Multipin Snakes: analog or digital?

[esumsea]

Hello,
I am manufacturing some snakes and stage-boxes with splitters for live sound and remote recording. I am about to invest a considerable amount of money on mass connectors, jensen transformers (In fact I hae already purchase 24 4 way splitters), and multichannel mogami cable and apon mulling it over I thought I would consider digital. The question is how reliable is it and what is the quality of the audio? Is there audible latency? The goal is to have a multipin system that would not be the weak link in a system consisting of class A api,neve,calrec,grace and hardy preamps and apogee converters (Yet to buy so if you have other suggestions it would also be appreciated. Apogee converters are expensive!). The snake would offer 4 splits on stage using mass (or other similar )connectors. The splits would go to the FOH board (or their snake), to a monitor board, two a second foh board (if it is being used) and finally my mic pres as much as 500' away. At an isolated spot I would have my Mic pres, compressors, convertors (thinking of splitting here two to feed two different recording systems for reliability) and then two the DAWs. Finally I may have a mixer to provide a rough mix at theend of the concert. Anybody have any ideas, comments, suggestions or advice. I would really appreciate it.
Thanks,
Mario

[tINY]

I'm not sure what you are envisioning here.

Is this for a FOH, monitor, and recording set up?

When you talk about converters, are you thinking of putting them in a box and distributing the digital audio to various locations?

Are you thinking about putting mic Preamps in the splitter box and sending out line level?

???




-tINY

[esumsea]

Originally Posted by tINY

I'm not sure what you are envisioning here.

Is this for a FOH, monitor, and recording set up? Yes, but mostly for recording applications using the split to feed the FOH snake of another company if I am not hired to do both.

When you talk about converters, are you thinking of putting them in a box and distributing the digital audio to various locations? Also thinking of doing this at the remote location, not on stage.
Are you thinking about putting mic Preamps in the splitter box and sending out line level?No, I plan on sending the mic signal to the remote location. I think mic level is better for longer runs than line level.

???




-tINY

Thanks for your interest in helping me tINY.
Regards,
Mario

[aussie_techie]

stick with analogue. you cant convert to digital before a mic pre and if you put mic pres on stage you wouldnt have any level control. you cant you afford to induce latency on the FOH feed.

[esumsea]

Thanks for the advice. That is what I was thinking.
Regards,
Mario

[Remoteness]

You said,

...No, I plan on sending the mic signal to the remote location. I think mic level is better for longer runs than line level.


Mario,

For longer runs, line level is always better than mic level.

[tINY]

Line level travels better. But, for stage work, you'd need remote controlled pres.



-tINY

[esumsea]

Do any of you know how to calculate how far I can send these mic levels in cables without signal degredation? Will long length render my invesment in these discrete preamps (with no automation) for this purpose a bad investment? IOW, will these signal degredation from a 250' cable nullify the warmth and character of a calrec pq1161 or and api 512?
Let me know,
Mario

[sonare]

HF loss due to capacitance is a fact of life, but if you must go 250 ft mic level then buy the lowest capacitance AES snake you can afford.

Rich