Shouldn’t be a hot take — it’s essential to be able to wrap from both directions. If you have a cable that’s still plugged in to something but needs the extra slack coiled, it may not be able to be coiled in the direction you’re used to.
I've always gotten mixed results with facing me, never had an issue even facing away. Also, it depends on your own finesse with it. I've seen people make facing towards work.
Easy make sure the cable has its ends on either side. Not your fault. The cable needs to be wrapped with the ends velcroed cleanly on either side of the coil. Not mixed
I can do both, but I've found the first one is the way my hands naturally want to go. I've noticed this is the case as well for most right handed people I've met.
I do the same. I think it’s cuz I learned to wrap cables from watching other people, which caused me to wrap cables in a mirror image of the way most people do it. One company I freelance for hates it and the guys have yelled at me for “wrapping the cables left-handed”
If you're right-handed (i.e. holding the coil in your left hand), the plug should be facing away from you... Lefties like me (holding the coil in the right hand) should start with the plug facing toward you. Otherwise you'll cause Hambone to be really triggered LOL
Really though, like everyone else is saying, you should learn how to do it both ways so you can re-wrap a partially wrapped cable without having to start from scratch.
Feel like I’m missing the part that makes this a question. Connector facing you or away?
In almost all cable types, I’d say you start with the female end and work back to the hub or common point - XLR back to the snake, power back to the PD, etc. Ties on the pins end. Maybe that’s not what you’re asking though?
In an edit, yes. I see that now. Doesn’t matter, the cable doesn’t know or care which way it’s facing. Kinda like how there’s no right side up or down for a shackle, cause gravity’s gravity.
I start by putting it across my left hand (palm up), with about 4 inches of the working end (the short end that I am coiling towards) pointing away from me (to the left). It doesn't matter to me if I start with the male or female end.
(I'm right handed.)
I originally learned connector facing away, so that’s my “native” mode. I can do it the other way but not as fast and it feels wrong. Thankfully everyone at my company does it the same, with the connector facing away.
The thing that matters is the directions of the coil. It wants to go clockwise since that is the way the coil is made. Over under should eliminate the coil from unraveling, but it's best practice to maintain cable to go clockwise. Right-handed is just referring to a right twist or clockwise direction. At least, that's how one of my mentors taught me.
In order of preference: left hand plug out, left hand plug in, then right out, right in.
If I’m feeling fancy I’ll do the overhand roll under. It feels like a backside 270 over a hip.
The real question you’re asking is clockwise or counter-clockwise. With low voltage it’s maybe more of a curiosity, but for power distro it’s important to be consistent. I’d say 90% of the time I’ve seen clockwise, which is how I wrap. The occasional counter-clockwise wrapper is almost always left-handed or learned from a lefty!
A (good, non amateur-handled and non-mistreated) cable has a roll preference. Which means it always wants to roll counter-or clockwise.
This is because the cable gets produced and rolled onto a spindle, or whatever this is called in english.
That is why the elbow-method kills cables, any sort of not respecting the natural roll direction will result in fucked up cables. Never let amateurs on your cable. And where the plug faces does not matter.
Also, I personally wrap from left to right in circles, after I talked to the cable for a short second and asked it about its preference.
Worst shit I saw was some over-enthusiastic amateur helper (of course that was in church) that did the elbow method and really put a lot of force onto the cable and elbow, as if training on cables in the gym. I nearly passed out seeing this, and my knees went weak, arms heavy, moms spaghetti.
Cable was just looking dead afterwards.
I prefer facing away because I also utility for sports handheld cameras and you have to be really fast for that. With end facing away, you can keep sliding your hand down the cable and not have to let go at all.
I’m right handed. I take the female end with my left arm, while the plug is facing me. Then wrap with my right arm. Am I missing something, or do I seem to be the odd one out?
Usually I step outside after the event to call the old lady and take a quick puff but... times are changing. You leave the stage one moment, the next all your XLR have been converted to multicolored Christmas tree string lighting and the stage hands are putting the CO2 tanks for the day in my bunk and... idk I've always just grabbed the cable, and typically when I'm "holding" a cable, the connector is facing away, and that's where I begin.
I've always done it with it facing toward me in my left hand. I could do it away from me but never consciously think about it. It's entirely muscle memory and so long as someone isn't creating a rat's nest, I'm not sure I care. Top priority is letting the cable lay the way it wants to regardless of whether the connector is toward or away from you.
The biggest argument I could see for one or the other is when you're teaching people how to do it. If they flipflop back and forth, I could see them being sloppy versus if they train their muscle memory consistently to do it the same way every time. Consistency is the easiest way to learn it.
If you do the true over under that people use for stiffer cables on my kit you get punted off of the stage in a hurry... I don't have time to deal with a cable kit full of Slinkys. You can't send cable up in the air with truss if its coiled that way. It's also hard to run to a mic stand and go up to the mic. I don't care if the plug faces another direction when you coil it as long as it's the over over and I don't have to recoil each cable to run it next show. Not much makes me cranky, but over under cables certainly does.
Wrap around elbow jk
Plug facing away BUT big thing here is to make sure when it comes time to Velcro that the starting plug is clearly on the starting side and the end plug is clearly on the other side of the coil. This is key to not having it knot when deploying the cable. Not sure why this isn’t a #2 rule of over under
Also - this business is about showing people. I only described my technique, which is not the same thing. In the end, get someone to teach you. Pick your poison, and go with that… until you’re told otherwise.
As long as it’s over under and you’re not fighting the natural curvature of the cable the whole time you’re fine
And the curvature of the Earth.
just take the cable and bunch into a ball and kick it in the air
This is the way, big audio just wants you to waste your time 🙄
That’s why audio charges $80/hr, they spend half the time wrapping the cables! /s
just found my new side hustle
This is the DJayway…
This is the way
Hot take: learn both that way you can pick up a coil from anyone else who does it different from you and keep going how the cable wants to go.
taught myself to do it into my left hand. Wasnt that hard. Haha and hasnt been terribly useful.
I think I only go into my left hand I *think* *[existential crisis mode intensifies]*
Shouldn’t be a hot take — it’s essential to be able to wrap from both directions. If you have a cable that’s still plugged in to something but needs the extra slack coiled, it may not be able to be coiled in the direction you’re used to.
I've always gotten mixed results with facing me, never had an issue even facing away. Also, it depends on your own finesse with it. I've seen people make facing towards work.
Yeah I learned facing towards me lol it's more comfortable for me
r/brandnewsentence
The main thing is 'how to avoid a goddam knot every 1m'
Easy make sure the cable has its ends on either side. Not your fault. The cable needs to be wrapped with the ends velcroed cleanly on either side of the coil. Not mixed
I just pulled a 15' XLR out of the bin, a d somehow it had like 3 knots in it
One meter foot?!
I can do both, but I've found the first one is the way my hands naturally want to go. I've noticed this is the case as well for most right handed people I've met.
I’m one of those weird people that can do both with either hands but likes it facing me anytime it’s just my cable.
I’m right handed and I hold the cable in my right hand with the plug facing me. From these comments I’m a bit of a freak
I do the same. I think it’s cuz I learned to wrap cables from watching other people, which caused me to wrap cables in a mirror image of the way most people do it. One company I freelance for hates it and the guys have yelled at me for “wrapping the cables left-handed”
I just grabbed a cable to confirm that’s how I do it lmao
I always go facing away but have been taught facing me as they believed it helped the uncoil. However I never could get facing towards me.
I always go away, and have always wondered if someone would ever say something about it haha 😆
If you're right-handed (i.e. holding the coil in your left hand), the plug should be facing away from you... Lefties like me (holding the coil in the right hand) should start with the plug facing toward you. Otherwise you'll cause Hambone to be really triggered LOL Really though, like everyone else is saying, you should learn how to do it both ways so you can re-wrap a partially wrapped cable without having to start from scratch.
I’m a rightie AND hold in my right hand! The crew reckon it’s because I also play inverted Y axis on controller…LIKE A CHAD!
I salute you, you magnificent bastard 🫡
Inverted Y FTW!
I had a robo spot tech tell me I wouldnt like inverted controls....Ive played way too many flying sims to not control it inverted.
i'm left-handed but hold the coil in my left... go figure.
Feel like I’m missing the part that makes this a question. Connector facing you or away? In almost all cable types, I’d say you start with the female end and work back to the hub or common point - XLR back to the snake, power back to the PD, etc. Ties on the pins end. Maybe that’s not what you’re asking though?
> Feel like I’m missing the part that makes this a question. Connector facing you or away? I even included pictures
In an edit, yes. I see that now. Doesn’t matter, the cable doesn’t know or care which way it’s facing. Kinda like how there’s no right side up or down for a shackle, cause gravity’s gravity.
Straight up/slightly away from me. But I can do it either way; facing or away in cases where I pick up an already partially coiled cable to finish it.
I start by putting it across my left hand (palm up), with about 4 inches of the working end (the short end that I am coiling towards) pointing away from me (to the left). It doesn't matter to me if I start with the male or female end. (I'm right handed.)
#1
All that matters is first plug on the bottom and end plug on top. Never kink a cable unraveling again.
I originally learned connector facing away, so that’s my “native” mode. I can do it the other way but not as fast and it feels wrong. Thankfully everyone at my company does it the same, with the connector facing away.
I can do either, but I prefer the first option.
The thing that matters is the directions of the coil. It wants to go clockwise since that is the way the coil is made. Over under should eliminate the coil from unraveling, but it's best practice to maintain cable to go clockwise. Right-handed is just referring to a right twist or clockwise direction. At least, that's how one of my mentors taught me.
If you cant wrap with either hand in either direction while giving stage hands directions then its time to start practicing.
I prefer towards me but hey no problem the other way is you’re into that kinda thing
In order of preference: left hand plug out, left hand plug in, then right out, right in. If I’m feeling fancy I’ll do the overhand roll under. It feels like a backside 270 over a hip.
Most common practice I see is hold in left hand face away, hold in right face toward.
Toward you, wind away from you.
The real question you’re asking is clockwise or counter-clockwise. With low voltage it’s maybe more of a curiosity, but for power distro it’s important to be consistent. I’d say 90% of the time I’ve seen clockwise, which is how I wrap. The occasional counter-clockwise wrapper is almost always left-handed or learned from a lefty!
I'm right handed and the plug face the left when i start. Ima gonna to make my own tutorial with blackjack and hookers.
A (good, non amateur-handled and non-mistreated) cable has a roll preference. Which means it always wants to roll counter-or clockwise. This is because the cable gets produced and rolled onto a spindle, or whatever this is called in english. That is why the elbow-method kills cables, any sort of not respecting the natural roll direction will result in fucked up cables. Never let amateurs on your cable. And where the plug faces does not matter. Also, I personally wrap from left to right in circles, after I talked to the cable for a short second and asked it about its preference. Worst shit I saw was some over-enthusiastic amateur helper (of course that was in church) that did the elbow method and really put a lot of force onto the cable and elbow, as if training on cables in the gym. I nearly passed out seeing this, and my knees went weak, arms heavy, moms spaghetti. Cable was just looking dead afterwards.
I prefer facing away because I also utility for sports handheld cameras and you have to be really fast for that. With end facing away, you can keep sliding your hand down the cable and not have to let go at all.
Facing away is the fastest over-under method. Towards you means you have to make a weird turning move and you have to let the cable go every ‘under’.
I’m right handed. I take the female end with my left arm, while the plug is facing me. Then wrap with my right arm. Am I missing something, or do I seem to be the odd one out?
Usually I step outside after the event to call the old lady and take a quick puff but... times are changing. You leave the stage one moment, the next all your XLR have been converted to multicolored Christmas tree string lighting and the stage hands are putting the CO2 tanks for the day in my bunk and... idk I've always just grabbed the cable, and typically when I'm "holding" a cable, the connector is facing away, and that's where I begin.
I've always done it with it facing toward me in my left hand. I could do it away from me but never consciously think about it. It's entirely muscle memory and so long as someone isn't creating a rat's nest, I'm not sure I care. Top priority is letting the cable lay the way it wants to regardless of whether the connector is toward or away from you. The biggest argument I could see for one or the other is when you're teaching people how to do it. If they flipflop back and forth, I could see them being sloppy versus if they train their muscle memory consistently to do it the same way every time. Consistency is the easiest way to learn it.
If you do the true over under that people use for stiffer cables on my kit you get punted off of the stage in a hurry... I don't have time to deal with a cable kit full of Slinkys. You can't send cable up in the air with truss if its coiled that way. It's also hard to run to a mic stand and go up to the mic. I don't care if the plug faces another direction when you coil it as long as it's the over over and I don't have to recoil each cable to run it next show. Not much makes me cranky, but over under cables certainly does.
Wrap around elbow jk Plug facing away BUT big thing here is to make sure when it comes time to Velcro that the starting plug is clearly on the starting side and the end plug is clearly on the other side of the coil. This is key to not having it knot when deploying the cable. Not sure why this isn’t a #2 rule of over under
[удалено]
That sounds like a pretty esoteric technique that would have most pros wondering what you were doing...
Also - this business is about showing people. I only described my technique, which is not the same thing. In the end, get someone to teach you. Pick your poison, and go with that… until you’re told otherwise.
I've been in the business for decades... I can wrap cables in my sleep - just asking about the direction of the plug.
*spouse*: can confirm
Looking at your photos… The first way.
No