Wireless Microphone Snake

urban79

Active Member
I'm working on a project that hasn't been proposed yet, but I foresee being asked soon. The foreseen scenario involves a portable rack of 8 channels of wireless that will interconnect with an existing built-in audio system in a conference room. My intention will be to utilize the rack elsewhere except for a single evening meeting each month, and to facilitate the ease of setup and teardown, I'm looking for 2 breakout snakes that interconnect in a single connector. I have found plenty of DB-25 to XLR snakes, but they all seem to have male DB-25 connectors since that appears to be the ProTools connector... Does what I'm looking for exist? Should I be searching for a term that I'm missing?

Thanks!

Chris
 
I'm working on a project that hasn't been proposed yet, but I foresee being asked soon. The foreseen scenario involves a portable rack of 8 channels of wireless that will interconnect with an existing built-in audio system in a conference room. My intention will be to utilize the rack elsewhere except for a single evening meeting each month, and to facilitate the ease of setup and teardown, I'm looking for 2 breakout snakes that interconnect in a single connector. I have found plenty of DB-25 to XLR snakes, but they all seem to have male DB-25 connectors since that appears to be the ProTools connector... Does what I'm looking for exist? Should I be searching for a term that I'm missing?

Thanks!

Chris
@urban79 Possibly you'd consider XLR's to an alternative connector, such as an Elco / Edac or one of the hermaphroditic connectors if you really want to spend money. Have you checked WhirlWind's site? Why are you looking for two breakouts to one connector, why not one 8 pair breakout to one larger connector or one 8 pair male and one 8 pair female to one connector if that's what you're after. Let me call out @TimMc for you, Tim may be better at reading minds.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
That's a custom cable, not off the shelf. Whirlwind, Radial Engineering, and a few others make custom.
 
8 circuits is the hard part: connectorized snakes aren't that hard to come by (though they're damn pricey), but they're generally in higher circuit counts, from what I've seen.

Whirlwind is top-of-line, and can generally be depended on to have 3-part snakes (long cable of your desired length, and boxes and fanouts, all connected by matching connectors so they're interchangeable; you'd put a fanout in your rack and mount the connector on a bracket) that would serve, but as noted, they're (justifiably) very proud of their stuff. :)

Appears 12-channels is as low as they go on connectorized stuff:

http://whirlwindusa.com/catalog/sna...in-cables/c-series-multiline-cable-assemblies

http://whirlwindusa.com/catalog/snakes-splitters-and-multiwiring-systems/fan-outs/doghouse

http://whirlwindusa.com/catalog/snakes-splitters-and-multiwiring-systems/fan-outs/fm-series

As I say, none of this is cheap; how much is your hassle and time worth to you? :)

(There are likely people doing this sort of prebuilt stuff further down-market, but I don't know whom, offhand.)
 
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I don't see any reason you couldn't get a DB25 surface mount coupler that mounts to the back of your rack and then use one fanout permanently inside to your wireless and another that you connect outside.
 
Have you considered a Dante-enabled wireless mic system? That would enable you to very easily connect and disconnect the rig with a minimum of fuss.
 
For only 8 channels it will take a lifetime to recoup the costs via labor savings.
 
Late to the party on this one - but like others have said - it's a custom job. I've had good luck with the amphenol multipin connectors. Around 200 for the pair and fairly easy to work with, if you can hold an iron steady.
 
Late to the party on this one - but like others have said - it's a custom job. I've had good luck with the amphenol multipin connectors. Around 200 for the pair and fairly easy to work with, if you can hold an iron steady.
@Aaron Becker Which Amphenols are you referring to, DB series OR???
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
@Aaron Becker Which Amphenols are you referring to, DB series OR???
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

@RonHebbard It's been a few years, I had to go pull up my old order invoices - but it looks like it was an Amphenol MP series. 61 pin (works great for 16x4 snakes). I believe they also have a lower pin count version that doesn't solder, so I opted for the 61 pin versions and sometimes elected not to use the extra pins if the cable was smaller.

Here's a current link as of Dec 2018... http://www.amphenolaudio.com/products/multipin-connectors/mp-6265-series/
 

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