Normal vs. Half-Normal uses on a Patchbay

[Nate74]

I've had some good luck finding some general information on this but nothing specific to my own state of confussion...

As part of getting some new windows installed in my house, I had to essentially take my studio apart to move it away from where the new window was being installed in in my control room. As a result, I'm revisiting my patchbay setup a bit.

I have 3 Neutrik NYS-SPP-L patchbays in my studio, which I've discovered aren't capable of NORMAL, only Half-NORMAL. Anyway, currently I use the top row of one to bring the Line Ins from my Topaz8 up front. I use the second bay pretty much as straight through connections for my 6 Aux Sends, my 4 FX Returns, each of the 8 inserts on the 8 busses, and the ins and outs of 8 different channels of compression.

So as I start to understand normal and half normal I have a few questions.

Since I always have my LXP1 Reverb on Aux3 Send and FX1 Return, should I setup a Half-NORMAL connection for that instead of using two cables? If I understand this all correctly, that would mean I would always have that effect on that AUX when no cables are patched in. Is that how others do it?

Secondly, is it common to do something similar with compressors? I think I could see some logic in always have my DBX160XT on Bus1, etc.

Thanks all!

[Izzy Pop]

Nate-

Sounds like you get the basic picture, hopefully I can clear somethings up. Half-normaling is the most common. As the name implies with your reverb will be normally connected (i.e. with no cable in the patch bay). If you break the return connection (bottom row) by inserting a cable then the normalling does not apply as you have broken the normal connection. If you insert a cable to the top row you effectively have a copy of the signal, but the normal connection is still intact. When looking at the front of the patch bay signal flow goes from top to bottom (send from desk to return to desk, with normal outboard device between)

You can do this with your compressors if you like and then you can use the patchbay to place them wherever you want in the signal chain without crawling around behind the console.

Cheers-
Ian

[Nate74]

Thanks Ian,

I really appriciate the input and you taking the time to offer it up

So do people typically half-normal comression on the inserts or is it reserved more for AUX sends/returns?

I can't remember the last time I used a channel insert while mixing so I'm guessing I'd be OK putting all 8 channels of compression on my Busses...And if I get this half-normal thing correctly, even if I decide to use the compression elsewhere, say maybe inline while tracking vocals or something, if it's half normaled I can break the "normal" connection and insert it elsewhere??

[Nate74]

I found a thread with a good diagram that more accurately describes what I'm thinking about for connecting my compressors, though I would be connecting to the inserts on the Busses.

http://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=93719

I believe that by following the logic of figure 1 from the above referenced thread, but connecting the send & input and the return & output via half-normaled connections, I could still break the connection when I need to use one of the compressors elsewhere.

The wife will be out tonight so it's gonna be studio rebuild/repatch time for Nate