The present invention provides a method and apparatus of acquiring and processing seismic data. One or more controllers (106) are each coupled to seismic sensors (108) and to each other to form a network of data acquisitio n units. A main controller (102) is coupled to a crossline unit (104) via a cable (112) comprising a synchronizing conductor and one or more power/data conductors. Commands and data are packaged such that multiple routings are possible without affecting final calculations. Each crossline unit is capabl e of accepting a fiber optic input, a wire input or a combination.
