Shavano Music Online

    Organizing Supplies;
    What to bring along
    and how to package it

    8/98 - Jens Moller - http://www.colomar.com/Shavano/organizing_supplies.html

    There is nothing worse than traveling to a job only to find something that you really need is missing, or broken. You will often have to be creative to get past some things, but, you can make your life a lot simpler by carrying spares, accessories and a few things from your local Drug Store. All of these things are easy to get when you don't need them, but almost all are impossible to locate at night in a city that you've never been to before - which is typically where you'll suddenly have the need for them.

    I also find it substantially simpler to put things away in their proper places if 'where things go' can be well defined. Being that I have at least 100 cables, putting them in their proper place is pretty important to me when it comes to finding them again. I also have at least one spare cable of every different cable I use, greatly simplifying setup and dealing with problems before a performance.

    Since I don't know your exact needs, I can only share what I have carried with me and how its packaged. If you have other devices, such as smoke/fog machine - package that seperately with all of its supplies and move it as unit.

    NOTE: This should be obvious to most people, but it seems not to be - Never allow someone to help you pack-up that doesn't know how to pack-up your equipment the way you want it done.

    This is a great opportunity to avoid accidental damage and misplaced stuff. I had someone break 4 flood lights and rip the ends out of 3 audio cables while 'Helping' me pack-up. Maybe they can help moving some of the heavier cabinets, but its best to train some of the other musicians/artists to help pack-up and decline assistance from someone unfamiliar with your system. This stuff can be expensive to replace and you will be the one paying for it/repairing it if you allow this to happen.

    4 cases - makes it easy to figure out what goes where

    I have 4 separate boxes for things. Three (3) are fairly small, and one (1) is quite big. They are organized in this fashion:
    • Specialty/Emergency Box - This is the size of a large attache case

      • Specialty Cables.
      • Cable Adaptors.
      • Patch Boxes.
      • Volt Ohm Meter.
      • Fuses.
      • Soldering Iron.
      • Solder.
      • Large and very small screwdrivers (flat and phillips/cross-point).
      • Electrical tape.
      • Wire Cutters.
      • Pliers.
      • Spare 12 volt filament lights (used as pilot lights in some amplifiers, as well as the lighting system on the PA and my microphone stand).
      • Spare guitar strings (whole sets along with extra B and high E strings).
      • Spare guitar picks (usually a dozen).
      • Short AC power extension cords.
      • At least 1 spare vacuum tube for every type used in my amplifiers.
      • Aspirin (for headaches).
      • Decongestants (for sinus problems).
      • Band-Aids (for cuts).
      • Spare Business Cards.
      • Spare Contracts.
      • Spare demo tapes.
      • A small selection of Wood Screws.
      • Spare car/home keys.
      • A 20 dollar bill in an envelope (for emergencies).

    • Small Shielded Cable and Microphone Box - This is the size of a small suitcase

      • Microphones (each in a canvas/fabric sack).
      • Microphone cables (all put in a canvas/fabric sack).
      • All other 1/4 inch Phone Jack shielded cables less than 25 feet long.
      • All shielded cables with other forms of connectors.
      • Canvas/fabric sack marked 'Bad Cables' for this box.

    • Light Bulb Box - Big enough to hold 8 packaged flood lights.

      Light Bulbs are all that travel in this box. Light Bulbs are quite fragile (even heavy duty flood lights). Having them secured keeps the filaments from breaking, so to prevent this, I place the lights back into their cardboard packaging when not in use (the Packaging will fall apart after a while - use your trusty Duct tape to hold the cardboard boxes together with). If you travel with a different type of lighting system, the lights will still need to be fully protected - don't skimp here - lighting is expensive and very useless if you have bulbs not working.

    • Large Cable and Hardware Box - This is quite large and has wheels on the bottom of it. Nothing easily breakable goes in this box.

      • All unshielded PA system power amplifier output cables.
      • PA System Specific Patch Boxes.
      • All other 1/4 inch Phone Jack shielded cables greater than 25 feet long.
      • All cable 'Snakes'.
      • All normal use AC power extension cords (plus enough spares to extend an extra 100 feet or more).
      • Power junction box - AC power extension cable with 8 outlets on it.
      • All lighting system cables.
      • Lighting system parts (except light bulbs).
      • Lighting system controller.
      • All guitar Stands.
      • All extrainous small hardware (for keyboard stand parts and other odds and ends).
      • Canvas/fabric sack marked 'Bad Cables' for this box.
      • Duct Tape (heavy/wide cloth backed tape).
    With the right tools and organization, you'll be ready for anything you or any of your fellow performers run into.

    NOTE: While having nothing to do with music, but related only because you may have to travel to perform, I also carry (in the car/van) 2 quarts of Motor Oil and Jumper Cables.

    I have performed in places where having these things was the difference between going home after packing-up, or shivering for 8 hours or more in a car thats not going anywhere.

    Questions? Comments? .

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