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Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => LAB: The Classic Live Audio Board => Topic started by: Dan Meier on February 20, 2011, 12:42:22 PM
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Hello,
one of the acts I'm touring with owns a iLive system (T80 + IDR32/16). The snake they bought with the board a year ago is more "install-grade" than what you want to have on a touring rig.
We had two major failures last week (system froze with the left main channel muted and total loss of control ) After investigation from the candian importer, it was discovered that there was a problem with the cat5 cable and with the ACE connector on the surface. The connector got fixed, and we have loaner snake for the time they fix ours.
But it is time to buy a better snake.
I also use 2 channels of analog processing for the two money channels (XL42/Distressors) so I would like at least two analog lines included. I was thinking 2 cat5, to have a backup.
The canadian importer only sells install-grade snakes, so I am looking for a source in Canada, for a 2 cat5 with ethercon + 2 XLR tour-grade 250' snake. Anybody has an idea where I can get something like that?
BTW, I live in Canada.
Thank you for your help.
Long live the new forums...
Dan
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Hello,
one of the acts I'm touring with owns a iLive system (T80 + IDR32/16). The snake they bought with the board a year ago is more "install-grade" than what you want to have on a touring rig.
We had two major failures last week (system froze with the left main channel muted and total loss of control ) After investigation from the candian importer, it was discovered that there was a problem with the cat5 cable and with the ACE connector on the surface. The connector got fixed, and we have loaner snake for the time they fix ours.
But it is time to buy a better snake.
I also use 2 channels of analog processing for the two money channels (XL42/Distressors) so I would like at least two analog lines included. I was thinking 2 cat5, to have a backup.
The canadian importer only sells install-grade snakes, so I am looking for a source in Canada, for a 2 cat5 with ethercon + 2 XLR tour-grade 250' snake. Anybody has an idea where I can get something like that?
BTW, I live in Canada.
Getting everything you want in a single jacket may be both difficult and expensive. Why not just get a couple of rugged duty ethercon cables from a quality manufacturer like Wireworks, or Whirlwind, and a 6pr audio snake, and bundle them with your FOH power cable. It won't be a big bundle, it will be easier to replace a component that fails, and it can still be handled as a single cable run. I would want at least the 6pr audio cable if you are already dedicating 2 to microphones. You probably will want a channel or 2 for comm at some point, and a talkback line to a monitor console.
Mac
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Getting everything you want in a single jacket may be both difficult and expensive. Why not just get a couple of rugged duty ethercon cables from a quality manufacturer like Wireworks, or Whirlwind, and a 6pr audio snake, and bundle them with your FOH power cable. It won't be a big bundle, it will be easier to replace a component that fails, and it can still be handled as a single cable run. I would want at least the 6pr audio cable if you are already dedicating 2 to microphones. You probably will want a channel or 2 for comm at some point, and a talkback line to a monitor console.
Mac
Yes, all good points... Back to the drawing board...
Cheers
Dan
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Dan -
Perhaps Sommer Cable Monocat Power 212...
http://www.sommercable.com/3__produkte/3__030_meterware/3__500_0171_2.html
-Tim T
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Link USA makes a catv / analog solution as well as a cat6 aes rated solution I know they make a 2/16 but don't remember if the other is 2/8 or 2/32.
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Here is 2 CAT6 and 6 audio
http://whirlwindusa.com/catalog/snakes-splitters-and-multiwiring-systems/snakes/medusa-cat-6
Frank
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Hello,
one of the acts I'm touring with owns a iLive system (T80 + IDR32/16). The snake they bought with the board a year ago is more "install-grade" than what you want to have on a touring rig.
We had two major failures last week (system froze with the left main channel muted and total loss of control ) After investigation from the candian importer, it was discovered that there was a problem with the cat5 cable and with the ACE connector on the surface. The connector got fixed, and we have loaner snake for the time they fix ours.
But it is time to buy a better snake.
I also use 2 channels of analog processing for the two money channels (XL42/Distressors) so I would like at least two analog lines included. I was thinking 2 cat5, to have a backup.
The canadian importer only sells install-grade snakes, so I am looking for a source in Canada, for a 2 cat5 with ethercon + 2 XLR tour-grade 250' snake. Anybody has an idea where I can get something like that?
BTW, I live in Canada.
Thank you for your help.
Long live the new forums...
Dan
The Sommer cable is a good choice.......I know both Solotech and Westbury.com resell the A&H approved proplex PCCAT5EP 1 cat5 and the PCCAT5EPX2 Dual CAT5e......... From the A&H site pdf I found this info:
http://www.allen-heath.com/dl/iLive%20Series/Application%20Notes/Understanding%20ACE_rev_09NOV09.pdf
Also I had a discussion with an A&H rep about redundancy .....
Complete redundancy would be to have 2 individual ACE ports for parallel connection. This can be done between iDR MixRack units and the M-ACE cards, which have dual ports for either redundancy, or daisy-chaining/digital split. The T surfaces only have one ACE port, so redundancy is not possible with these.
With managed switches, you would be able to have a two cable system in-between the surface and the iDR, but connection from the switchers to the iLive units would be a single connection, so redundant to a certain level.
It is possible to use the network connection between a T surface and an iDR, though this won't transmit the audio, control only.
The system seems to have issues when the ACE and network is connected simultaneously to the same units. And the Editor software would be a redundant controller in this case anyways.
In any case, I use a wireless router(connected to the mixrack) with an editor running side by side with the surface at foh should I loose ACE connection ....but you should still only use A&H approved cat5 in the first place....the whirlwind is definitely not approved (or tested?), although it might still work ......I would get the redundant cat5,s and run at least a 6pr as suggested by Mac.......
hope this helps
Ray
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Link cabling makes a 2 * cat6 and 2 * AES/EBU or XLR pair in one jacket
FYI
db
Hello,
one of the acts I'm touring with owns a iLive system (T80 + IDR32/16). The snake they bought with the board a year ago is more "install-grade" than what you want to have on a touring rig.
We had two major failures last week (system froze with the left main channel muted and total loss of control ) After investigation from the candian importer, it was discovered that there was a problem with the cat5 cable and with the ACE connector on the surface. The connector got fixed, and we have loaner snake for the time they fix ours.
But it is time to buy a better snake.
I also use 2 channels of analog processing for the two money channels (XL42/Distressors) so I would like at least two analog lines included. I was thinking 2 cat5, to have a backup.
The canadian importer only sells install-grade snakes, so I am looking for a source in Canada, for a 2 cat5 with ethercon + 2 XLR tour-grade 250' snake. Anybody has an idea where I can get something like that?
BTW, I live in Canada.
Thank you for your help.
Long live the new forums...
Dan
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thesuperspike, please go to your profile and put your full name in the name field.
Thank you or your cooperation.
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Hi all,
We decided to go the with the solution proposed by Mac: separate cat5 and audio snakes, bundled together. Easier to change one of the elements in case of failure, more choices of retailers = better prices.
Thanks for all the replies.
Cheers
Dan
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hey Dan -
I'm now in a similar situation and looking for a "rugged Cat-5 + some analog pairs", and I'm in Canada as well.
I've contacted all the Major cable players in Canada and options/pricing are all over the Map (in some cases, it's a whole nother planet!) but I was plesantly surprised by the Pricing on the Whirlwind Medusa-Cat-6 that Frank Linked to earlier in this thread - it's quite nice and considerably cheaper then what I have seen from others.
Can I ask you for details of what you found, where/who you contracted and the pricing you found? In my case the Medusa at it's pricetag seems like a bargain... almost sniffs of "too good to be true"... anyone else out there got one, and if so, whad do you think?
Ryan
Hi all,
We decided to go the with the solution proposed by Mac: separate cat5 and audio snakes, bundled together. Easier to change one of the elements in case of failure, more choices of retailers = better prices.
Thanks for all the replies.
Cheers
Dan
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Dan,
Would you happen to have a link to "Link". ;) I hit about 11 million sites in a search(s) and it's probably a name that won't be findable in a search.
Thanks!
Scott
Link cabling makes a 2 * cat6 and 2 * AES/EBU or XLR pair in one jacket
FYI
db
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Dan,
Would you happen to have a link to "Link". ;) I hit about 11 million sites in a search(s) and it's probably a name that won't be findable in a search.
http://www.linkusa-inc.com/ (http://www.linkusa-inc.com/)
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It may not be worth bringing up at this point since you have already found your solution, but there is a company that I work with that had a custom snake made with (I believe) 4 or 6 CAT6, 2 DMX, and 4 Analog XLR lines. The use it with the LS9-16 and the SB168. So far it has been really nice. I use 2 lines for the SB168 and then another of the CAT6 for wireless workbench. The analog lines are great for intercom returns. If anyone is interested let me know and I will try and find out who they purchased this from.