Hello,
Our church needs a new sound system. We are currently using a 10 year old Roland VM7200. What I love most about the Roland is that the processors stay up by the stage so we have no need for a snake up to the sound booth. Because of this we have no issues with noise from long cables. Unfortunately the Roland is on its last leg and I have to replace it.
I have been researching sound systems and I was suprised to see that there aren't very many out there like the Roland made up of processor/mixer components. All the mixers I like would require a snake between 150 and 200 feet to be installed in the ceiling which is 30 feet in the air.
My questions are:
1. Can a snake that long really be quiet.
2. What characteristics do I need to look for when choosing a snake to install.
The VM-7200 is the processor and I/O box used singly or in multiples with the VM-C7100 or VM-C7200 work surface, so the mixer is a system of multiple pieces. But what do you mean that the VM-7200 is on its last legs? What problems are you encountering? Are you sure they are mixer related? Have you had the mixer serviced?
In terms of potential replacements, as Ivan noted, what are your requirements? How many of what type of inputs and outputs, how many mix buses of what types, what types of effects and processing, etc.? You mentioned "All the mixers I like...", but what are those? And what is your budget?
As far as an analog snake, I agree with Ivan that it could be quiet, provided you use the right cable and installed it properly. And since you mentioned running it above the ceiling, part of that may involve the cabling path available, the infrastructure available and whether accessing and running above the ceiling involves riser or plenum conditions.
