Seeking Digital snake opinions (Roland REAC)?

[foamboy]

Hello. I was wondering if anybody has any significant experience with digital(ethernet) snakes. I have been looking at the Roland REAC RSS system in particular and I would appreciate any opinions from people who have used this system as well as other suggestions for stable snakes.

Thanks.

fb

[jabney]

Strictly as a digital snake, or as part of the RSS mixing system? If the latter, it's been a while, but I helped a friend set-up his facility's sound system. and the Roland was fine. Some functions (such as loudspeaker system control) require some improvisation, but the Roland probably can do most of what you want it to - eventually. (No 24 bit USB recording yet though - as far as I've heard.)

best,

john

[sonare]

I have been using the ETS Insta-snakes with 250ft shielded CAT5 cables for a year without problems. To test I ran one Schoeps CMC621 straight in and the other through the snake-- they sounded identical.

Rich

[CAT5]

I use an appsys (from switzerland) 32 channel adat tot cat5 converter for this. Never let me down. Superb building quality.

[sonare]

ADAT Multicore Extender ADX-32B / ADX-64B-PRO

[foamboy]

Thanks very much for the replies.

At this point we are considering the Roland RSS system simply because our Yamaha O1V96 allows only 16 channels of audio through MLAN and we need at least 22. We were/are considering the Yamaha LS9,however the more we research it the more expensive it becomes.

My biggest concerns with the Roland RSS is durability. We play approx 200 days a year and many of those are one nighters and a lot of out door gigs,so durability is a BIG concern.

Also,since we have never used a digital snake we are all a bit weary of the stability and the ability to trouble shoot problems. Can anybody share any experiences as to a learning curve and if it was a PITA initially to troubleshoot?

However,you have offered some options that I did not even knew existed and I will follow up on those.

Thanks again, and please keep the info coming!

fb

[foamboy]

Originally Posted by jabney

Some functions (such as loudspeaker system control) require some improvisation, but the Roland probably can do most of what you want it to - eventually. (No 24 bit USB recording yet though - as far as I've heard.)

best,

john

If I am not mistaken,some of these issues have been addressed in the newer M300 console.

fb

[jabney]

Originally Posted by foamboy

Thanks very much for the replies.
...
My biggest concerns with the Roland RSS is durability. We play approx 200 days a year and many of those are one nighters and a lot of out door gigs,so durability is a BIG concern.

Also,since we have never used a digital snake we are all a bit weary of the stability and the ability to trouble shoot problems. Can anybody share any experiences as to a learning curve and if it was a PITA initially to troubleshoot?...

I can't speak to the reliability of the RSS system. But based on your projected uses, you may also want to look into the Allen & Heath digital systems. The A&H has a useful de-esser on each channel strip along with the usual digital per-strip goodies. The A&H design does presume that its users don't need to be lied to by the level indicators - so when it shows the input is clipping, the input really is clipping.

best,

john

[foamboy]

Originally Posted by jabney

I can't speak to the reliability of the RSS system. But based on your projected uses, you may also want to look into the Allen & Heath digital systems. The A&H has a useful de-esser on each channel strip along with the usual digital per-strip goodies. The A&H design does presume that its users don't need to be lied to by the level indicators - so when it shows the input is clipping, the input really is clipping.

best,

john

Thanks for the tip. I didn't even know A&H had a system! Silly me!

Well it sure does look nice,but I have a feeling it might be expensive. Thanks again.

fb

[avebr]

Originally Posted by sonare

I have been using the ETS Insta-snakes with 250ft shielded CAT5 cables for a year without problems. To test I ran one Schoeps CMC621 straight in and the other through the snake-- they sounded identical.

Rich

+1. I've been using for 3+ years. 30-50ft to run mics from the roof of theaters/halls (near ACs, lighting,...)

4 channels per shielded CAT5 cable - you can mix direction (input/output) and type (mic, line, and digital depending on lenght).

Just great. thumbsup

[jabney]

Originally Posted by foamboy

Thanks for the tip. I didn't even know A&H had a system! Silly me!

Well it sure does look nice,but I have a feeling it might be expensive. Thanks again.

fb

There's various price points: it's A&H digital systems. I have a friend that's an A&H dealer. You can let me know via PM if you'd like pricing information - I can put you in touch.

best,

john

[foamboy]

Originally Posted by jabney

There's various price points: it's A&H digital systems. I have a friend that's an A&H dealer. You can let me know via PM if you'd like pricing information - I can put you in touch.

best,

john

Fantastic! I appreciate the offer. I will discuss with the others involved and let you know via PM if I need the "hook up".

Thanks again,

fb

[Lazerface]

We use the REAC snakes a couple times a week at my corporate AV job. The CAT5 spools that you can buy from roland are quite sturdy, I think they're some sort of armored CAT5 or something. They've held up quite well, being flown in the air, or even taped down on the ground. The standalone snake is quite easy to use, and when using it with their mixers, its a joy to use. Sounds great too!

[netsound]

Originally Posted by foamboy

Thanks very much for the replies.

At this point we are considering the Roland RSS system simply because our Yamaha O1V96 allows only 16 channels of audio through MLAN and we need at least 22. We were/are considering the Yamaha LS9,however the more we research it the more expensive it becomes.

My biggest concerns with the Roland RSS is durability. We play approx 200 days a year and many of those are one nighters and a lot of out door gigs,so durability is a BIG concern.

Also,since we have never used a digital snake we are all a bit weary of the stability and the ability to trouble shoot problems. Can anybody share any experiences as to a learning curve and if it was a PITA initially to troubleshoot?

However,you have offered some options that I did not even knew existed and I will follow up on those.

Thanks again, and please keep the info coming!

fb

Here is a combined Mamba Digital snake system with ADAT and Analog that is ideal for Yamaha 01v96.
We have few customers who turned a 01v96 in to 40 ch mixer.
16 analog and 24 ADAT (8 on mixer and 16 via ADAT card).
It has built in cat5 redundancy and very reliable.

Mamba Analog/ADAT Digital Snake

[drpro]

Another I use and own is the Aviom. I am using the "light" version which is good up to 64 channels. It can be bought in units that are 16 channels for a total of 64. You can have any combination of ins and outs. I currently use it as 16 ins and 16 outs at both ends. I could reconfigure that to 32 ins at the stage end and 32 outs at the mixer end. It is a little pricey, but there are deals out there.

David
Nashvegas

[foamboy]

Thanks again for all of the suggestions. I have some other questions.

I have looked at the AppSys Multicore and it seems like a good alternative. However, I have had some suggestions for this AudioRail Technologies


My concern about this system is that it does not have a BNC connector for a word clock. I am currently using 3 Digimax LT and the Yamaha 01v96 and I have the word clock activated from the Yam to the Digimax. I am wondering if bypassing the BNC clock would only create a bunch of headaches for me? The Digimax manual states that it is HIGHLY recommended to use the clock,but it does not state that it is NECESSARY,only RECOMMENDED.

The above mentioned site has a pretty extensive explanation of how this is not a problem,but I would like some other knowledgeable opinions if possible.

Thanks again for all of the help and suggestions, I am seriously considering and researching as many options as possible,so all of you have been very kind and helpful.

Thanks again,

fb

[PDC]

Originally Posted by foamboy

Hello. I was wondering if anybody has any significant experience with digital(ethernet) snakes. I have been looking at the Roland REAC RSS system in particular and I would appreciate any opinions from people who have used this system as well as other suggestions for stable snakes.

Thanks.

fb

We install these often. They are bullet proof.

I do not see a need for WC when the snake would be analog to analog on both sides and not interacting with your digital recorder at all. The snake is 24/24kHz

[appsys]

Originally Posted by foamboy

I have looked at the AppSys Multicore and it seems like a good alternative. (...) The Digimax manual states that it is HIGHLY recommended to use the clock,but it does not state that it is NECESSARY,only RECOMMENDED.

I think ADAT sync should work as well, but it has the drawback that you usually need additional splitters for your reference clock ADAT stream because you have to feed them into multiple Digimax units.
If you want to go for WC, the Appsys ADX-64B-PRO provides also BNC wordclock transmission. In addition, it features a mode where it outputs a BNC wordclock signal derived from an ADAT stream, eliminating the need for a BNC master clock. (BTW: The photo still shows the -A version without MIDI. At least, the manual is up-to-date).

Regards,
Rolf (the Appsys guy)

[CAT5]

Rolf knows what he's talking about. I've been using his products for over a year without any problems.

[Dave Slevin]

We have 4 RSS systems where I work. Two theaters and two computer music labs. No problem splitting any room to the studio or anywhere else in the building. It's solid the only issues ever is if a third machine is switched on or off "mid-flight" by accident. It gets "jittery" for want of a better word.

The quality is good, no complaints there. The biggest issue for me is that we need to convert back to Analogue for the FOH desk (Yamaha DM2000) and Studio (ProTools HD).

Since there doesn't seem to be any one else using the REAC system I would think twice before buying one myself. If there was a compatible card for the Yamaha or even a way to go into a Mac (Reaper, Logic or something that would be great!)

Which makes me wonder. What exactly is the difference between the Ethernet Audio systems. Is it the frame structure? MAC protocol?

Could anyone guess how difficult it would be to make a program to convert the protocol from one to the other??

The LS9 system with Dante ethernet cards could e worth a look IMO.

[jim_r_vee]

Hi, Hopefully I can give you some good advice, I have been using the Roland RSS 32ch Digital Snake for about 3 years, I have to give credit where it's due, the Pre's are superb,,,, Live recordings into Cakewalk are a piece of cake "walk",,, I must admit I normally take the "Wav" files and transfer them onto Protools (only because i am not to good with cakewalk) but the results have been superb. You can take a split from the Main cat5 feed into a box standard gigabit hub and then run the signal to your laptop via the gigabit ethernet port aswell as the S4000H D/A converter. It is true the snake uses it's own propiortry protocol so you can only use it either converting back to analog or directly into a Roland digital desk but trust me, I have been using it on a Soundcraft GB8 for live work and it has saved me many an hour running big fat multicores and has never let me down, even with outdoor dusty gigs. Now don't quote me on this but i'm sure i saw something about Roland releasing a box that will convert there protocol into MADI???? could be wrong but it's worth checking out.