Audio & MIDI in the same snake?

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alexdingley
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Audio & MIDI in the same snake?

Post by alexdingley » Tue Jun 01, 2021 7:09 pm

I’m trying to consolidate some cabling for the home studio, and I’m wondering if this is a good/bad idea:

I have some 8pr / 16pr snakes… decent gepco stuff, and some canare. Not sure the gauges, off hand, but it’s great for mic & line cabling.

I have 3 synths that all have stereo outs, and I typically pump those into DI boxes.

Since MIDI’s 5-pin connector ONLY uses the three center pins, I wonder if there’s any big reason why I wouldn’t want to put the DI boxes out by the synths, (keeping the unbal instrument cables short) and just custom whip up a snake that has all the midi and xlr connections in the same multi-pair snake.

Any enhanced risk of cross-talk with a 20’-50’ multi-pair snake, if some of the lines are used for MIDI while others are balanced mic level (the DI channels)?

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Nick Sevilla
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Re: Audio & MIDI in the same snake?

Post by Nick Sevilla » Tue Jun 01, 2021 7:52 pm

This is EXACTLY how a portal to another dimension was opened a long time ago.

LOL, actually if you want to do this, just make sure to label the MIDI connectors properly, if you do end up using 3 pin xlrs.

I recommend you actually use MIDI DIN connectors for the MIDI and not risk damaging a MIDI port with phantom power years later.

It should not have any crosstalk issues. If it does, YOU HAVE GONE TOO FAR. Consult a seance expert, preferably a shorter female one, like the one in Poltergeist.
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.

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Re: Audio & MIDI in the same snake?

Post by vvv » Tue Jun 01, 2021 10:10 pm

:lol:
bandcamp;
blog.
I mix with olive juice.

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Scodiddly
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Re: Audio & MIDI in the same snake?

Post by Scodiddly » Wed Jun 02, 2021 5:17 am

One unsubstantiated thing I found on an unfamiliar forum, but plausible:
When I developed my MIDI Long Haul product, which drives MIDI over up to 1km of audio cable, I conducted a test with BBC Engineering at the Television Centre in London, patching that and a microphone signal together around every spare tie line in the building, round and round, 600m in all through a variety of patchbays with unscreened sections. Then the microphone was amplified by 60dB and we listened while MIDI was sent. Absolutely nothing, not our MIDI nor anything else from the entire TV Centre.

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Re: Audio & MIDI in the same snake?

Post by alexdingley » Wed Jun 02, 2021 5:34 am

Now I’m starting to think that VVV has gained access to other accounts:
Nick Sevilla wrote:
Tue Jun 01, 2021 7:52 pm
This is EXACTLY how a portal to another dimension was opened a long time ago.
Thanks! I’m probably gonna go for it.

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Re: Audio & MIDI in the same snake?

Post by alexdingley » Wed Jun 02, 2021 5:38 am

Scodiddly wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 5:17 am
One unsubstantiated thing I found on an unfamiliar forum, but plausible:
…<bill & ted voice>… woah.

Yeah, that’s fascinating, but I’m unlikely to try and marry them together in the same balanced line. (Which, is what it sounds like they claim to have done there)

I’m gonna pigtail it with midi ends / xlr ends

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Re: Audio & MIDI in the same snake?

Post by Nick Sevilla » Wed Jun 02, 2021 6:55 pm

alexdingley wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 5:38 am
Scodiddly wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 5:17 am
One unsubstantiated thing I found on an unfamiliar forum, but plausible:
…<bill & ted voice>… woah.

Yeah, that’s fascinating, but I’m unlikely to try and marry them together in the same balanced line. (Which, is what it sounds like they claim to have done there)

I’m gonna pigtail it with midi ends / xlr ends
As long as each "line" is dedicated to MIDI or audio, you will be fine. None are high voltage signals, so crosstalk etc. should be unnoticeable.
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.

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Re: Audio & MIDI in the same snake?

Post by Scodiddly » Wed Jun 02, 2021 7:50 pm

Looking at the spec, the signal voltage is 3.3 volts. So that's basically line level.

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