COLOURED MICROPHONE CABLES, AESTHETIC versus FUNCTIONALITY ?

In my 15 years of sound & music business in Malaysia, almost all my clients prefer black microphone cables. This is because it is easy to match the decor of their hall. It is also another way of saying, regardless of the colour theme of the interior designer, black will fit! Of course there are those who want all uniform red to match the curtains, but that is a rare case. Last week, a client asked me for multi bright coloured orange, purple and yellow microphone cables. His reason was easy identification from afar. As a sound engineer, I was beaming with a smile. How many times have the sound men been compromised because of aesthetics? Sure multi coloured microphone cables could look childish, but it sure is easy to spot from 30 metres, even for an elderly chap. Aesthetic versus functionality seems to go against one another, even in large auditoriums. A famous exhibit hall in KL has the speakers covered by wood structures because the interior designer didn't like the look of the speakers. Needless to say, that hall is shunned for sound. Hmm....