables and audio cables sorted is essential for helping your home studio work for you, ensuring your DJ sets are best set up for success and assisting you in making the most of your workspace.
Whether you have thought about reorganising your power cables or not, there’s no better time to make cable organisation a priority than right now. Keeping your home workspace and mobile DJ setup clean and tidy as well as ensuring your gear is organised when you can get back out on the road.
Why Organising Your Power Cables is Beneficial
Keeping your audio and power cables nice and neat is crucial for DJs for several reasons:
1. Greater Safety
Tangled or loose power cables can pose a tripping hazard, especially if you’re playing in a dimly lit venue or operating on a crowded stage. Tripping over unsecured power cables can lead to accidents and injuries, and damage your DJ gear.
2. Enhanced Efficiency
Every DJ knows how important getting their DJ software sorted and organising their music collection is. Why should cables be any different? Well-organised cables make it easier to set up and pack up your equipment quickly. This is particularly helpful when you are performing at multiple venues or events in a short period. The more efficient you are with your set up the more time and energy you will have to focus on just making great music.
3. Look Professionalism
A well-organised DJ set is about more than just making smart playlists. Your professional image will be reflective of every aspect of your presentation. Being neat, refined and organised reflects a DJ’s professionalism and the pride they take in their work, building up trust with clients and venues.
4. Equipment Prevent Damage
Tangled and messy cables can put a strain on the connectors and wires. Over time this can increase the risk of damage or malfunctions. The better you can keep your power cables and audio gear organised, the longer you can prolong their life and keep them working optimally.
5. Less Stress
There is a lot to focus on when you’re busy mixing music and keeping people dancing at your next gig. So, why waste precious mental energy by having a stressful, cluttered and disorganised workspace? Keeping your power cables organised, even with something as simple as cable ties, can help reduce stress and improve focus during performances.
5 Tips on How to Organise DJ Cables
1. Use Cable Ties
Cable ties have long been used to keep power cables and power supplies neat, organised and tucked away. If you’re a DJ and haven’t yet used cable ties – you are in for a treat.
There is a wide variety of different cable ties out there and each DJ will have their preferred type and style.
Velcro cable ties, such as our own DJ City variety, are affordable and basic; they should be part of every DJ’s collection of must-have gear. But cable ties utilising velcro adhesives are also some of the most useful cable management accessories available.
Essentially, our cable ties are little pieces of velcro loop into each other and allow you to bundle your audio cables together. Although they can be used for bunching cables together behind your desk, they’re perfect for keeping them organised when packing them into your bag and taking them to and from your gigs.
Velcro cable ties function similarly to plastic zip ties, but with the bonus of being removable. If you need to disconnect your audio cables, move your setup, or pack things away, all you need to do is undo the velcro. In contrast, zip cable ties perform the same function but are much more permanent. So when you decide to remove a cable you’ll have to have a pair of scissors on hand to cut it. And there is no re-using standard ties.
Of course, if you’re setting up a permanent installation such as a home studio, you might even prefer to use plastic zip ties as they offer a more heavy-duty solution and you can be sure they won’t come undone.
2. Categories Gear Using Colour-Coordinated Audio Cables
Coloured audio cables will ensure your setup is sleek and also aesthetically pleasing. But that’s not all: They are also likely to reduce your setup times when you arrive at your gigs. That’s because you’re going to know exactly which audio cables you need to pull out of the bag, and where exactly they need to go. You’ll also never have to worry about accidentally disconnecting the wrong cable again.
If you’re thinking about going the route of coloured cables, the DJ Tech Tools range of Chroma Cables is the best choice for DJs and audio professionals. Designed from scratch by digital performers, these coloured cables are all optimised for audio use and feature noise-filtering specs. Not to mention they’re going to stand out in dark club environments. There are also right-angled varieties which again can help minimise the clutter in your booth!
On top of that, Chroma Cables combines the benefits of cable ties by featuring a built-in velcro strap. Allowing for seamless packing up and keeping your big bag clean and tidy.
3. Make the Most of Gaffer Tape
Gaffer tape is king. It is especially useful if you’re running long audio cables across the floor of a room where people are going to be walking. Taping down your cables not only minimises any safety risks and hazards but keeps your audio cables a lot neater than if you’d just let them float around.
You might be wondering, can you use duct tape instead of gaffer tape? The short answer is no! Duct tape is renowned for leaving a heap of gunk on your cables, even if you’ve only got them taped down for a short period. It also stands out a lot more than gaffer tape and can be a real eyesore if you’re trying to be discreet. Not to mention that there’s a much higher chance of damaging the finish on your floors or ripping paint off the walls.
4. Find the Right Speaker Stands
Another great idea for keeping things organised is by using speaker stands. Not only will the use of speaker stands for your studio monitors get rid of unwanted clutter on your desk. But they’re also going to minimise those unwanted vibrations between your speakers and your desk. So you’re going to enjoy tighter bass as well as an overall clearer sound.
Plus, and more relevantly for the topic at hand, you are going to have much more flexibility over your cable management. Rather than audio cables hanging down messily and getting tangled amongst your other gear, you can use velcro zip ties to tie them to the rear of your speaker stands, thus keeping them out of sight and neatly fastened to the pole.
Similarly, and especially if you’re a DJ, laptop stands will also come in handy. Reducing the clutter on your desk while also saving you from back aches and pains!
5. Spend Time to Reflect and Review After The Gig
Last but not least, our last tip is to dedicate time after your gig to keep your audio cables and gear in order. When you’re packing up at the end of a performance, you might often feel like you are in a hurry to get the hell out of there. You might just want to get home or there might be some external pressure from the venue you’re playing at to pack up and move on. So what happens? You end up aimlessly throwing your cables in and forgetting about them. Before long, you are re-opening your bag to find an absolute disaster of cables at your next performance.
Ideally, you’d organise your audio cables nicely from the get-go, but unfortunately, it’s not always that easy. So whether it’s the night of or the day after; set aside 30 minutes or so to make sure your gear is neatly packed, and all your audio cables are appropriately stored away and wrapped up using your cable ties.
Trust me, you’ll thank yourself for it at your next gig!
The Final Say on Organising DJ Audio Cables
There you have it, these are some basic tips and tricks you can use to help clear up the inevitable mess that comes with all that gear you’ve got! Most of these tips don’t take a lot of investment either and can do wonders for decluttering your workspace.
DJ City stocks a wide range of DJ gear, including cable ties, power cables, and other important equipment to help you make the most of your space. If you need assistance on how to organise your power cables, reach out to our team today.
