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38 Digital Snakes Buyers Guide Digital Snakes By BillEvans It's either ironic or just plain dumb, but as the live event audio industry gets more and more digital, the one piece of the signal chain that most lends itself to bits and bytes — the transport of signal between stage, console and speakers — is the part that is having the hardest time really catching on. The biggest reason is the lack of any kind of standard and the fact that there are multiple companies making multiple products that are all really good, but will never work nicely together. Yep, that big roll of copper with the mass pins and XLR breakouts is big and heavy, but you can use it with any console or amp and not have to worry about what piece of gear is running what digital protocol and so on. Company Make Model MSRP Number of I/O Channels Aphex Systems, Ltd. www.aphex.com Aviom www.aviom.com Fiberplex www.lightviper.com Link www.linkusa-inc.com Mackie www.mackie.com Midas www.midasconsoles.com Music Sciences www.musicsciences.com NetworkSound, Inc www.networksound.com Optocore Inc. www.optocore.com Pro Co Sound www.procomomentum.com Riedel Communications Inc. www.hear-we-are.com Roland Systems Group www.rssamerica.com Salzbrenner Stagetec MediaGroup Inc. www.stagetec.com Whirlwind www.whirlwindusa.com Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc. www.yamahaca.com Aphex Anaconda Model 828 Aviom Pro64 Series LightViper DGLink System 1832 Shadow System 4832 DGlink64-64-12AES- 12Analog NOVEMBER 2008 www.fohonline.com $1,249.00 each end 64 channels bi-directional simultaneously. 48 x 16 Pro64 digital snake with analog outputs: $41,800.00 $7,444.00 (32 x 8 system, no splits with 300’ Neutrik OpticalCon fiber cable using VIM-MY32 cards for Yamaha.) $24,000.00 (32 x 32 including 32 remotely controllable mic pre’s, MADI console interface, 300’ single-mode fiber.) $5,324.00 (32 x 8 system, no splits, 300’ Neutrik OpticalCon fiber cable, VIM-MY32 cards for Yamaha.) Pro64 Series products are modular and provide system configurations from 16 x 0 to 64 x 64 channels. Adding more I/O or multiple digital splits is as simple as plugging in a Cat-5 cable. 32 sends, 8 returns per system. Multiple systems can be used in parallel for larger channel counts. Up to 256 bi-directional channels at clock speeds up to 192 k. 32 sends, 8 returns per system. Multiple systems can be used in parallel for higher channel counts. $13,043.00-$23,012.00 64 x 64 EtherSound + 24 AES3 and/or analog. Mackie DS3232 $5,599.00 32 x 32 channels of analog I/O with balanced XLR connectively. Midas DL431 with DL451 or DL351 $26,589.00 / $1,1078.00 per channel. Configurable. Inputs - DL431 24-channel 5-way input splitter. 24 inputs x 24 (120), outputs - up to 192 x 192 (960). Three microphone preamps per channel (Pre A - AES50 & analog, Pre B - AES50 & analog, Pre C - TX isolated). Front-panel control & monitoring. Dual redundant power supplies, outputs - DL451 (24 ch.) or DL351 (64 ch.) Mongoose MMS-33216A $16,995.00 32 x 16, expandable to 64 x 16. Mamba 32MLPPR $2,999.00 32 sends, 32 returns. Built-in cable redundancy, 96k/24 bit sample, RS232 for remote control and distance up to 450 feet cat-5. Aux1 and Aux 2 on same cat5 for COM, video monitor, etc. Split to FOH and mon mix options. Optocore Various models $3,444.00-$27,895.00 512 ch. inputs/outputs plus video, RS485, DMX, MIDI, computer data. Momentum mi8, mo8, mo8me, mrc, md16ae $499.00-$3399.00 Momentum is a multicast network capable of utilizing up to 256 mic or line level inputs. These inputs can be received by multiple outputs on the network. Riedel RockNet 300 $29,500.00 160 channels (assignable to 764 outputs). RSS S4k3208SYS $7,495.00 32 inputs, 8 outputs. S-1608SYS $3,295.00 16 inputs, 8 outputs. Stagetec Nexus $40,000.00+ Whirlwind E Snake Starting at $4,999.95 for a 16 x 0 A/D front end and up depending on channel count and I/O configuration. Yamaha SB168-ES Stage Box $4,399.00 In the install world this is less of an issue, which is why digital distribution of audio is actually becoming somewhat common. But on the road, not so much. We usually just put a category out there and allow gear makers to "self-qualify." In other words, we are not going to define a large-format line array. If it is the largest box you make, it is your large-format array. But here we actually had to lay down some ground rules. We kept it simple. In order to qualify as a snake, the digital device had to be capable of at least 32 sends and eight returns, handle all D/A and A/D conversion and had to be able to connect to other gear using industry-standard connectors. Here is what we got back. Remember, your mileage may vary... Fully digital distributed routing system. Completely modular system based on TDM technology. Each base device can process 256 different signals and are interconnected via fiber optic cables. A small system might consist of a single-base device connected to a control computer (when required). A larger system may contain several distributed base devices and often include multiple control computers. From 8 to 64 on 100 Base-T Ethernet network, many more with Gigabit Ethernet. 16 channels in with remote HA, and 8 out, EtherSound format, 24 bit. Up to four digital Stage Box units can be connected offering a total of 64 inputs and 32 outputs, depending on the number of YGDAI card slots available on the specific Yamaha console.
Midas DL431 Breakout Description Optical Connectors Digital Transfer Protocol 8 ADAT inputs and outputs, models 188,1788A remote pre; model 141 D/A; model 142 A/D; model 144 bi-directional AES/ADAT; 8 clock outputs; RJ-45. Pro64 digital snakes combine the analog with the flexibility of digital in a system that provides audio fidelity. Mixer box - analog & digital; DB25 to various connector types. VIM-MY32 - YGDAI cards for direct digital fiber optic input to Yamaha digital consoles. DB25 to various connector types. Mixer box; analog & digital - DB25 to various connectors. VIM-MY32 cards; Direct digital fiber optic input to YGDAI slots in Yamaha digital consoles. All inclusive, modular, multi-protocol, hybrid snake that provides a single source of connectivity for analog/digital audio & comm. systems. I/O is digitally controlled from the TT24 console at 24-bit 96 kHz including 48v Phantom power, 23 dB pad, Mic pre-gain range, variable HPF. Analog XLR, Analog TRS or AES3 XLR. Front-panel control and remote computer control coming soon. Stage box - 32 female xlr, 16 male xlr. FOH box- 32 male xlr, 16 female xlr. Proprietary microwave link; wired option/redundant/digital split. The mic and line inputs on stage are available as XLR/TRS. All other I/O are on DB25 (Tascam). DB25 to XLR pig tail cables are needed. 14 models create a network up to 24 node locations up to 70 miles away. Specific models for AES, MADI (electrical), MADI (optical) and Ethernet. Momentum outputs are available in balanced XLR, phoenix connector or DB-25 analog audio. Various 19“/1RU breakouts incl. 8x mic / line in ADC, 8x line out DAC, 8x digital in AES/EBU, 8x digital out AES/EBU and 16x Yamaha MY Interface I/O. Stage: XLR in, XLR out. FOH: 5 DB25 breakout cables to 8-channel XLR. Optional: Stage unit populated with analog or AES/EBU XLR cards. XLR in, XLR out Mackie DS3232 Stage boxes/base devices (3, 6, 9 or 12U) provide all the necessary I/O resources in the appropriate formats via standard ports. All analog I/O is configurable in 8-channel groups of mic, line or AES/EBU digital audio. Remote-control of analog mic/line inputs each with head amp. 48 kHz. Use with M7CL, LS9 consoles, also used/controlled by PM5D, DM2000, DM1000, DME. Yamaha SB168-ES A group shot of Optocore digital snakes Aviom digital snakes SC or ST Multimode (single-mode option). MH10f Hubs have fiber ports with SFP transceivers. Yes. TAC4, Neutrik OpticalCon, LC, ST. Yes. SFP (small form factor pluggable). Yes. TAC4, Neutrik OpticalCon, LC, ST. No. XLR 3 balanced, EtherCon, RJ-45. www.fohonline.com Proprietary. Non-packetized data transfer less than 50 microsec plus the speed of light latency between ends. 10 MB bandwidth for control and metering. A-Net is designed specifically for the demands of streaming audio, with features such as reduced latency, longer cable runs and improved clock performance. TDM (time division multiplexing). AES3, EtherSound currently supported, AES50, DANTE, MAD, Yamaha Remote HA Control in development. No Proprietary AES50 RJ45/Ethercon with CAT5e cable 100 meter, optical with XL8 & PRO6. AES50 open architectural specification fixed latency of 70µsec. Forward error detection, correction & logging. 24-channel bi-directional audio, sampling rate of 96 kHz, 24-bit word length, includes clock data for hardware sync & spare bandwidth for 3rd party standard Ethernet control data. This is equivalent to a 48-pair snake. No Proprietary Works over standard external media converters. Two optical links per unit, SC connectors. Yes, optional, ST or OpticalCon. Yes, universal transceivers for SM or MM fibers. No Yes. TOSLINK patched to inputs 1+2. Yes. Single mode with redundant paths. MediaNet - Synchronus and low latency protocol to deliver uncompressed audio, video and control on same Cat- 5. Digital I2S-I2S latency in less than 200 microsec. Proprietary sychronous network with 3 level fault tolerant backup. Optocore can directly interface with Yamaha, DiGiCo, Soundcraft or Studer digital consoles as well as any analog console. AES3 via the md16ae unit. This unit simultaneously transmits and receives 16 channels of AES to and from Momentum’s network. RockNet’s proprietary core technologies feature Lateral ultra-low latency asynchronous transmission of 160 audio channels on CAT5 cable with Ethercon RJ45 network connectors. REAC. Supports up to 40 channels at 24-bit 96 Khz. Can be switched with standard gigabit Ethernet switching hubs. Proprietary. All types of signals can be transported: mics, analog, AES/EBU, SDI, HDSDI, MADI, GPI/O, RS422, MIDI, etc. Audio conversion at 24 bits and 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96 kHz sample rates. Yes, with media converters. CobraNet or EtherSound XLR 3 balanced, EtherCon, RJ-45 Whirlwind E Snake Pro Co Sound Momentum I/Os can be assigned to any of 64 ch. on AuviTran ES-100 for EtherSound connectivity. Noise resistant, ensures audio quality is maximized by keeping length of mic cables as short as possible. 2008 NOVEMBER 39
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Page 7 and 8: FCC Puts Screws to Live Event Audio
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