Balanced/Unbalanced Patch bay wiring question

[Talldog]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this but it is the board that I read the most. Just had surgery on my wrist so there will be no playing for the next five weeks. I decided to ad and remove some stuff from my rack and to do a total rewire in my all analog studio. Here is my question(s): I have a Tac Scorpion 24 x 16 board that I am wiring the first 16 channel's insert points to a nuetrik patch bay and I need to know which part of the TRS on the insert is signal output and which is signal input.

I am wiring the last eight channels to the balanced line ins of the board to the the same pb so I can access the line ins for fx returns, keyboards, etc. I had been using a balanced snake for this but when I patched from an unbalanced fx wired to another (same kind) pb using a balanced patch cable it wouldn't work and if I usd an unbalanced cable I would have to insert it into the balanced line in jack on the pb half way to make it work. If I use an unbalanced snake to connect the line ins to the pb would this solve the problem or would I have to insert the snake half way into the balanced line ins on the board?

Also, I have some balanced rack gear (Avalon 747, Lexicon pcm80) and some unbalanced (some fmr rncs, spx 90s, an old Orban stereo synthesizer) Should I be connecting them to the pb as all balanced, all unbalanced or both? Should I be useing balanced or unbalanced patch cables or both?

Pretty fun huh? I have had the whole thing wired and have been screwing around with plugging stuf in half way for a couple of years but that kind of sucked. I'm also using an ms16 just so you know.

Thanks in advance for youe sage advice.