Anyone who does one-off or touring gigs has been there. It's late, it's been a long day and you have hundreds of feet of heavy snake to drag and coil into a box, which then weighs a ton, and you have to push it around to get it into the truck. Sometimes, if you are really lucky, the truck has no lift, so you get to muscle it up a ramp. It's one reason why we have been watching the development of digital snakes that transmit over fiber or CAT5 and fit in a case that you can carry onto an airplane without a sideways glance from the flight attendant. The Gear
The product that was sent for review was the RSS S-4000 digital snake system. It comes in a couple of different configurations: 32 x 8, 64 x 16, 96 x 24 or 128 x 32. The -S-4000 is also available in custom configurations including 24 x16, 48 x 16, 56 x 24 and 96 x 32. This system runs at 24-bit 96KHz. RSS is part of Roland, and this system was developed by some of the same rocket scientists who designed the popular all-in-one Roland recording units.
With the basic 32 x 8 configuration like I used, there are four main hardware pieces when using the system in a "split" configuration. The first is the "Modular Rack." For all you analog guys, this would be your split box on stage. This is where your mic preamps and analog-to-digital conversion take place. Every channel has a signal, clip and 48-volt LED for onstage monitoring. It also has a cool power switch that looks like a missile launch button with a plastic cover. That way, some drunk band roadie can't turn it off by "accident."
The second piece is a hub (required only when doing splits). The modular rack is hooked up to the hub via two Ethercon connectors. (If you are not familiar with these, they look like a computer network plug wrapped in an XLR shell, and they are pretty bulletproof.) One is the main and the other is a redundant backup that automatically switches over if the main loses connection somehow. There is a non-audible 1 sample loss when switched over. (Samples are measured in microseconds; trust me, you can't hear it.) Roland has a proprietary hub that will be available soon, but you can also use a consumer brand such as D-Link or Linksys. The hub is sort of your "split." One set of Ethercons (CAT5e cable) goes to FOH and the other set goes to monitor land.
FOH and monitor land both get an S-4000H FOH unit and an S-4000R remote controller. This is your D-to-A conversion to go into your console as well as your preamp control. Inputs and outputs from the console interface into the FOH unit via D-Sub connectors. Each connector holds eight channels of audio. (Rumor has it that Roland is working on a mass pin version and I confirmed this with a call to Roland.)
The FOH remote is also plugged into the FOH unit from an RS-232 port. The remote controller can control up to 40 channels of audio. It controls phantom power, preamp gain and has a -20dB pad. If an input channel clips on the remote, the clip light will stay on until you hit the "clip clear" button. However, you can only control the preamp gain from one place, FOH or the stage location.
One really cool thing I did notice about the phantom power was a half-second or so mute when you turn it on. That will definitely come in handy with visiting engineers instead of the "Whoops, sorry!" we are all used to. The remote also has presets for storing gain settings for repeat acts. We did find out that you cannot run Clear-Com through the snake though due to voltage restrictions.
The Gig
This year at NSCA, I took a visit to the Roland booth and they had a comparison between a standard analog snake, which was conveniently 400 feet long, and their digital snake. (Over CAT5 like we used, you can only go 350 feet.) I listened to some music, hit the A/B switch and I was blown away. It sounded like the soundman turned down the suck knob! Compared to the analog snake, the Roland had a lot more clarity and warmth to it. It was a complete night and day difference.
The show that I used this on was for Juice Newton at the Silverton Casino Hotel Lodge in Las Vegas. It was at their outdoor event center for roughly 1,200 people. Even with the unfamiliar connectors and hubs and converters we were not used to having on a gig, setup was a snap.
While prepping for the show, I did try unplugging the main Ethercon (CAT5e cable) while audio was running through the snake to see what would happen. Absolutely nothing! It switched over automatically without any audible change whatsoever.
I've heard our rig at the Silverton many times, more than I would like as a matter of fact. The system always sounds good but this time was a lot different. It was a lot fuller and clearer than ever before at that venue. Even the visiting engineer noticed the difference. And packing up did not involve sweat, grunting and swearing–at least not when it came to the snake. Sweet.
What it is: System for transport of digitized audio in a live setting.
Who it's for: Touring and one-off soundcos. Installs where running a ton of copper is not practical.
Pros: Fewer potential RF and AC noise problems compared to analog; CAT5e cable is a lot cheaper, lighter, smaller and easier to run than W4, Ramlatch or Veam; a substantial reduction in sonic signal quality degradation over longer cable runs compared to analog snakes; redundant power supply available
Cons: You can only control gain from either FOH or stage, not both at the same time; D-Sub fanouts feel kind of thin and cheap; cannot run Clear-Com through return lines
MSRP: $7,995 for 32 x 8 system with remote control, stage and FOH units. Pricing for custom configurations available by contacting Roland Systems Group.
