Depends on how easily you want to identify the cables. If it's by torchlight round the back of your mixer console, then flags of different colour combinations is probably the best. It it's into a patchbay or other gear that you can see by normal lighting, then cable marker tape written on using permanent marker pen is cheap and easy.

Brother make P-Touch units that are designed for labeling cables. Basically, it prints out either a badcode or the same line a few times on a piece of 1" tape. The 1" tape is tall enough to completely wrap around most cable.

cable numbers

small short tubes in the resistor colour code and with a number printed on it

stretched and placed on the cable before terminating
I'd love to post a picture but can't right now

There are lots of products he could have used if he'd thought about the need for labelling before terminating the cables.

My current plan (for test, not implemented) is to get a small Dremel tool and inscribe codes in the metal of the contact. I could then gently rub in some black or white color depending on the color of the contact to make it easier to read.

Gunnar

Check out these labels from Panduit.com

There are several other "models" to choose from. They even have write on types, if you are so inclinded. (My hand writing is like chiken scratch, so for me, those are reserved for emergencies, or REALLY big wire!)

The Brother label printers are cool and work well, but I would think that it might be a bit more expensive to to a large volume of cables. You'll have to check the pricing of both to know for sure.

[="http://www.bradyid.com/"]Brady[/]="http://www.bradyid…"]Brady[/] makes a lot of the same type products as Panduit.

There is also a type of ID tag, that I can't positively locate right now, that is a plastic ring that crimps on the wire itself. I've only seen them as numbers and dashes. Each number or dash is it's own label. They're pretty good in that you can always find the ID. But, their drawback is that in tight quarters, they do have a tendancy to be somewhat lethal to the back of your hand. I think this is one company that has em'; [[url=http://="http://www.cablemar…"]Cable Markers Co.[/]="http://www.cablemar…"]Cable Markers Co.[/] You'll have to navigate to the the bottom of the page to "Pre Printed ID" and navigate from there.

Good luck and happy hunting!
X

http://www.grafoplast.com/ is the company that makes the nice little markers and they can be alpha numeric//

There are a lot of companies that make lables for wire

Here are a couple

http://www.barcode-labels.com/pagepanduit3.htm

http://cableorganizer.com/wire-marker/

http://www.efunda.com/storefront/storefront.cfm?co=Grafoplast%20Wire%20Markers

I bit the bullet a couple of years ago and bought a Panduit wiremarker prnter that works very well. I got it surplus but the cost of a new one is over $1000.00, The supplies are not cheap but it does beautiful work.

You could look on line and see if you can find one surplus.

Best of luck!