Multi-pin connectors for audio/power.

[la malta]

There seems to be so many and not a lot of comprehensive information about the different types. It seems like 19-pin socapex is the most used for power and speaker snakes. What about audio snakes?

What connectors do/would you use and how do/would you use them?

Edit: Also, does anyone know if 12/19 so or sj cable actually exists? I can't seem to find it anywhere on the net.

[Bas Gooiker]

I don't really understand what it is you are trying to make, but i'd keep my power leads as far as possible from my signal & speaker cable as possible.

[la malta]

I'm not making anything. Just getting my knowledge up. I'm aware running signal with power or speaker is not advisable and I would have seperate multicables for that.

[escapemcp]

There seems to be so many and not a lot of comprehensive information about the different types. It seems like 19-pin socapex is the most used for power and speaker snakes. What about audio snakes?

Here's a good place to start http://bit.ly/19ap2m9

Couldn't resist

What connectors do/would you use and how do/would you use them?

I use Neutrik throughout. Neutrik XLR for signal, powercon for (...guess what...) Power, Speakon for speaker wire (and they make connectors for network, optical, you name it, they probably have made a connector for it!!). The fact that most of the Neutrik connectors use the same (size-d) cutout is a big plus also.

Edit: Also, does anyone know if 12/19 so or sj cable actually exists? I can't seem to find it anywhere on the net.

Well if it has a name it probably exists, unless you are making it up (I've never heard of it)... again, I'd be looking at google for this, but you're probably wasting your time, as if no-one on here has used it, it probably isn't worth using.
BTW: Socapex is more for 'broadcasting' use IIRC (which would imply multiple video streams, I guess). It would be the wrong tool for the job

[BrentEvans]

[

There seems to be so many and not a lot of comprehensive information about the different types. It seems like 19-pin socapex is the most used for power and speaker snakes. What about audio snakes?

What connectors do/would you use and how do/would you use them?

Edit: Also, does anyone know if 12/19 so or sj cable actually exists? I can't seem to find it anywhere on the net.

19-conductor cable is a bit of an oddball. Usually Socapex cable is made with cable that comes in multiples of 2 or 3 (which usually means 18 pair). I've actually never seen one with all 19 pairs connected. You can buy multistrand SO or SJOOW from most electrical distributors, but they're usually going to carry it in only a few iterations. You can buy it online too... but you can also sometimes buy finished socapex cables on ebay for just a little more than the price of the connectors, so that's the way to go if socapex is what you really need.

Typically these are used as trunk connections for lighting and speakers. That said, Socapex cables for lighting are usually male to female, and those for speaker breakouts are usually male to male, so it would be hard to get them mixed up. You wouldn't typically use a socapex cable for a bunch of 20 amp outlets, although you could. If you need that much power distribution, though, you're normally going to see a big distro with cams to connect to the mains, and twist-loc cables for single or dual 30A connections, which break out to smaller dual-15 amp boxes. This isn't something most of use need or use.

Further, these days, by the time you buy all that copper, you can get decent LED lights, which require much less power and therefore cabling.

For speaker connections, the Neutrik NL-8 is a better choice than Socapex IMHO. It's field repairable (like a big NL4) and much easier to work with. NL-8 gives you four pairs, where Socapex gives you 9, but do you frequently need more than four pairs in the same place?

For mic-level and line-level, stick with XLR. Whirlwind and others have multipin connectors for audio that are similar to the Socapex style but have more and smaller pins. These pins bend easily, but aren't so easy to replace. For what you'd have in a bunch of multicore and connectors for something that would even approach the need for multipin connectors, you really need to be looking at a digital mixer and cat5 stage boxes these days anywya.

Well if it has a name it probably exists, unless you are making it up (I've never heard of it)... again, I'd be looking at google for this, but you're probably wasting your time, as if no-one on here has used it, it probably isn't worth using.

First of all, I've used it (we use socapex for lighting breakouts in a production company I work for occasionally). By your logic, that makes it "worth using," right? The reason you don't see it talked about in these parts is that it really is high-end stuff. Most of us simply don't need anything that beefy and expensive for what we do on our own. There are just a few production companies on here that can do 5,000-10,000 person gigs, and this is where big multipairs come into play. When you have to rig 50-100 lights, you want to run as few cables as possible, so you use 24 channel 2400 watt dimmers with multipairs and socapex connectors. When you rig 8-10 lights (your average band gig) you hang a little Elation dimmer on the bar or truss and just plug straight in.

BTW: Socapex is more for 'broadcasting' use IIRC (which would imply multiple video streams, I guess). It would be the wrong tool for the job

Socapex is used for really big jobs.. jobs where you need in one place 9 pairs of speaker level or 6 20A capable lighting circuits. Not many people are doing those jobs here.

[escapemcp]

OK I was wrong I did put a lot of 'probably's, 'I think's, 'I guess' and even 1 IIRC.. indicating that I only had a rough (read: no) idea! No one else was responding, so I thought I'd take a punt. My (limited) knowledge was based on briefly reading about these whilst researching up on stuff I was actually looking for...

[evs]

Lot of good multipin data at iolabcorp.com, including 12/19 cable.

[CoronaOperator]

[Socapex is used for really big jobs.. jobs where you need in one place 9 pairs of speaker level or 6 20A capable lighting circuits. Not many people are doing those jobs here.

... and on those really big jobs you usually have helpers. Helpers who would love to make things easier for you by plugging that Socapex of yours into the corresponding outlet on the 4 x 208 volt, 20 amp lighting dimmer rack.

[BrentEvans]

... and on those really big jobs you usually have helpers. Helpers who would love to make things easier for you by plugging that Socapex of yours into the corresponding outlet on the 4 x 208 volt, 20 amp lighting dimmer rack.

They're actually 24 channels at 20A per channel of 120v. And we have three of them. Beats the snot out of running edisons.

[CoronaOperator]

Pretty sure either way, whatever is hooked up to your homemade Socapex (xlr's, speakers, etc) would have a very bad day. Rule of thumb at a show, if one connector can fit into another one it will usually end up that way sooner or later.

[BrentEvans]

Pretty sure either way, whatever is hooked up to your homemade Socapex (xlr's, speakers, etc) would have a very bad day. Rule of thumb at a show, if one connector can fit into another one it will usually end up that way sooner or later.

Very true. That's why it's normally not a good idea to use socapex on both lighting and speakers in the same rig.

[byacey]

Often par cans on truss are permanently affixed and wired to a Socapex or Veam. This makes for fast setup; simply bolt the truss together and fly it.

Usually speaker connections via Socapex or Veam have the male and female connectors reversed so you cant connect a speaker breakout to a light dimmer.