How to connect DLive & GLD for FOH/Monitor setup?

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This topic contains 7 replies, has 5 voices, and was last updated by Profile photo of marQs marQs 6 years, 10 months ago.

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  • #63644
    Profile photo of marQs
    marQs
    Participant

    Hello forum,

    a PA company I work with ordered a DLive S5000/DM48. They already have a GLD80, equipped with a MADI card. The DLive (not yet arrived) comes with the Ethersound and Dante modules (at least I was told so…).

    What’s the best way to connect both systems for a FOH/Monitor setup? Excuse my ignorance, until recently we had an analog FOH + GLD for monitors via an analog split, so I have no practical clue of a reliably working audionetwork that includes a 96 kHz plus a 48 kHz system yet.

    My guess is: replacing either the MADI card in the GLD for Ethernet or Dante or vice versa, swapping Ethernet or Dante for a MADI module in the DLive. If so, how/where is sample rate conversion managed?

    Thanks for your input,

    marQs

    #63650
    Profile photo of Biggsounds
    Biggsounds
    Participant

    In all honestly I’d suggest you’ll probably be better off just keeping it as an analog split. You can swap out cards (put a Dante in the GLD would be the cheapest fix – the letterbox adaptor in the dLive Dante kit already does the sample rate conversion), but you’ll need to share head amp gain between systems, and if the engineers don’t want to do that then your easiest solution is still analog.

    #63651
    Profile photo of marQs
    marQs
    Participant

    Good to know SRC is taken care for by the hardware!

    For the first shows we’ll work with the analog split anyway, it seems to get usual in festival contexts that bands bring either their own monitor or FOH desk. An analog split seems mandatory to not have to mess with different untested networking solutions. Good chance to get familiar with the DLive instead.

    Been working with shared head amp gain in Midas M32/M32R setups and it was easier than I thought. The downside is that FOH and monitor guys basically have to work in sync, the advantage over a passive analog split is that no one can fry the preamps by accidentially doubling phantom power.

    Thanks for your advice!

    #63653
    Profile photo of Biggsounds
    Biggsounds
    Participant

    If you’re on a transformer split you wouldn’t be able to feed phantom to the other rack, so all good there, but yes, on a festival with quick changes etc & minimal comms with Monitor/FOH world I find the analog split easier, but Dante split is super easy & works great when both crews understand gain structure 😉

    #63659
    Profile photo of Wolfgang
    Wolfgang
    Participant

    in my opinion the best way to split signals is the analog way.
    when you have an analog-split, use it 😉

    advantages:
    no problems with digital-ports!
    no problems with different mixingdesks (maybe from different manufacturers)
    no problems with “who is the gain-master” – every desk is his own master and you can do what you want!

    #63660
    Profile photo of GCumbee
    GCumbee
    Participant

    I’ve used various splitters over the years. As others have said analog splitter solves the most problems.

    The company I free lance for had rented a 2-way transformer iso box on past events. Prices on those can be high. I suggested getting some ART S8 splitters this year. They bought 4. We just used them on a festival with QU32 on stage mixer and a GLD80 for FOH with AR2412 and 084 placed by the splitter rack. Of course this requires a lot of short xlr cables to pull off. But they worked great. We had 0 problems. The S8’s are reasonably priced.

    #63666
    Profile photo of Mike Storm
    Mike Storm
    Participant

    I’ll throw in my 2 cents. I’m surprised that in this age of digital audio there are still so many people using analogue splits, with their heavy (and expensive) copper multicores, when you can use a single Cat5 instead. With dLive and GLD, once the gain is set in the ballpark at soundcheck, you can switch both desks to Digital Trim which will give the two engineers independent trim. I can understand the festival situation, but for recurring shows, tours etc. with the same crew, Dante or gigaACE should be a no-brainer.

    #63667
    Profile photo of marQs
    marQs
    Participant

    I consider the digital split as the ‘clean’, up-to-date solution in case of predictable circumstances.

    Splitting analog might be more suitable for situations as described in my posts above – when bands bring own stuff partially. The task in festival situations is to get the job done quickly, so it’s good to be prepared for all kinds of situation.
    We all know, tech riders often differ from the actual situation, the updated rider hasn’t made it from the promoter to the PA company, bands change their stuff without notice, things get broke on tour etc. Analog splitting seems like the easiest way to me to handle all that unexpected, unknown, unplanned, spontaneous actions.

    I’ll propose to get some of these https://www.thomann.de/gb/the_tracks_eight.htm to get on the safe side for 48 V plus the advantage of independent gain.

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