Canadian Musician - January / February 2020 | Page 20

ROAD TEST Radial Engineering Catapult & Catapult Mini Cat-5 Analog Snakes By Michael Saracino R adial Engineering’s Catapult se- ries is essentially a compact au- dio snake solution that allows users to send four channels of analog audio over standard Cat-5 or Cat-6 Ethernet cable. The series is currently com- prised of the TX4 and RX4, featuring four female and male XLR connectors, respectively, while the Catapult Mini series offers similar capabili- ties in the smaller TX and RX form factors. Here’s a unique application that gave me a chance to put the series through its paces… Overview I’m retrofitting a small recording studio in an outbuilding on my property, about 75 ft. from the back of my house. I also enjoy editing and doing certain overdubs in the sunroom within my house, and finally, I love recording acoustic guitars in the living room, with its maple floors and slightly higher ceilings. To link all these lo- cations, I knew I could purchase bulky and ex- pensive analog audio snakes or invest in costly AVB or Dante network-based audio recording interfaces; however, neither solution seemed practical, so I went searching for a better one. That’s when I came across the Catapult series from Radial. Using the four twisted pairs of wire inside a single Ethernet cable, these devices can send or receive four channels of analog audio at distances up to 300 ft. This meant I could run a few lines of direct burial- rated Ethernet cable between the outbuilding and the house, and when connected to these Catapult devices, I could have a 4x4 I/O setup in any room I needed, all connected to my interface back in the studio. Couple that with Apple’s screen sharing and I could control the studio computer and my UA Apollo recording interface, all from my laptop in either the living room or sunroom, whilst having direct access to four ins and outs of the Apollo. The whole property would then become linked and the “studio” would effectively double in size and function with a spool of Ethernet cable and a few of these Catapult units. As an audio engineer and a musician who also finds himself performing live hundreds of times a year in ever-changing venues, it also became apparent that there is a huge benefit to 20 C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N these devices in live sound scenarios. I’d be able to get a four-channel analog breakout point anywhere it’s needed, quickly and with one thin and flexible Cat-5e stranded cable. In Use That all sounds great, but does it work as ad- vertised? The short answer is yes, and it works very well. I used 100-ft. lengths of shielded Cat-6 23 AWG cable for my test and A/Bed that against a good-quality 100-ft. XLR cable. I found there wasn’t any discernible noise or high frequency loss over the Catapult devices when played back over my reference headphones (Sennheiser HD 650s). The phan- tom power required for my Townsend Labs Sphere condenser mic was carried over the shield without issue. These devices are built like tanks, which is in line with all Radial products I’ve used to date, and they come in a variety of configurations (and price points) to suit dif- ferent needs. The TX4 and RX4 are your standard send and return modules featuring XLR I/O and both XLR and Ethernet throughput, as well as a solid steel chassis that should withstand the rigours of touring. For an additional cost, you can pur- chase transformer-isolated versions (mic or line level) of these units as well. For the budget conscious, there are the Catapult Minis, which lack throughput and isolation capabilities but come with a break- out cable to either four TRS, XLR male, or XLR female ends at a reduced price point. With the thinner nature of the wire and close proximity to neighbouring pairs within a Cat-5e cable, it is advisable to make sure you are running one type of signal per cable (i.e. mic or line, not mixed) to avoid crosstalk. Now let’s transition to the example of someone building a recording studio in their basement. A spool of shielded Ethernet cable is rather inexpensive and it would be a cheap and wise investment to run a few lengths to any area that may be used as an impromptu record- ing space other than the main recording floor (think hallways, bathrooms, closets, etc.). You CATAPULT TX4 & RX4 CATAPULT MINI TX can even wire a few lengths to other levels of your house with favourable acoustics. Then, add a dual-port Ethernet wall plate in each of these locations. In tandem with a couple of Catapult Minis, you have a cost-effective solution to do recordings wherever it might suit you. A 1,000- ft. spool of shielded Cat-5e cable is available for about $200, so you can run lines to your heart’s content without breaking the bank. If you don’t require phantom power, then unshielded cable is available for a fraction of that cost. Summary Radial Engineering is well-known for making products that satisfy specific audio needs that not many other companies have an answer for, and do so with amazing build quality and fair pricing. If you can think of a use for the Catapult or Catapult Mini in your live or studio rig, you will not be disappointed with your purchase. Michael Saracino is musician and music producer based in Ontario’s Niagara Region who performs over 400 times annually. He’s had the good for- tune of performing across four different continents, including a year in Australia with three different music agencies. Now back in Canada, he performs consistently in Niagara and Toronto and is building a recording facility on his property.