There are A LOT of products out there that do the same thing. Just a quick search on Amazon for the most random of items will give you many options all seemingly for the same product but with just slight differences on features. I’m writing this to simplify the process of finding the right items or equipment to solve your ministry’s needs. The products listed are all items that I’ve used and I want to recommend to people.

When I was getting started I wanted a place that plainly said what was the best item for a specific purpose, so I hope this helps you find the best product! I also encourage comments or pushback on the products. If you disagree with anything here or you have a preference different than what I have listed, I’d love to have an open discussion to help future readers find the best product.

Headphones for live mixing: 

The Sennheiser HD 280 PRO over-ear headphones are my favorite for mixing for only $100. The frequency reproduction is as flat as I have found at the price point and they cover up your ears so even while you’re mixing you can clearly hear the output of the headphones. Another advantage with these headphones is the cable which coils and stretches from 3’ to 10’. Great to keep the cable from sitting on the floor and being a trip hazard. Storage is also excellent with these headphones. You can collapse them either in on themself and have it more compact, or turn the ears out and they will lay flat. Perfect for packing them in a backpack or to sit on a desk. Although I use these headphones as much as possible, there are a few drawbacks that I have to deal with. For example, to hear the true sound coming out of the headphones, especially with the lower frequencies, you need to push them against your ear. Otherwise, you will hear a boost in the midrange and a lack of low end. And, although these headphones are fairly comfortable, if I have them on for longer than about 45 minutes my ears become really hot and the top of my skull, where they sit on my head, begins to get sore. So if you’re looking for great headphones for mixing and you have a budget to stick to, I’d recommend these.

Cable management 

Few things in life are as frustrating as needing 1 XLR cable and finding it in a pile of spaghetti; you start to pull one cable and it combines and tightens around 10 other cables. It’s the worst! Here is a list of products that I use to keep the frustration at bay when grabbing the cables as well as how to keep them safely on the ground to avoid trip hazards.

Cable Ties:

These Velcro cable ties are my go-to to be able to store cables neatly either on a shelf or a hook. They’re small strips that wrap around one part of the cable, then after you coil the cable, you wrap the rest of the velcro around the whole cable and only takes about 10 seconds to put on. The Velcro strap keeps it low profile, neat, and easy to grab, which is especially nice when it’s an emergency during service!

I use these Velcro cable ties for everything but they do have some drawbacks. One thing you’ll notice is that when the cable is unwrapped and being used you have a 6-inch piece of velcro tagged to a part of the cable. It’s not the best looking thing to see but if you can hide that part, either under a carpet or just wrapped around the cable, it’s not too bad. Another drawback is if your stage is carpeted the Velcro tends to stick to the floor. So as you’re wrapping it up it sometimes sticks to the carpet and you have to physically walk and unstick it from the carpet. I know, walking is a huge bummer.

Carpet Cable Cover:

Once the cables are on stage you might feel like there is no space to walk; with all the mic, instrument, power, DMX, and broadcast cables on the floor, the stage can feel very cluttered. You may have used Gaff tape and found that it works great, but if it’s on the cable too long it starts to leave a residue. That’s why one of my favorite cable covers for a carpeted stage is the SafCord Carpet Cord Cover. It comes in different lengths and widths to fit your needs. I usually use the 6” width if there are more than 3 cables that I want to cover. You can cut it to your desired length or easily fold it under itself to preserve the full length for future use. You can also fold it in angles to go around corners. I try to keep power and data cables in a separate cover but I’ve never had any issues with running them in the same cover for short distances. One thing to keep an eye on is that the cover is just fabric so if it’s in a high foot-traffic area you may want to go for a more sturdy option. Luckily for you, that’s what I’ve needed!

Rubber Cable Cover:

I use the Electridcut D-2 Low Profile Rubber Duct Cord Cover when I need to protect the cable, not just cover them but also if a stage doesn’t have carpet because that velcro on the underside of the SafCord cover isn’t going to do much. There’s nothing too fancy about this product, I can usually fit 2 regular-sized extension power cables in it and it’s strong enough to keep it safe from people walking over the cables many times. Some drawbacks to this cover are that it’s hard to cut to length so it’s not as agile as the SafCord and it doesn’t have any ‘feet’ or something to keep it from sliding around on a smooth surface. Also, I would suggest if you have a power run that is more permanent than just using it on Sunday morning and putting it away, that you get a rubber cable cover even if you have a carpeted stage. It looks more permanent and if you have the fire department inspect your building, most of the time they won’t have a problem with it.

Gaff Tape:

Another option to keep cables down is to use gaff tape. I prefer the ProTapes Gaffer tape because it’s the cleanest, strongest, and easiest to tear. Gaff tape is a sturdier tape and generally doesn’t leave any residue on the surface it was sticking to. Gaff tape is great when you need a quick solution to keep cables down on the ground but be careful to not leave it on the cables too long. Gaff tape after a while tends to leave sticky residue on the cables and sometimes on carpet if it stays in one place too long. It depends on the surface and environment for how long ‘too long’ is, but if it’s inside you probably want to keep it on for 2 weeks or less. If it’s a more permanent place for the cables, I’ll use either the velcro or rubber cover. Gaff tape has tons of other uses, I would recommend always having 3 rolls on hand. One by the stage preferably backstage, one in the booth, and one in another storage area as a backup. I added a link to purchase online but as a reseller of Pro Tapes we can get it at a discount for you. Contact Us for a personalized quote.

These are just a few products that I use regularly. I’ll come back with Pt. 2 of “Essential Products” that will focus on the smaller products I use both in the booth and for maintenance. If you have any comments, questions, or different preferences please write it in the comments. I’m happy to help and am very interested in finding out what other people are using and what works for them.