CABLES - DIGILINK, DIGISNAKE, AND DIGISNAKE KITS FAQ

Yes. Digidesign includes one 12 foot DigiLink cable with each HD Core sold (for connection of the I/O to the HD Core), and one 1.5 foot cable with each HD I/O (for connection of one HD I/O to the Expansion Port of another HD I/O). As described below, DigiLink cables in other lengths will also be available for custom installs or machine room / CPU noise control use.

return to top

3. Do I need additional DigiLink Cables if I use more than 2 HD I/O's?

Yes. Each HD core comes with one 12' DigiLink cable, for connection of your HD I/O to the core. Each HD I/O comes with one 1.5' DigiLink cable, intended for chaining a second HD I/O to the first HD I/O via the expansion port. The HD system is limited to one additional HD I/O attached to the expansion port of a first. Given this, if you have three, five, or seven HD I/O's, you most likely will want to purchase an additional one, two, or three 12' (or longer) DigiLink cables to connect to HD Process Cards.

return to top

4. What size DigiLink cables does Digidesign offer?

Digidesign offers DigiLink cables in five different sizes, as follows:

DigiLink 1.5'
Same cable that is included with every 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O and 96 I/O. Available separately as MH087. 1.5 foot length.
DigiLink 12'
Same cable that is included in every Pro Tools|HD core system. Available separately as MH088. 12 foot length.
DigiLink 25'
Twenty-five foot length allows you to further separate your I/O from your CPU / HD Core. Available as MH093.
DigiLink 50'
Fifty foot length allows you to further separate your I/O from your CPU / HD Core. Available as MH089.
DigiLink 100'
One hundred foot length allows you to greatly separate your I/O from your CPU/HD Core. Available as MH090. Note that this cable length does not support sample rates above 96 kHz

return to top

5. What products need DigiLink cables?

DigiLink cables are required for two different uses:

For connection of HD I/O's to HD Core and HD Process cards.
For connection of a HD I/O to another HD I/O via the Expansion Port.

Additional notes, not related to the DigiLink cables: The Legacy Port on the back of the of the HD I/O uses the "legacy" interface cable that came with your legacy interface. The Legacy Port supports any of the following configurations, at 48 kHz or lower sample rate only:

888|24 I/O - connect 1 to a single 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O or 96 I/O, connect 2 using a "Y" cable
882|20 I/O - connect 1 to a single 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O or 96 I/O, connect 2 using a "Y" cable
1622 I/O - connect 1 to a single 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O or 96 I/O, all 16 channels using the 1622's single cable
24-bit ADAT Bridge - connect 8 channels to a single 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O or 96 I/O, all 16 channels using a "Y" cable

return to top

6. How much do DigiLink cables cost?

Check the All Products Index under Cables in the Products section of the website, or contact your Digidesign Dealer

return to top

7. Additional DigiLink compatibility information

The 100' DigiLink cable is only qualified for audio with sample rates up to 96 kHz
To ensure signal integrity with 192 kHz sample rates, you must use 1.5' DigiLink cables between I/Os

return to top

DigiSnakes

1. What are DigiSnakes?

DigiSnakes are 8 channel DB25-based cable snakes, offered in a variety of break-out connections, each specifically designed for 192 I/O systems.

All individual DigiSnakes incorporate:

Custom color coding
Custom labeling
Cable bales
Lifetime warranty
110-ohm "digital grade" cable, suitable for digital or analog use.

DigiSnake Cable Configurations Image (68 k)

DigiSnake Cable Configurations PDF (550 k)

Digidesign Cable Matrix PDF (18 k)

return to top

2. Why is Digidesign offering DigiSnakes?

The 192 I/O and 192 Digital I/O audio interfaces have a connection design where all audio connections on the I/O cards are via DB25 connectors*. This is due to lack of real estate. There physically is not enough room on the back of the 192 I/O for its entire throughput capacity to be available on individual connectors.

Important: The 192 I/O and 192 Digital I/O audio interfaces have a connection design where all analog, AES/EBU and TDIF connections on the I/O cards are via standard DB25 connectors*. Because of this, it is important to realize that unless you will be using a custom wiring installation, EVERY 192 I/O or 192 Digital I/O sold, new or through an exchange, will need the purchase of one or more DigiSnakes or other standard DB25-based cables in order to use these I/O.

* ADAT I/O is via TOS-Link, and SPDIF Digital is via RCA

return to top

3. What products use DigiSnake cables?

These 5 products:

The 192 I/O
The 192 Digital I/O
192 A/D option card
192 D/A option card
192 Digital option card

Note: the 96 I/O uses TRS connectors, not DB25

return to top

4. What DigiSnakes does Digidesign offer?

Digidesign offers nine new DigiSnakes, as follows:

DB25-XLR M+F AES/EBU Snake, 12'
DB25 to 4 XLR Male and 4 XLR Female. As AES/EBU carries 2 channels per line, this snake transmits 16 channels (8 in and 8 out) of AES/EBU via 8 XLR connectors. The 4 XLR-F's wire jackets are yellow; the 4 XLR-M's jackets are black. All of them are labeled appropriately. Length: 12 feet. Product MH080.
DB25-XLRM Snake, 12'
DB25 to 8 XLR Male connectors for audio output, analog or digital. Marked with matching red jackets on both ends with appropriate labeling. Length: 12 feet. Product MH081.
DB25-XLRF Snake, 12'
DB25 to 8 XLR Female connectors for audio input, analog or digital. Marked with matching blue jackets on both ends with appropriate labeling. Length: 12 feet. Product MH082.
DB25-TRS Snake, 12'
DB25 to 8 balanced TRS connectors for audio input or output, analog or digital. Marked with matching orange jackets on both ends with appropriate labeling. Length: 12 feet. Product MH083.
DB25-DB25 Snake, 12'
DB25 to DB25, strait through. Marked with matching white jackets on both ends. This can be used for communication between any two standard DB25-equipped devices, except TDIF digital dubbing (see TDIF cable below). For example, PRE out to 192 I/O analog in. Length: 12 feet. Product MH084.
DB25-DB25 Snake, 25'
Same as MH084 (above) but 25-foot length. DB25 to DB25, straight through. Matching green jackets on both ends. Length: 25 feet. Product MH085.
DB25-DB25R ProControl Snake, 25'
DB25 to pin-reversed DB25. This snake has one DB25 pin reversed, so 1->8, 2->7, 3- >6, etc. This was developed specifically to compensate for the reversed pin outs on the ProControl. Matching purple jackets on both ends with appropriate labeling. Length: 25 feet. Product MH086.
DB25-TS +4 dBu/-10 dBV Padded DigiSnake, 12'
Balanced +4 dBu DB25 to unbalanced –10 dBV TS snake. This snake contains the appropriate padding circuit to reduce the 192 I/O's +4 dBu output signal down to –10 dBV. For +4 dBu output only. Use any other input snake for return/input. Matching pink jackets on both ends with appropriate labeling. Length: 12 feet. Product MH087.
DB25-DB25 TDIF Only DigiSnake, 12'
TDIF Digital (dubbing) cable. Can only be used for TDIF to TDIF- i.e., Tascam MDM to 192 I/O or 192 Digital I/O TDIF connector. This cable is designed for digital TDIF transfers only. Length: 12 feet. Product MH095.

return to top

5. Will there be other DigiSnakes in different lengths?

Not at this time. We believe we are offering the most commonly needed/requested cables. However, if there is significant demand for other particular cables, we will investigate adding them as options. Please inform your Digidesign dealer if you have requests for particular cable configurations so that they may pass along multiple requests for future consideration.

return to top

6. Will shorter cables be available? For example, a 2-foot DB25 to XLR snake would make a great "converter snake" for existing XLR studio installations.

Digidesign will not be offering shorter cables. XLR barrels need to be on the ground and not suspended from the DB25 connector. Sixteen XLR barrels "hanging" on shorter cables would cause too much weight to be placed on the 192 I/O's DB25 connector. For this reason, all DigiSnakes offer stress-relieving cable bales, and we will not offer a snake shorter than 12 feet.

return to top

7. What are those cable bales on the ends of the DigiSnake for?

These are used to relieve stress on the D-Sub connectors of the 192 I/O. PLEASE USE THEM! Tack the cable bale to some nearby solid rack structure to release any stress on the 192 I/O's connectors.

return to top

8. What features do DigiSnakes offer?

Uniquely designed for use with Digidesign products
Custom colored and labeled
Include stress relieving cable bales
Lifetime warranty
110 Ohm "Digital Grade" cable suitable for analog or digital use
Available from your local Digidesign dealer, making for an easy, quick cable solution to get your Pro Tools|HD system up and running immediately.

return to top

9. How much do DigiSnakes cost?

Check the All Products Index under Cables in the Products section of the website, or contact your Digidesign Dealer

return to top

10. Additional DigiSnake compatibility information

All DigiSnakes are 110 ohm digital grade cable (except TDIF-TDIF data cable)
TDIF-TDIF DigiSnake is for TDIF use only. Use only on TDIF digital connectors.
The +4/-10 Padded DigiSnake is an output-only snake for use only on the 192 I/O +4 dBU output port. You can use any other snake for the 192 I/O -10dBv input connector.
The ProControl snake has one DB25 connector with a reversed pin-out to match the ProControl. If you use this cable with other gear, the channels will be reversed (ie channel 1 will appear on channel 8, channel 2 will appear on channel 7, etc.).
Please use the cable bales for connector stress relief.

return to top

DigiSnake Kits

1. What are DigiSnake Kits?

DigiSnake Kits are multiple DigiSnakes that are custom labeled and designed specifically for Digidesign Control Surfaces, all in one box. These kits make for a quick and easy "all cables in one box" solution for ProControl or Control|24.

There are three DigiSnake Kits available:

ProControl DigiSnake Kit — Product MC100-C

Includes the following three 8-channel snakes:

DB25 to 8 XLR Female (includes 2)
DB25 to 8 XLR Male

Control|24 XLR/TRS DigiSnake Kit — Product MC124-C

Includes the following seven 8-channel snakes:

DB25 to 8 XLR Female (includes 2)
DB25 to 8 XLR Male (includes 3)
DB25 to 8 TRS (includes 2)

Control|24 TRS DigiSnake Kit — Product MC124-TRS

Includes the following seven 8-channel snakes:

DB25 to 8 TRS snakes (includes 7)

return to top

2. Are there any differences between the cables that come as DigiSnake vs. DigiSnake Kits?

The only differences are:

Specific labeling for the specific control surface they are designed for
No cable bales
All 3 (ProControl) or 7 (Control|24) snakes in one box.

return to top

3. Didn't Digidesign already offer these?

Yes, they were formerly known as the ProControl Cable Kit and Control|24 Cable Kit. We changed the name to DigiSnake Kits with the introduction of the individual DigiSnakes. Model numbers and pricing have not changed. We also added an all TRS version of the Control|24 DigiSnake Kit.

return to top

4. What do the DigiSnake Kits cost?

Check the All Products Index under Cables in the Products section of the website, or contact your Digidesign Dealer

return to top

More Info:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Database

Web Answerbase