Label like a mad-person

Labels – even if you think you don’t need them, they will save you SO MUCH time and energy when you’re troubleshooting or changing/expanding your system later!

Keeping yourself organized for your show is of the utmost importance! There are quite a few aspects that go into organization and today we are going to talk about streamlining you AV or lighting setup.

Labeling

Whether you are doing a temporary or permanent setup for your display or show one key thing that is going to help you have everything run smoothly is labeling. Labeling everything as much as possible will help you when you are setting up, will help you if and when you need to troubleshoot, and will help you stay organized during a quick and efficient takedown if your display is temporary.

Temporary or Permanent Fixtures

When we talk about labeling things in lighting there are a few things to keep in mind. One is that your method of labeling is going to vary depending on whether your setup is temporary or a more permanent fixture.

For example, if you are doing a temporary event then you will find that simply labeling with tape will work perfectly for you and you won’t need to invest in a fancy label maker, although you could, of course, if you choose.

The best kind of tape to use for labeling cables or fixtures is artist’s tape or console tape. These are basically the same thing and are inexpensive, paper-based tapes which don’t leave residue even if you leave the tape on for extended periods of time. There are other types of tape out there of course but they tend to stick extra strongly and cause removal to be more difficult.

Labels

When it comes to labels how do you decide what is necessary to label and what is not? This depends on how temporary or permanent your installation is.

If you are working a more temporary display then simple labels on your longer runs of cable detailing where they go, and simple labels on your fixture are important. Other than that you likely are not going to need anything more labeled.

If you have a permanent installation the best advice is to label any cable that you can’t see both ends of from where you stand. Also take time to label every fixture and use a label maker to do so. Include the fixture name, its ID number, its address, and its mode.

Labeling Fixtures

No matter where you decide to add the label to your fixture, there is a benefit to doing so. Making sure they are labeled appropriately is important because when it comes time for your fixture to be replaced or moved to a new location you can easily see the address and mode to keep the swap out simple. You can also easily transfer the old label to the new fixture easily to be able to keep track of all your necessary information during switch outs and alterations.

The biggest key with any type of labeling is consistency.

Labeling Cables

When it comes to cables, anything that is particular needs to be labeled. This is especially important in a permanent install.

How do you keep wiring nice and clean while working with lighting? These are my top tips!

Making your wiring set up a bit neater as you work can make your life so much easier and will help you make the most out of your equipment and your time.

Setup

One really common way to set up lights is to have a bunch of uplights on the ground, perhaps a moving head nearby, and then your wiring setup. So how can you make this setup look as nice as possible?

When setting up there are a couple things to look for, the first being working with the LED uplights. When you are handling this, you typically will want to come through the side of the yolk rather than through the back. The reason for this is that if you go through the back and then you have to turn the light the other way you may sometimes find that they can get caught up on the yolk itself and prevent movement. Not every fixture will have this issue, but it can be quite a hassle when you come across the ones that do.

Another helpful tip is when wiring between fixtures. It is beneficial to keep all of your wiring to the wall on a moving head. This keeps the wiring between fixtures contained and neat. You can then easily wrap any excess wiring around your last fixture and use a piece of tie line to secure it in place.

Trusses

When working with trusses, whether large or small, there are a couple things you will want to do to keep the cables really neat and create a more organized display.

First and foremost, when you are coming up a truss with multiple cables there are a few ways to do it. Some people go inside the truss at the bottom and work their way up. This way however can prove to be rather messy as well as time consuming during set up and tear down. A more efficient way to go about this is to start at the back of the truss and tie off your cable from the top using a tie line and work your way down the truss, tying off anything you see sticking out or which looks unruly.

When you come to a fixture on a truss that is hanging off of it, especially a non-moving fixture, you will want to be careful to ensure that you have given yourself enough cable to make it all the way to the light and get it plugged in. Before you tie your cable back make sure that you have enough space to tilt that fixture as far forward as you possibly need to.

As long as your cables aren’t being pulled against your jacks or anything like that you will be good to go with your setup.

Pipes and Trusses

When you are dealing with pipes and trusses the biggest key is to take your time to be careful. Keeping your cables organized to come all the way down one side will save you a world of difficulty. If you happen to be sharing a truss, particularly with audio signal, keeping your different cables separated with one located on one side and one on the other can be incredibly helpful as well.