Roland S-0816 Manuel d'utilisateur télécharger pdf

AT 98

REVIEW

How many times have you been left packing up at the

end of a concert or a session – usually on your lonesome

– while everyone else is at home with a beer and their feet

up? Ever found yourself wondering: ‘there must be an

easier way’?

Digital mixing and audio processing is already reducing

the volume, size, and weight of audio equipment, and

Roland (well, strictly speaking, ‘RSS by Roland’) has

already weighed in with its S-4000 Digital Snake –

making Ethernet-based multi-channel digital audio

transmission more affordable than ever. It’s now released

the S-1608/0816 combo, which puts the technology in

reach of even more people. It’s a digital multicore – not a

digital mixing system that uses a digital multicore – so

the Compact Digital Snake can drop into just about any

existing setup.

SNAKE’S ALIVE

The review rig consisted of the S-1608 and S-0816 rack-

mountable units and the S-4000R remote controller. The

S-1608 is situated on the stage (or at the point of input)

and the S-0816 is placed at the ‘mixing’ or ‘front of house’

position. These two units are then simply connected via a

single Ethernet Cat5e cable. This cable carries the audio

and control signals using Roland’s own protocol, REAC

(Roland Ethernet Audio Communication – at 24-bit/96k).

Meanwhile, the S-4000R remote control oversees the

channel gains and monitoring of the audio signals and can

be patched into the system at either the mixer or on-stage

ends of the chain. It features channel select and channel

gain knobs, recall/store and lock functions, channel pad

(-20dB) and phantom power options. It also gives you

a ‘signal’ LED and ‘clip’ LED for each channel, and a

standard input signal level meter for the selected channel.

The remote works on a standard RS-232C interface while

the S-1608 and the S-0816 run on mains power.

There are a total of 16 input channels and eight output/

return channels on the snake, and with the addition of any

number of S-0816 units, Cat5e cables, and an Ethernet

switching hub, you can split the 16 channels to multiple

destinations such as a multitrack recorder or a monitor

desk. Between the Neutrik Ethercon devices the system

has a very low latency of approximately 375 microseconds

while any additional switching hub will add around 200

microseconds of latency. The technical restrictions of the

cable itself also limit individual runs to no more than 100

metres, though this should be more than enough for most

applications. Where further cable distance is required,

an in-line ethernet switching hub every 100 metres can

be used to carry and boost the signal up to a total of 500

metres. Of course, the beauty of this arrangement is that,

provided there are no digital errors or interference, there’s

no loss in signal quality over long distances – unlike

analogue snakes.

IN THE SNAKE PIT

The new Roland system is easy to install, and for anyone

used to lugging analogue copper cables about, laying the

Cat5e cable is a breeze. At the first test venue I effortlessly

ran the cable down the side of the room, connected the

‘stage’ and ‘front of house’ boxes, powered up and was

ready to go. The two units sync themselves very quickly

without any manual input. The only ‘extras’ you need is a

short XLR loom to connect the mixing desk to the S-0816

‘front of house’ unit. Plug in the remote and you’re ready

for soundcheck.

I was pleased to see that Roland has included AC power

cord clamps on the side of both boxes to prevent the power

being accidentally cut to either unit – this would result

in complete loss of communication. The Ethernet cables

also sport a much more solid REAC connector rather than

the standard RJ45 plugs. This offers some consolation for

anyone switching from analogue to digital cables for the

first time, who might feel unnerved by the ‘lightweight’

nature of digital cables and connectors. Combine this with

the option of rack-mounting the units, and the result is a

very secure and robust-looking system that’s suitable for a

wide variety of gigging and concert environments.

SSSS… OUNDCHECK

Soundchecking the new system at my first test gig was

also a relatively painless affair. Selecting a channel,

setting the gain, adding a pad, or supplying phantom

power to a mic is all relatively simple (more on that in a

moment). The S-1608 and the S-0816 each have a ‘global’

mute button – great for when you’ve got limited time for

soundcheck. This allows you to quickly and easily mute

the entire system before plugging or unplugging mic cables

etc, preventing the need for the mandatory run back

ROLAND RSS S-1608/0816

COMPACT DIGITAL SNAKE

Roland’s Digital Snake now comes

in a slimline alternative.

Text: Simon Allen

1 2

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Page 1 - COMPACT DIGITAL SNAKE

AT 98REVIEW How many times have you been left packing up at the end of a concert or a session – usually on your lonesome – while everyone else is at

Page 2 - The biggest advantage of the

AT 99“The biggest advantage of the Digital Snake is the fact that the preamps are at the stage end, closer to the microphones ”The S-4000R optional r

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Roland S-0816 Manuel d'utilisateur

Naviguer en ligne ou télécharger Manuel d'utilisateur pour Télécommandes Roland S-0816. Roland RSS S-1608/0816 Compact Digital Snake Issue 60 Manuel d'utilisatio

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