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.