All studio owners dream of a future in which their studio audio connections can be streamed wirelessly, and leads and cables are a thing of the past. But this is unlikely to ever happen. Imagine the different frequencies required to transmit the multiple signals that regularly flow between devices, to say nothing of the expensive of all those converters, transmitters and receivers.
So for now we must stick with our cables. To be fair, for the most part analogue and digital audio leads and cables work extremely well and as they say, if it ain't broke don't fix it.
Our problem is where and how to store all those leads that are used temporarily such as ..
patch bay cords
mic leads
headphone leads
guitar leads
mains leads
computer interconnects
For some leads we favour a mobile kitchen drawer unit. We coil, attach a cable tie and lie them flat. This works well for some cables but for others the drawer just ends up a mess.
If space permits, a better solution is to hang some of them, which of course requires hooks. A traditional solution is to attach hooks to a length of wood and the wood to a wall. But this requires drilling into a wall, and in our studio that's impossible because the walls have stud work to accommodate layers of sound proofing materials.
Recently we came up with a simple device which hangs off the tops of our rack cabinets.
To make one all you need is ..
1. 18mm MDF- approx 8cm wide and as long as is appropriate for what you're going to hang it on. Ours upright section is 72cm long. You should get the MDF pre-cut at your timber yard. You will need an additional piece to make the top section from which the upright will hang, so add another 10cm which you can cut off with a hand saw later. If you plan to secure the top section to the cabinet with a screw, your top section need only be 6cm, as in this picture ..
2. 15mm (diameter) round dowling (also called moulding) - these will function as the hooks
3. Fixing screws
The tools you will need are ..
1. Electric screwdriver / drill
2. Saw - to cut off a length of MDF to create the top section
3. Drill bit - size 14mm to cut the holes for the dowling
4. Drill bit to drill holes for your fixing screws (slightly narrower than the screws)
5. Counter-sink drill bit - to finish off your fixing screw holes
6. Light sandpaper
Here's how to construct it ..
1. Cut your MDF so you have the upright and top sections.
2. Lightly mark the locations of the hook holes on your upright with a pencil. We spaced ours apart by 5cm.
3. Using the 14mm drill bit, drill out the hook holes. You can drill all the way through. You may want to drill half way through from one side and half way on the other to achieve a smoother finish. Although the drill bit is 1mm narrower than the dowling hooks it should create a hole that is just tight enough to accept the hooks.
4. Drill 2 holes into the top section so you can secure it to the upright piece with your fixing screws.
5. It is essential that you pre-drill the holes in the upright section to accept the screws or the MDF will split. Adjust your drill so the you are drilling exactly the length of your screws.
6. Place the top section on the upright section (you may want to use a vice or clamps), and drill down through the holes you have just drilled and into the upright section.
7. Use your counter-sink drill bit to finish the screws holes in the top section.
8. If you are plan to secure the complete device to your cabinet with a shorter top section, drill and countersink a third hole now.
9. Cut your dowling into lengths of approx 12cm.
10. Sand everything by hand.
11. Screw the top section to the upright.
12. You're done!
Thanks for reading and watching
FairFax
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