ConsoleTape.com – Page 3 – Information about labeling sound equipment with console tape

It’s “Flatback”, Not “Fatback”

One of the least understood words in the tape glossary is “flatback”, and it is one of the most important features in a good console tape.

“Flatback” refers to the tape having a smooth finish and differentiates from a crepe finish (masking tape) or the rough finish that woven cloth tapes have.

Unlike vinyl tapes, which also tend to be smooth, a flatback paper tape has a finish that can be printed on or written on with an indelible marker without worry about print through.

When you are considering what to use to label any expensive electronic equipment, make sure it is flatback paper.

Console Tape Not Sticking? Maybe It’s You, Not The Tape

The more a mixing console is used, the more problems you may have getting label tape to stick.

The big culprit here (unless you spilled a beer on your mixer) is skin oil. This invisible contaminant builds up a little every time you touch the desk, and is even more of a problem if you are sweating.

The oils in your hands and in your sweat reject the adhesive on the tape, causing it to curl and slip on a surface that may appear clean to the eye.

A quick rub with a hand wipe is ususally enough to solve the problem.

Larger buildups may require using a lint free cloth with a little mild soap. Alcohol will work as well.

Whatever you use, make sure you completely dry it off.

Are Sharpies Toxic

Sanford, the company that makes Sharpie Markers, says that Sharpie ink is “non-toxic”. That may be true, but there are things in the ink that are definitely not good for you.

Questions of black lips and tongue aside, Sharpies contain alcohols and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether. That can’t be good for the skin.

Sharpie Markers-What’s The Point

The Sharpie Fine Tip marker is, by far the most popular version of this iconic marker, but there are multiple tip styles, all of which can play an important role in console labeling.

Ultra Fine Point-Get more info on your label with a very narrow tip

Extra Fine Point-Useful for detail, but hard to read in the dark

Brush Tip-Great for making labels for equipment cases-Easy to read at a distance

Chisel Tip-Makes large, broad strokes that last for a long time

Retractable Tip-Solves that “Where did I put that cap” problem

It’s Not Smearproof Unless You Let It Dry

One of the reasons that Shurtape 724 is prized as a console labeling tape is because indelible markers like Sharpies don’t smear when they are used to make labels.

Unfortunately, it is not quite that simple.

While Sharpie Marker won’t smear if you let it dry, touching it too soon can create a real mess.

This tape is a “coated” product, which means that it has a top coat that is designed to provide a small level of waterproofing and stain rejection.

That means that the marker ink won’t dry instantly, like it will on a more absorbent surface.

Fortunately, ink will dry to an indelible label in just a few seconds. It is worth the wait.

Why “Elongation” Matters In A Console Tape

ruler for measuring console tape We’ve wriiten about console tape specs before, explaining why terms like “adhesion to steel” and “flatback” matter when evaluating a console tape.

Another specification that deserves attention is the term “elongation”.

Elongation is a fancy word to describe, in quantifiable terms, how “stretchy” a tape is. Does it stay the same length and width when force is applied to the ends or the sides.

This is particularly important in a festival or other multi-act performance where the sound person will create a separate strip of console tape for each act during sound checks and then put the appropriate tape back on the console when that act is set to perform. Not only will the tape have the name of what each console channel is used for, but it may well have lots of other information like levels, eq and limiter settings and notes that are relevant only to that performer.

Tape that stretches may well not line up correctly below the console faders, leading the sound person who is quite often working in semi-darkness to apply the information on the tape to the wrong console input.

Shurtape 724 has an elongation spec of 2.5%, meaining that, at maximum, before tearing it will only stretch (elongate) 2.5 %, making it easy to line up on the console without confusion.

Kraft Paper? What Is That?

Shurtape 724 console tape is made from a paper that is formed thru a chemical pulping process. This is where pulped wood (cellulose) is mixed with an acid to create a pulp that can make a stronger paper than other forms of wood pulp.

While the most common type of kraft paper is the one used for making brown paper grocery bags, it can be bleached in order to make it white.

The chemical pulping makes for a stronger and more flexible product which is also more resistant to yellowing.

Unlike “raw” kraft papers, which can be coarse to the touch, 724 is coated so that it is smooth and will not let inks like those used in Sharpie Markers bleed through the tape.

Is Mixing Sound An Art? It Is If You Use This Tape

The paper tape that sound techs use for console labeling is used for lots of other purposes. The market for console labeling is not really large enough to justify the manufacturing of a dedicated product for this task, so the best console labeling tape is adapted from a product intended for a mor general use.

Major manufactures market a flat back paper tape with repositionable adhesive as “Artist Tape”, because the user base for tape used for layout and masking is much larger than what is used by sound technicians.

If you are unable to locate a product called console tape, check with an arts supply store. You might find what is essentially a tape for console labeling there.

Buying Console Tape? Check Your Space First

Sometimes when customer order console tape on the phone and we ask them what size they want, they say “just send me the usual”.

There is no “usual” when it comes to the space available for labeling a mixer and if you get a size that is too large, you’ll have excess tape
where you don’t need it. If you get tape that is narrower than your console will accommodate, you are more likely to “overwrite the tape” and get ink directly on your mixer. Since it probably will not dry quickly on a screened metal surface, it will end up on your hands.

In order to make sure you get the correct size, you need a little info about how tape is actually sized.

In an odd combination of standards, most tape is measured by standard (yards, feet, etc.) in length (e.g. 55 yards long) but is measured in metric when considering the width.

Here is the actual conversion:

If the tape is described as being one inch wide, it is actually 24 millimeters wide (closer to 15/16 inch than to one inch).

If the tape is described as being three quraters inch wide, it is actually 18 millimeters wide.

Dry Erase Board Labels? Not Unless You Want To “Wear” Your Mix Home!

I came across a discussion recently about mixer labeling on a pro sound forum. A forum member had asked how other members labeled consoles when there were multiple acts with quick changeover times.

One interesting response came from someone who had applied a piece of dry erase marker board to the label section of his mixer. At first this seemed like a useful idea, but, on further reading, the person who posted this idea talked about how he had to “train” himself to not rub his hands across the board after it was labeled. Clearly, this could be a big problem, particularly if you wiped your labels 30 seconds before the set started.

We have a better idea.

Permacel 724 paper label tape has something called “repositionable” adhesive. It can be removed without leaving residue or tearing and then re-applied to the mixer when the act specific to that label takes the stage.