Topic: DB25 > XLR6

[thunderbolt]

Really dumb question, but I can't seem to find an answer anywhere.

I plan to record an all-day festival on the DR-680.  I'm going to run a Schoeps audience pair (V3> S/PDIF > 7&, which leaves me 6 tracks for everything else.  The board may be an X32, but it's unclear.  The FOH mentioned several options, including a DB25 out.  I'm wanting to have a least a little control over the mix, because I'm not sure I can count on a well-mixed two-channel board feed.  There will be lots of stage changes, and I don't want to pester the guy about a 2-track mixdown.

I was thinking about getting a snake.  I understand that a DB25 connector is simple solution (short of a CAT5) that avoids a massive snake when you're running 16, 24 or 32 channels.  But since I'm just running six (mono) subgroups from the board (e.g., drums, piano, bass, horns, vocals) pre-fader to those outputs, is this more hassle than it's worth?  Overkill?  It just seemed like using one connector might make things easier.

I'm wondering if there are specific problems or pitfalls with my plan.  I'm assuming with a digital board that this is easy?  Is there a high chance with this idea that I may just get screwed up outputs?  Is requesting subgroups asking too much of the FOH ?

[ScoobieKW]

You see DB25 outputs on option cards for digital consoles. How the pins map to an XLR breakout will depend on the model of console.

What the engineer was most likely thinking was to give you aux outputs where he could give you the submixes.

So not necessarily a snake, but an adapter cable from the board's outputs to XLR. And no, unless I was setup a long distance from FOH, I wouldn't worry about a snake.

Get model of console, and either buy a prebuilt adapter or get the pinout from the manual. If your solder skills aren't up to building, any of the cable builders on this site can help you out.

[steveneudaly]

The board may be an X32, but it's unclear.  The FOH mentioned several options, including a DB25 out.

If indeed an X32, I doubt you'll see a DB25 anywhere, unless it's on some accessory split or other unknown variable thrown into the mix.

I was thinking about getting a snake.  I understand that a DB25 connector is simple solution (short of a CAT5) that avoids a massive snake when you're running 16, 24 or 32 channels.  But since I'm just running six (mono) subgroups from the board (e.g., drums, piano, bass, horns, vocals) pre-fader to those outputs, is this more hassle than it's worth?  Overkill?  It just seemed like using one connector might make things easier.

Yes, the one connector convenience of DB25 makes things easier, but is much less useful in the grand scheme of things. DB25 is not all that common in live sound these days, leaving you with a rarely useful tool. I'd opt for a fan-to-fan 8-channel XLR snake. They're cheap to build or cheap to buy pre-built and useful in a variety of circumstances. Also, your snake diameter will be no larger than your DB25 cable would. Perhaps carry some male TRS to female XLR adapters in case the FOH console runs out of available XLR outs to feed you with.

I'm assuming with a digital board that this is easy?  Is there a high chance with this idea that I may just get screwed up outputs?  Is requesting subgroups asking too much of the FOH ?

This all depends on the engy's mixing style, how comfortable they are with their gear and you tying-in. Not all engineers use subgroups, so you requesting this may put the mixer out of their comfort zone. I'd recommend trying your best to get a phone call in with the festival's engineer or system tech well in advance to hammer out some of these details. Pre-production saves gigs!