Nate C Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 Recently I was asked how I kept my cables in such good condition. Simply by rolling and storing them well and a little TLC. They need to be cleaned every now and again. Over time they get out of shape due to use,storage etc and a little time in the sun helps cables regain their shape for that nice and easy roll. This will be obvious stuff to most, but I have been asked enough times to realise some folks have never thought to sun bake their cables. Oh and when you get a new cable that has come fresh off a drum, lay out to sun bake, roll over under, sun bake as a roll, unroll and lay out, sun bake, roll... repeat cycle over a couple of days if possible and the cable will be trained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 Good advice Nate. Sometimes the stuff we take for granted can be a good bit of knowledge for those in the yearly years of their careers. CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 I have always done the "sun bake" with new raw cable off a drum --- not really the full on baking routine that you mention, but laying it all out in the sun, coiling it up (over-under of course) then laying out again a few times letting it sit and get a little toasty. Works like a charm and puts the cable well on the way to proper training. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundslikejustin Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 I like to 'sun-train' cables over the branch of a tree. Makes them nice and straight, and has the added benefit of draining any excess sounds clogged in the cable into the lawn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 and what do we do over here where we barely know what the sun looks like? Justin, i hope you are draining those excess sounds into a bucket or suitable container, otherwise they will get absorbed into the ground, and may re-appear should it ever rain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate C Posted September 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 Rich treat them to a day at a solarium. I don't have any trees to hang them in. Would hang them off the balcony but I am afraid the uni kids in the apartment below me would use them for a tarzan swing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnpaul215 Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 I've retrained my internal boom coiled cable in the oven on a cookie tray. I only put it about as high as a locked car in the summer sun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomBoisseau Posted September 8, 2013 Report Share Posted September 8, 2013 Rich treat them to a day at a solarium. I don't have any trees to hang them in. Would hang them off the balcony but I am afraid the uni kids in the apartment below me would use them for a tarzan swing. I frequently put cables in the oven on a cookie sheet at 170-180 degrees F. i rarely leave them in for longer than 20-30 minutes. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stacysound Posted September 8, 2013 Report Share Posted September 8, 2013 I've also had success stringing it out in the driveway and slapping it on the ground. Nothing beats a sunbath tho... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pindrop Posted September 8, 2013 Report Share Posted September 8, 2013 Are the PVC outer casings not adversely affected by UV then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate C Posted September 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2013 The green cables in my photo are over ten years old and still feel almost as new as the blue one that was brought a few months back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmahaAudio Posted September 8, 2013 Report Share Posted September 8, 2013 and what do we do over here where we barely know what the sun looks like? Find a tanning salon with a sun bed. You should have them in the UK, although they might use a different name for "sun" as you folks are so unfamiliar with the concept. Maybe they call them "Big-Diffused-Light-Source" beds over there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason porter Posted September 9, 2013 Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 I have been "involved" with XLR cables for over 15 years...and I have never heard of sun-baking. Learning is fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ze Frias Posted September 9, 2013 Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 This is both hilarious to read, and at the same time so enlightening. I guess in my studio days, it was never a thought, nor did I ever think it would ever be a consideration, to "sun-bake" cables. I will definitely try this out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juanignacio Posted September 9, 2013 Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 Does this also work with Lav's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted September 9, 2013 Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 " Does this also work with Lav's? " I would not recommend that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juanignacio Posted September 9, 2013 Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 " Does this also work with Lav's? " I would not recommend that... I just purchased some new COS11's and they seem awfully stiff. Do you have any reccomendations on how to "break them in" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stacysound Posted September 11, 2013 Report Share Posted September 11, 2013 I just purchased some new COS11's and they seem awfully stiff. Do you have any reccomendations on how to "break them in" Give them to an actor... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmfsnd Posted September 11, 2013 Report Share Posted September 11, 2013 Give them to an actor... Ding ding ding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Gilchrist Posted September 11, 2013 Report Share Posted September 11, 2013 Huge difference between break-in and break. Best regards, Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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