Just about every marching ensemble has supply kits with extra supplies for their drumline, front ensemble, winds and color guard. Whether it’s extra snare heads, tenor mallets, bar string or stick tape, these kits help keep the group rehearsing and performing without missing a beat. An audio tool kit works in just the same way, but contains invaluable tools for keeping the group sounding great when an audio emergency strikes.
In this article we’ll look at a few important items to have on hand that will go a long way in helping prevent, and managing, disaster. Though this list should get you started, we invite you to contact us for help assembling an audio kit for your ensemble to make sure all your bases are covered.
Cable tester
The importance of having a cable tester for your front ensemble cannot be overstated. In the event of a cable failure, the humble cable tester is what will help find the culprit. There are many cable tester options on the market.
The Hosa CBT-500 is our absolute favorite as it has many connector types for checking just about every type of cable. The Behringer CT100 offers a simpler build for checking XLR, 1/4” (quarter inch), and RCA cables.
Outlet Tester
Stadium and parking lot power outlets can sometimes be unreliable, which can be frightening when we think about how much of an investment audio equipment is to a marching program. Your equipment can be damaged in an instant if plugged into a faulty outlet. Checking an outlet before connecting plugging in your audio system could save you thousands of dollars on repairs, making an outlet tester another must-have. Even if your ensemble typically uses a power generator, you never know when you may need to rely on a regular outlet for rehearsal or warmup.
Extra cables
Akin to having extra sticks and mallets on hand, extra cables are the safety net for your audio setup when something goes wrong. Certainly it’s a great idea to have several extras of each type of cable used in your audio system, but even a single extra of each is better than nothing. Just like stick, mallets and drumheads, audio cables can wear out over time and often do at the most inopportune of times. Be prepared for those dreaded moments by purchasing a few extra cables each year.
Colored Electrical Tape
Rolls of colored tape are usually pretty cheap and great to have on hand when you find yourself swapping out a broken cable with one of the extras you have on hand. Students rely on the color coding system to properly connect each audio cable and being able to properly color code a replacement cable on the spot goes a long way in helping reduce mistakes during setup.
Diagonal Pliers / Cutters
These are much safer and much easier to use when removing zip ties than regular scissors. Invest in a good set of diagonal pliers and replacing a broken cable becomes a breeze. These are also great for cutting strips of colored electrical tape when replacing the color coding. Again, this is another affordable tool that’s a game changer for handling spur of the moment repairs.
Extra Zip Ties
While there are a few great options for securing audio cables to the underside of keyboard instruments, we pretty much exclusively use zip ties here at Microphonic Designs. They just do the absolute best job of staying in place and are visually low-key underneath instruments. Again, for those emergency repairs, it’s paramount to have at least a 100-pack on standby. We’ve found that the 11” black zip ties work best for standard 1.5” square tubing, but two 8” zip ties can also be used together effectively.
We sincerely hope this list has helped generate some ideas for what to keep in your audio toolkit. Be sure to take a look at what all we can do to help your marching ensemble.
