Custom Stage Cable Looms

What exactly is a cable loom?

What is a Cable Loom? First, we need to address the fact that cable looms are sometimes mentioned with different terminologies. A cable loom is when you have multiple signals wires/cables wrapped in a single weave or 'loom'. Sometimes cable looms are referred to as Cable Snakes, Pedalboard Snake, or Pedalboard Cable Snake. Typically, these are used for Pedalboard Cable Management, from board to amp, but can refer to many other applications, such as IEM, XLR, lighting rigs, power rigs, etc. Here at Rattlesnake Cable Company, the majority of cable loom requests are for running cables from a pedalboard to an amp or multiple amps.

4CM / 3CM - 4 Cable Method / 3 Cable Method and other Loom Set ups

Many guitar players, in general, want the 4CM or 3CM, which stands for the 4 Cable Method or 3 Cable Method. I say 4 and 3 because these usually mean the same thing, but some players refer to only the cables in the loom (3CM), while others refer to the loom and their primary instrument cable (4CM). It's normal and understandable, but I wanted to clarify this first.

Let's talk about the official term 4CM or 4 Cable Method. This is when a rig has the following 4 cable runs.

1. Instrument cable - cable going from instrument to pedalboard
2. Output cable - cable going from the output of the pedalboard to an amp
3. FX Send cable - Cable going to Return of the Amp's Effects Loop
4. FX Return cable - Cable going to Send of the Amp's Effects Loop

As you see, we're talking about integrating the amp's Effects Loop with the 4 Cable Method. In this case, the cable loom would include the Output, FX Send, and FX Return cables.

Now, there are styles of 4-Cable method. For example, Line 6's Helix 4-Cable method goes like this:

1. Instrument cable - cable going from instrument to Helix guitar input
2. Helix Send cable - from the Helix's Send 1 output to your amplifier's input
3. FX Send cable - from your amplifier's effects send (preamp out) to the Helix's Return 1 input
4. FX Return cable - from the Helix's Left Mono 1/4" output to your amplifier's effects return

Another common setup could include two cables. For example, the Kemper Foot controller Data Cable (CAT5 RJ45/EtherCon) and Pedalboard output in a loom. You might have a Wet/Dry amp set up (2 amps) and need to send a pair of cables from the board to each amp. Keyboard players may run a rack of 3 keyboards or synths and need to go to different amps. Basically, if you need to send multiple lines, a loom could be a great solution. Some setups require IEC (Power) and XLR cables as well. We've seen looms with 6+ cables internally. Other pieces of gear, like Line 6 Helix, QuadCortex, and Fractal Axe-Fx, are a few other devices. Another common setup with a loom is with acoustic players that may run XLR from PreAmps into mixers. Uses could also include complex PA setups, IEM (In-Ear Monitoring) racks, etc. The list and options are endless!

Benefits of a cable loom

So why do we need a cable loom or something to manage our pedalboard cable management? If you've been playing for years and have been sending single lines without an issue, why do you need a loom? That is a great question, and the cable loom is definitely not for everyone. But to put it simply, it's a major time saver. As you know, from small bands playing bars to the big boys playing on stages, it's important to get things set up and broken down quickly - but most importantly, with little effort and maximum organization.

With a cable loom - instead of wrapping individual cables, you wrap a single cable. Set up becomes very quick. No longer looking for the correct cable for this and that and running them across the stage, etc. Now, you unwrap the single cable and plug it in. Touring acts love the looms. Techs for guitar/bass/keyboards love the looms. So, if you play often, you could be shaving off time with every set to focus on other things.

Understanding cable loom breakouts

Breakouts are the portion of the loom where the cable is exposed. Calculating breakouts is critical for smooth setup and breakdown. Often people initially think their breakouts should be short, but that is heavily dependent on where the jacks are. If you have a pedalboard where there is a junction box (all jacks on one side), you could have a shorter breakout. Our minimum or shortest breakout is 12". If your jacks are in different locations of the board, then you need to ensure that the cable can "fan" out to those locations. In some situations, one cable in the loom can be longer than the rest to accommodate a specific jack point.

We first broke down pedalboard breakouts. Let's now go into amp-side breakouts. We don't like the loom breakout point to be above the ground, but we like it to be resting. That breakout, as mentioned before, is the point where the cables separate into individual cables. We don't advise the loom to be elevated to prevent unnecessary strain on jacks and plugs. So you'll want to measure out the height of your jack inputs and account for some slack. Often, we see breakouts in the 3-4 feet on the amp side, even more so in some cases.

In some cases, you can elevate the loom if you have some type of strain relief system to secure the loom. I've seen systems on keyboard stands, securing them to cabinets, etc. I believe the best method is to keep the loom and breakout point on the ground.

In all cases, the saying "it's better to be too long vs. too short" is very true. If your breakouts are a little long, it's not an issue, but if they're too short, making that clean reach is difficult.

Understanding cable identification within the loom

Okay, now you have a great-looking loom with cables, but how do you know what it is? There are several techniques that can be used, from tape to labeling to different color plugs. Here at Rattlesnake Cable Company, we offer a few options for cable identification.

1. Laser-engraved leatherette with rivetted badges. This is an absolute great look. Small tags with numbers or words. This is great for studio set ups, etc. If you're dealing with low light - like on dark stages, this might not be ideal, though.
2. Color shrink tube. We have branded shrink tubes in White, Black, and Red. This is often the best move since it is very easy to see in any light situation.
3. Different color PVC cable. Just like our tubes, we have certain instrument cables in Red, Black, and White PVC - so the exposed cable will identify what is what.

Is a cable loom right for you?

That is an important question to ask yourself before going down the custom cable loom path. Here are some points to consider.

1. Do you feel you want to speed up your stage set up and break down?
2. Do you feel you are setting up and breaking down often - several times a week, etc?
3. Do you feel you need to keep things more organized in general?
4. Do you feel you need to compact and consolidate your gear?

Answering "yes" to one or more of these questions may indicate that you would benefit from some cable management.

If it is time to start looking at stage looms, shoot us a message. We will get back to you to start the conversation on the various topics above, like breakout points, loom lengths, plug options, cable identification, etc. We will send over a diagram to ensure we're both on the same page before making the purchase. Looms tend to be super custom, and that is what we specialize in!

How to put in a custom cable loom order?

We feel that communication is one of our biggest strong points at Rattlesnake Cable Company. You can get the process started by filling out a custom build request or shooting us a message via our contact form.

Here are a few things items to sort out

1. How many cables are needed?
2. What lengths are the cables?
3. What plug configuration for the cables?
4. What plug material (Nickel, Gold, etc)?
5. What are the breakout points?
6. What color loom? Loom color may be available or will need to be special ordered.

Once we have this information, we'll be able to sort out the details, but additional consultation may be needed.

Application Case Studies

We plan to put include different set ups here that go beyond standard 3C/4C method with guitar players.

DJ Set Up with Pioneer DJ OPUS-QUAD to Subs and RCF NXL 44-A MK2 speakers
A DJ reached out to us wanting a pair of looms from his Pioneer DJ OPUS-QUAD 4-channel DJ System to send signal from to his subs and speakers. We developed a pair of 30' 2-cable looms (left and right). For this particular system, he needed 1/4" TRS to Male XLR from the 'booth' output to the subs, and standard XLR from the master output of the system. In addition, the main speakers were RCF NXL 44-A MK2 speakers which are powered from the subs via PowerCon White to PowerCon True1 Female jumpers (6').

Live Application to Electro-Voice Everse speakers
Similar to the DJ set up, a customer came to us looking at a pair of 2-cable looms for left/right power and signal. These looms were 27' overall length, with Edison 3-Prong AC power to Blue Power Con to the subs, and longer breakout length for the XLR to the Everse Speakers. He came to us after having a hard time finding this particular set up - so very happy to help him out with this.