anyone using optical MADI splitters ?

[Yannick]

HI all,

just stumbled upon these:
MADICABLES - MADI optical splitter boxes

not expensive, and 100% failsafe. Does anyone has experience with a similar unit ?

This company also has military grade MADI cable, very tough for live use. only about €180 for 50m

I'll have to check this out

This is THE way to do parallell recording with our SSL Soundscape and Pyramix (with RME card in a laptop) setups.

[huub]

I emailed them twice, but got no reply..

[LX3]

AFAIK, those are just passive optical splitters in a rack case, so they reduce the power in each branch. In theory it'll reduce your maximum cable run off each split, by an unknown (to me at least!) amount. I'm not too comfortable with anything that messes with the MADI spec in such a way that it's going to make things perform unpredictably.

Then again, I haven't tried a passive optical MADI split, so it might work fine, but I'm not prepared to take the chance. In my experience, things that "ought to work" always choose the most critical moment to stop working.

I spent months on and off looking for an active fibre "repeater" with one input and two outputs, and eventually gave up. So I'm using a DirectOut MADI Split to do the job. Plus I can "split" a coax source out to two optical feeds with it, which is useful. Good little box. The RME MADI Bridge would work just as well I guess.

[d_fu]

Originally Posted by Yannick

This company also has military grade MADI cable, very tough for live use. only about €180 for 50m

Haven't tried the splitter, but I've got the cable. It's solid, but a bit stiff - not as flexible as other (equally resistent) cables. That means it won't lie flat on the floor and curl a bit... If you tape it down or run it along the wall or through the air on mic stands or whatever, that won't be a problem, though.

I use it with a standard Schill drum, which I configured myself.


Daniel

[klaukholm]

Originally Posted by huub

I emailed them twice, but got no reply..

same story here
I placed an order for the ruggedized multicable a year or two ago, but never got an answer. After a few email attempts, I gave up on them

[JonesH]

Originally Posted by klaukholm

same story here
I placed an order for the ruggedized multicable a year or two ago, but never got an answer. After a few email attempts, I gave up on them

That's not good... Great to know though.

[Yannick]

Just sent an email.

We'll see

[yrplace]

Originally Posted by LX3

AFAIK, those are just passive optical splitters in a rack case, so they reduce the power in each branch. In theory it'll reduce your maximum cable run off each split, by an unknown (to me at least!) amount. I'm not too comfortable with anything that messes with the MADI spec in such a way that it's going to make things perform unpredictably.

Then again, I haven't tried a passive optical MADI split, so it might work fine, but I'm not prepared to take the chance. In my experience, things that "ought to work" always choose the most critical moment to stop working.

I spent months on and off looking for an active fibre "repeater" with one input and two outputs, and eventually gave up. So I'm using a DirectOut MADI Split to do the job. Plus I can "split" a coax source out to two optical feeds with it, which is useful. Good little box. The RME MADI Bridge would work just as well I guess.

Best way to split Madi is with the RME Bridge and RME converter. Let's you send up to 8 MADI signals either fibre (if you have both units) or on BNC to 8 outputs with a matrix for memory. I'd also suggest that if your source has both fibre and coax MADI you can use an SSL bnc to fibre converter to gain a 2nd fibre feed....Mark

[Yannick]

The problem with active boxes is, after a few years the chance the PSU blows is about as big as our main Soundscape system crashing ...

Which makes the cure more dangerous.

I wanted to find a passive split with marginal loss, so the max optical cable length is effectively halved.

Also 8ch solutions are way too expensive, as the MADI interface is quite expensive by itself.

I want to split all 64 channels with one box.

[Green Hat]

I actually phoned the company, but it turned out to be a completely different business. They had never heard of "madicables.com"... Too bad, the prices are incredibly cheap. I also learned that madi optical cable is a computer network standard. It's a little more trouble to get long runs of it... The great expense is not the cable, but the connectors and the advanced tool to mount them.

[Yannick]

I can confirm this firm does not exist (no response)

Sadly, Blackbox carried this kind of splitter in '99 - it just prooves audio technology is always dated (it was dirt cheap)

Now there is Neutrik Opticon, expensive and not immediately compatible with standard MADI connectors. What's the deal ? Does anybody use this system ?

[Miramar_sessions]

Hi, does anyone tryed to passive split a madi signal with a BNC "t"?

I've a live recording to do. I always multitrack record the live concerts for this band from the FOH digico SD8, with the MADI B output to a laptop with an RME MADIFACE, and have great results.

But this time, its more serious stuff (a DVD recording), and i'll need two systems recording at the same time (redundancy). Can i split the SD8 B output with a BNC "T", and feed both systems with that signal? I'm talking about 1 or to meter cables.

If anyone tryed this, i would apreciatte an answer!

Thanks

João Bessa

[charlienyc]

Originally Posted by Miramar_sessions

Hi, does anyone tryed to passive split a madi signal with a BNC "t"?

hola João!
i saw your question in the other thread, and it seems like the DirectOut Technologies (D.O. Tec) Split.Converter is the best answer: SPLIT.CONVERTER

D.O.'s principal, Stephan Flock, is the same person who designed (or at least co-designed) all of RME's super-stable MADI gear and interfaces.

i poked around for - and finally found - the price, which last year was €990 (+VAT). there are distributors listed on their site, including one next door in spain. anyone know about US distribution?

cheers,
-charlie

[Yannick]

But this last device does not support optical IN to 2x optical out ?
So, technically, it is not a splitter ...

[d_fu]

Originally Posted by Yannick

But this last device does not support optical IN to 2x optical out ?

Of course it does - you can feed a signal into A and out of A and B... Just look at the picture, doesn't even require a manual...

[Yannick]

Originally Posted by d_fu

Of course it does - you can feed a signal into A and out of A and B... Just look at the picture, doesn't even require a manual...

No it does not without using some sort of an adaptor on the MADI connectors. These always are dual, with IN and OUT connected to each other.

So, when I feed our stagebox to this splitter, either output A or B is not free anymore ...

I don't want to fiddle around with adapters, short cables etc etc

[MH 3]

Hi,

you can have a version with 4 x Madi Optical. Just call them, and there is the Rme Madi Bridge.
Most of these devices have options on order, ask them.

Regards

[huub]

Originally Posted by Yannick

No it does not without using some sort of an adaptor on the MADI connectors. These always are dual, with IN and OUT connected to each other.

So, when I feed our stagebox to this splitter, either output A or B is not free anymore ...

I don't want to fiddle around with adapters, short cables etc etc

No, the dual connector is just 2 connectors connected by a plastic holder.. It is very easy to disconnect..

[d_fu]

Originally Posted by huub

No, the dual connector is just 2 connectors connected by a plastic holder.. It is very easy to disconnect..

Yes, and besides, you can also get individual cables. These are standard network patch cables, nothing esoteric...

[Yannick]

Ah, OK.
But a version with 3 optical inouts seems still more practical. No cutting & no adapters to forget.

Ideally we want MADI on stage, dual madi recording setups in the control room and still send a talkback signal back to stage.

[d_fu]

Originally Posted by Yannick

Ideally we want MADI on stage, dual madi recording setups in the control room and still send a talkback signal back to stage.

In the control room, with no long distances to cover, you could feed one recording setup with a good solid BNC cable, too...

[MH 3]

Hi Yannik,

it is on the DOtec Site

http://www.directout.eu/upload/docs/..._Manual_de.pdf

Regards

[Yannick]

Aha, great.
That's more clear than the website.

Thanks.

[Yannick]

Originally Posted by d_fu

In the control room, with no long distances to cover, you could feed one recording setup with a good solid BNC cable, too...

Yes, but we do not have MADI setups with BNC io ... Only optical here.

[d_fu]

Originally Posted by Yannick

Yes, but we do not have MADI setups with BNC io ... Only optical here.

You mentioned the RME card in your laptop, which has a BNC input...