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My biggest problem with set-ups is physical positioning, which is really exacerbated by using a comically massive amount of gear for each channel. Can we discuss techniques on having a cleaner looking set up? Let's pretend "Use less gear" isn't an option.

I got a pedal case at Christmas and it's really helped me think about planning and whether or not I need stuff.
Also helps me tidy cables.

Cleaner meaning orderly, neat and tidy looking?

I tend to take the everything including the kitchen sink approach

Mount "sections" in easy to manage (as in: carry/stack) assemblies (milk crates are good inspiration, if not the actual solution), then place and connect those to each other. Saves a ton of sprawl and with prepared wiring maps can be a super fast set-up.

I have a rolling rack case in which I've converted a lid to a pre-wired "pedal board", so I can roll up, pop that off and drop it on the top like a table and be ready to go in minutes...

...in contrast to some early shows in which I would start my set by dumping a 15 gallon bucket of cables on the floor and setting up a home-made wood shelf full of a nightmare of different shit (apologies to anyone who saw me perform early on).

Maybe not for setups per se, but having something like this is a game changer for organizing your xe2x80x9carsenal:xe2x80x9d

Indeterminacy wrote: ↑Sun Mar 08, 2020 10:09 am Cleaner meaning orderly, neat and tidy looking?

That's a fair question, I suppose I mean orderly and tidy. Not having to have pedals sideways and other weird angles, on top of each other and all that.

Priorities for live setups should be how long to get setup, portability ( whatever you and your mode of transport can tolerate and what impact it has on setup time) and then perhaps did you bring things you really don't need.

Ideally one can plop their rig down on a table plug in and do a sound check. But of course I've seen people with a hand full of pedals take almost an hour to unpack their shit on stage, lay it out and then plug it in. Now imagine if half the acts were doing that and it's no wonder your set time ends up at 5am.. true story.

I'm going with the assumption that we're talking home studio setups when I suggest wiring everything you possibly can through a patch bay or a series of patch bays, including the bulk of your mixer's inputs and outputs. You're really only limited by cabling requirements and how much physical space you have available. Being able to take advantage of semi-permanent placement on tiers, stands, racks, shelves, wall-mounts, etc. can go a long way in creating a cozy electronic womb/audio space station where everything is just a patch away. The more shit you can access from a common point, the more you can spread things out and improve workflow.

This doesn't really address the issue of pedal casserole. But I think it helps minimize the inherent chaos of things like this to have a dedicated space for just that and nothing else. A more extreme measure would be to also patch pedals individually, so you never have to move them to change their routing configurations (It's been done before. I forget what his name was now, but one of the regulars on Troniks or MO used a DIY patch bay system for his live, pedal-based rig). Prefabricated, 19" rack PB's are cheap, so attaching one or two to some sort of console or tiered pedal board would be easy enough to accomplish. There are many options for tiered pedal boards built into road cases. The Boredbrain Patchulator is another option, and it comes with pretty, lush, forest-y green cables.