DIY ??? Help me build my recording snake.

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timboZ

timboZ

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Help me build my recording snake.
I want to build a snake for when I record live shows.
Most of the time I use the inserts of the mixing console to get my feed to the recording setup, but I would like to split the feed before it gets to the mixer so I can have more control over it.

What I want to do is.

I want to use a transformer and get a HIz (Unbalanced) feed from the mic cable.
So the cable will have XLR m, XLR f, and ¼ ts (isolated)

Can this be done and if so how?

Or is there a better solution?

Thanks
 
First, if you're wanting to split the mic feeds you're going to need a mic preamp for each one. On that score I think you'd be better off grabbing feeds from the inserts. And decent trannys are going to run about $100 per channel.
 
If the inserts are being used for eq or compressors I cant use them.

With my recording desk I can use XLR or 1/4 inputs.
 
By recording desk, do mean a mixer, or something with mic pres? If so, just make a passive split, they work well and are lots less $$. You could make a box with one set of XLR in and two sets of XLR out, or just buy a bunch of Y cables long enough to reach bot the mixer and your recording desk.

There are usually a few 16-32 channel Whirlwind passive splitters on ebay, rackmountable or stagebox style, hardwired with XLR tails for the outputs. Plug the snake from stage in, wire your splits, and off you go.
 
I am going into 2 fostex VF160's and a Beh... ADA8000.
12 XLR inputs and 12 1/4 total 24 tracks. Or for smaller shows 10 xlr and 6 1/4 (I do have pres on all my recording inputs)

I do use Y cables some of the times.
Sometimes the FOH guy is hard to work with so I want to isolate my equipment from his with transformers. And one guy runs the gain to hot and and I get clipping from the inserts.
 
Like Track Rat said, they will cost you. If you do it yourself, also realize you need to build a small RFI rejection filter for each channel. Jensen JT-MB are about $60 each, Radial makes some a bit cheaper, as does Lundahl. Then there is the cost and labor to mount each one, with it's accompanying filter.

They won't be the best quality, but Rapco, Horizon, and EWI make some rackmount 4 channel trafo isolated units, pretty cheap, not a bad way to go. Six of them for 24 channels should be around a grand, if you get lucky, and they show up on ebay for as little as $100 for four channels. If you wanted, you could upgrade the trafos later, all the other work is done.

You can always build a straight splitter, and add transformers later. I'm building one this winter, and that is my plan, as I can't afford to lay out $2400 for good transformers, in addition to the cost of a splitter right now.

For some good reading on splitters, go to gearslutz.com, in the remote possibilities forum there are a couple of stickies on mic splitters. Jensen also has schematics and some great stuff on their website.

ps- audiopile.net for EWI stuff. Good people.
 
Will this work.
A passive DI box and a Y cable. Use the DI box in reverse.
1/4 to my fostex recorder and the Y cable to DI box and FOH mixer.
Then I will have a HiZ out and a direct XLR to the FOH?
 
By DI in reverse, you mean pluggin the stage mics into the DI in, and running from the DI inputs to FOH and your recorder?

If so, it won't do you any good, would be a hassle, expensive, and wouldn't work anyway, but good thinking. You would need an XLR turnaround for each channel, and 1/4"-XLR cables to feed FOH from the DI. The quality would most likely suffer. Running backwards through a DI doesn't really yield the best results, probably not good enough for FOH, never mind recording. Also, the two inputs are paralleled, so FOH and your recorders wouldn't be isolated anyway. And as the final nail in the coffin, passive DIs don't pass phantom power. So no condensers.

Why do you want to run unbalanced to your recorder anyway? You have pres for each recorder channel. The best, simplest, and cheapest way is to use an XLR split, either with or without transformers, either racked up nice or plain Y cables. Transformers are for isolation (noise). If you have your own pres, you will have all the gain control you will need. It seems like you are overthinking this a bit. :)

Get some more ARTs, or some EWI pieces, or some more Y cables, and be done with it. Most grounding issues can be solved by plugging into the same power as FOH, or lifting the signal ground (probably the best reason to get more splitters vs. Y cables- ground lifts).
 
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