# Channel Labeling



## Eboy87 (May 18, 2010)

I was having a discussion with someone about this when he remarked on how I marked up the console. Where do you put the label tape on your boards? This is of course discounting digital with scribble strips.


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## HillJonathan (May 18, 2010)

It all depends on what console I'm using on where there is space and the few times it comes from the shop pre labeled.


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## len (May 18, 2010)

I voted below, but realized that I put the label based on where there is room to apply board tape. In most cases, it's actually above, but I have some boards that it's below.


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## hsaunier (May 18, 2010)

If board design allows, I go above so my hands don't cover anything up.


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## metti (May 18, 2010)

For small shows I put it below since I find it awkward to hold my hand so that I can write over the faders. On big shows I put tape above and below and put les important stuff above and the leads and other important stuff in red ink on the tape below. I also need all the tape space I can get since I am usually mixing with a digital board with two layers.


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## MisterTim (May 18, 2010)

Above if I have the space, which I usually don't. My main board in the theater is a tt24, so I have space for lots of tape above and below.


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## philhaney (May 18, 2010)

I voted below, as we have an Allen & Heath GL3300. The board has no room above, and comes with a laminate strip below the faders for grease pencil or white board marker labeling. Not wanting the residue of either anywhere near the faders, we covered the strip with board tape.


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## GreyWyvern (May 18, 2010)

philhaney said:


> I voted below, as we have an Allen & Heath GL3300. The board has no room above, and comes with a laminate strip below the faders for grease pencil or white board marker labeling. Not wanting the residue of either anywhere near the faders, we covered the strip with board tape.



Same here.


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## Morpheus (May 18, 2010)

voted below, but i've been know to label every inch of a board in the recording studio.....


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## HSSBO94 (May 18, 2010)

I keep mine below and that's how I voted, but also if its for a show I make a list of the more important faders and list them on a piece of paper next to the board in my line of sight towards the stage.

also, once i put really small pieces of spike tape on the faders and used a color coded system.


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## Cameron (May 18, 2010)

Above, especially with VCAs. My wrists are usually are in the way of below-the-fader labels. And with a script-dolly those few degrees of head tilt, can mean a made pick-up or a drop.


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## MarshallPope (May 18, 2010)

Like several people have said, it depends on the board. For example, my school's Soundcraft has a space for tape above the faders. My church's Mackie has space below.Do I prefer one to the other? Not particularly. I suppose above-the-faders is easier to read when your hands are riding the faders, but it is not awkward to me to have to look below.


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## masterelectrician2112 (May 19, 2010)

Is there an after-market solution for having temporary labeling without using tape or labels?


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## sdauditorium (May 19, 2010)

Our Mackie mixer really only has room below the faders, so we use the standard board tape right below to label.


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## GreyWyvern (May 19, 2010)

masterelectrician2112 said:


> Is there an after-market solution for having temporary labeling without using tape or labels?



I have used pre-made printed magnets before. Works great if there is enough metal space for them. Haven't seen them for a long time and wouldn't know where to get them, but that is what google is for.


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## NickVon (May 19, 2010)

hsaunier said:


> If board design allows, I go above so my hands don't cover anything up.



This, thought with our new LS9, I have seome secondary lables below as well.


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## hsaunier (May 19, 2010)

Another fader trick I use. Pull the odd color (often red) fader knob from the master fader and place it on the critical (star vocal i.e.) channel. Only have to look for the odd color knob that way.


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## 3dB (May 20, 2010)

GreyWyvern said:


> I have used pre-made printed magnets before. Works great if there is enough metal space for them. Haven't seen them for a long time and wouldn't know where to get them, but that is what google is for.



I have used these in the past also. They are called Mag-Tags and are still manufactured by Markertek. These pre-printed tags can make for a very clean labeling method. You can also use blank mag-labels to make your own temporary labels. An advantage is that they are easily moveable. A disadvantage is that they are easily moveable! They do tend to get bumped around a bit by the palm of your hand while mixing and the temporary blank labels that you mark yourself can smear depending on what type of marker is used. For them to work, the mixer surface where you wish to place them must be metal. On mixers that do not have a metal strip or housing below the faders (or wherever) you can easily fabricate and lay down a thin metal strip for the mag-tags to adhere to. I was raised on mixer tape and still use it more than anything else, but Mag-Tags can work quite well also. For "permanent" sources that are always kept on the same channels, P-Touch labels can work well also.

On another note -and I'm sure others do this - I will, on occasion, lay a strip of tape at the top of the mixer above the gain knobs which helps locate a particular source quickly if I need to adjust gain or any control near the top of a channel strip.

Regards,
Mark


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## MLHooper (May 20, 2010)

all depends on the board and where there is room. 

i prefer above so i can still see the labels if my fingers are dancing on the faders. 

some boards don't have room above and some digital boards have so many layers that it is nearly impossible to label with board tape and sharpie.


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## HornsOverIthaca (May 21, 2010)

For musicals I used to put the characters name above the fader and the actors name below the fader. Trying to tell who was who from FOH in the dark was a challenge.


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## ksb3904 (May 21, 2010)

usually we mark it on the bottom of the sliders where there is no buttons or knobs to interfere


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## howlingwolf487 (May 23, 2010)

I'm used to having space below the faders, so that was my vote. I'm not usually adjusting the gains much, so looking up there for my assignments is a bit annoying.

If the board is rackmount, doesn't have a scribble strip at the bottom, and there's at least 1 space left, I'll put a 1U blank panel in as a makeshift scribble strip.


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## Kenien (May 27, 2010)

its really awesome to see that i agree with three people on here, i generally do above fader, unless theres no room, to not block the view, and i also color code groups, usually with etape.


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## BigBC68 (Jun 1, 2010)

If I have enough room, I'll put a basic label above, and any other info I might need about the channel below.


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## mwalkertx320 (Jun 2, 2010)

philhaney said:


> I voted below, as we have an Allen & Heath GL3300. The board has no room above, and comes with a laminate strip below the faders for grease pencil or white board marker labeling. Not wanting the residue of either anywhere near the faders, we covered the strip with board tape.


 
We've got the same setup, and mine usally goes across the bottom. I did put a strip across the very top with channel numbers. I do use regular white gaff or electrical tape, but always remove it after a run.


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## CSCTech (Jun 4, 2010)

We have a Mackie VLZ 24.4 and it has an area below the faders that his like an indentation where I assume it is intended on having tape there for labeling. Which is what we do. Electrical tape fits perfectly  Yeah, we should use console tape, but electrical has never left us with a residue or paint removing.


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## mrtrudeau23 (Jun 4, 2010)

Above: Usually more room there on a lighting console (at least the ones I've worked with). Plus then you don't cover the labels, as was previously mentioned. Just kind of a force of habit, I guess.


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## Eboy87 (Jun 5, 2010)

Well, these results are interesting. I suppose I should give my reasoning too.

I label above the faders whenever possible to keep from covering them up. Occasionally I'll put a strip of tape under them to add in extra info. I generally color-code too, but I use colored Sharpies: on analog it's to color code groups/VCAs, on digital (read: LS9), to keep track of channels on different layers, mix buses, and the matrix channels. It winds up looking like a Jackson Pollock painting sometimes, but it's clear as a bell (to me at least )


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## g15 (Jun 6, 2010)

I usually go both above and below on our M7. I like being able to look in either place...


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