Getting a snake from the booth to stage

[Blah067]

I have a bit of a predicament...

Our house system has 6 inputs located backstage for the pit or backstage mics.
I will probably be running a talent show in the space this February. Also, the musical in the spring.

As the title states, I'd like to run a 16 channel snake back there. Problem, there isn't a good way to do it. For rehearsal sake (this is speaking for the talent show, where tear down is required and "load in" is an hour before the first show), I'll have to just throw it over seats or up the isle. But for the show....

Right now, I'm actually betting my money on out the booth window, under the back row of seats (off to a side) and down the last column of seats up to the side. Somewhere I'll have to "couple" a second snake in to continue the run backstage.

But for the musical, that's not going to fly. Our TD refuses to see any cable during the show, no matter how hard you have to look to find it.

I've considered renting a very long snake (possibly digital? cat 5? which we have run back there via walls...) and going up into the cats...but then again, I'd have to go through a door and couple multiple snakes to get back there.

**** designers... who puts SIX channels backstage for the pit anyhow???

[Eboy87]

How long is your snake? Your best bet is up and over, whether by catwalk or through the ceiling (you'd need maintenance to help with that one). The other option is running it along the bottom of the side walls. Avoid aisles, and know that if you cross them, you'll probably need some kind of cable ramp so people don't trip. Without knowing what your theatre looks like, those are the basic runs.

Is this going to a spot backstage, or in your pit? For the talent show, I couldn't forsee cable runs being too much of an issue. Getting to the pit from backstage could present a visibility issue, but there aren't many ways around that unless you have a really, really long snake and run it underneath the theatre.

You can try digital, but keep in mind that's one more major point of failure on stage if someone kicks the power switch. Sorry I can't be much more help.

[museav]

I'm not clear on where the inputs you have are, I don't usually consider a pit as being back stage, or where you need the inputs. Without actually being there and seeing the venue it is hard to offer much advice. Potential trip hazards and ADA accessibility are definitely considerations in whatever you do.

As much as I think wired is always preferable, if you have to rent one option might be renting wireless mics with the receivers at FOH. Also, watch going through doors, some doors may have to remain closed or be able to close without any interference for sound isolation and life safety purposes.

[Blah067]

We have our pit located backstage due to space issues in the front where the pit should be. Ironically, the BAND DIRECTOR was the guy who wanted no space for the pit....

We have several wall boxes backstage (4) each with one or two mic/line runs back to the board.

How bout this one. (For the talent show only) Run out the window of the booth, and just run under the center row of seats all the way to the skirt. Once I get there, take a side (their will already be cables their for monitor runs) and have the box SL/SR midstage?

I have access to a few different snakes. The school nor myself personally own any.

I'd say our distance from the booth to FOH is only 100 feet tops? The only thing is if I need to "couple" two snakes together, I'm NOT even going to consider leaving that near where any students (audience) will be. That will be up in the cats or on the side in a locked up box or something...?

[BNEL]

If your looking at Digital solution. I suggest the ProCo Momentum series Pro Co Sound Momentum Digital Snake System :: Take the Stage . This system is expandable as needed. System requires Cat 6 on a isolated network. I am currently upgrading one of my facilties that I can't upgrade any further with analog components let alone limited conduit space between my booth and stage.

[PsycoEmu]

I had/have this problem myself. I'm building a sound/light booth in the back of the auditorium for a permanent solution to the placement problem we have. My problem was we had to hide the huge snake cable out of the way of the theatre-goers. So, to pick the fastest and easiest solution, I just moved a vent in the ceiling above the booth and strung it through the total length of the auditorium.

Would that be possible for you to somehow accomplish?

[MillburyAuditorium]

At our school our control area is in the back, and we thought of this way of setting up our snake.

It goes out of the board,
Straight across the floor to the wall, straight up the wall then straight left to the wall, so it goes over the door, then straight down, then straight down the house on the side of the wall in between he last seats in the side row and the wall, then once it is at the stairs at the edge of the stage is it goes up the stairs along the edge, then around the edge of the wall until it gets to the stage opening, then straight back into the backstage area where it connects to its wind up thing, then just plugged into the amps and microphone outputs on stage, which are, in the amp rack.

So our solution, and probobly yours,
Tape : )

We use Gorilla Tape, I don't know if Gaff tape is strong enough to hold it up.

[MillburyAuditorium]

As for your theatres design and mention of your backstage outputs.

All of our hanging mics and floor mics are connected to a box inside of the amp rack. So get this,
The hanging and floor mics each have, or some are in pairs of two, its own wire, thats fine, our board is setup to have two channels for floors mics, and 4 for hanging, then 8 for wireless, anyways, So they connect to this box back stage in the amp rack. Then the snake, travels from this box all the way to the front of the house, or back, where we operate about 75-100 feet from the amps and dimmers, connect to the board, then the main outputs go out of the board back through the snake and connect to the amp : P

[Soxred93]

Originally Posted by MillburyAuditorium

We use Gorilla Tape, I don't know if Gaff tape is strong enough to hold it up.

Ugh... the mere thought of it makes me shudder.

Gorilla tape is a terrible idea. Sure, it's strong, but it's incredibly difficult to remove. If you buy the good quality gaff tape, it should be perfectly strong. The snake from our booth goes down to the stage, and it's held to the floor with gaff tape. That tape has been there for 6 years, and it has yet to pull up anywhere.

(However, we just put another layer over it to reinforce it, just to make us feel a little safer)

[fredthe]

Originally Posted by MillburyAuditorium

All of our hanging mics and floor mics are connected to a box inside of the amp rack. So get this...

Actualy, your setup is not that unusual. Mics are usually on stage, the mixer is at the back of the house. Keeping the amps close to the speakers cuts down on heavy-gauge wire runs, and the mic and amp feeds can co-exist in the same snake. It's exactly what I do for portable/temporary setups.

The place I'm invoved with these days has ~200 ft from the mic inputs on stage to the booth splitters and patch panels, then another 75 ft to the mixer. Then it's 75' back to the speaker processor/amps. If we use the on-stage monitor mix position, it's 400' for the mics, and then 200' to the amps.

-Fred