Help routing soundcraft 600 16 channel 8 bus

[Chacha2000]

Hi all, thanks for taking the time to read. I thankfully picked up a tascam ms16 and a soundcraft 600 16 channel recently, and am hoping to marry the two of them together in the most efficient way. I know having more channels is ideal, but want to work with what I have. I’m wondering if there is a way to have each track 1:1 for mic>boardpre>tape>back onto the console. Obviously, inserts on channel I can do easy. Then I was thinking since I have no stereo returns, using auxsends>group inserts for reverbs/delays. Would this work? If not, any good ways you think of running a 16 track with this console?

 

[rob aylestone]

A common way was to wire the inserts into a patchbay wired with 'sniff' contacts. The idea being that you have the insert from the desk goes to an output on the patchbay, and then the usual return back to the channel. You then add a third row that takes an output from the output from the desk - by tagging onto the solder terminal - this is what provides the signal for the recorder. but the desk can still do inserts via the in and out, normalled sockets on the patchbay. if the feed to your recorder comes from another row, you can use patch cable to route any channel to any recorder track.

 

[ecc83]

A couple of years ago I did a "back of envelope" drawing of a box that took TRS inserts and had DPDT switches per channel so that each one could be a record send or a playback return.

LOT! Of switches and an even bigger LOT of TRS jacks AND a lot of cables but the basic principle is simple enough. Then I got clever and started to develop the idea using minature relays (they are really very cheap for a 5V coil which will work on USB juice) Using relays make many things possible such as "groups". You could even go nuts and control it with a digital fruit!

Dave.

 

[Farview]

Why wouldn't you just use the tape inputs and outputs on the soundcraft?

Plug the output channels of the recorder into the tape inputs and use the line switch on the channel to toggle between the mic input and the tape return.

 

[Chacha2000]

Why wouldn't you just use the tape inputs and outputs on the soundcraft?

Plug the output channels of the recorder into the tape inputs and use the line switch on the channel to toggle between the mic input and the tape return.

I messed around with it last night and did just that. Didn’t realize it had direct outs to each channel. As far as the line switching goes, could I plug in a sampler/sunth into inst input and use the switch for that method? Or would I have to get a DI box before I go int inst input?

 

[Farview]

I don't think it has an instrument input, it has a line input on the channel. Plug something in and see what happens. You won't hurt anything. That would be faster than me downloading the user manual and getting back to the forum.

Here is the thing that it sometimes takes a long time to wrap your head around: all inputs are equal and all outputs are equal. The difference between them is expected signal level and what an input can be routed to/what can be routed to an output. So any way you can put a signal into the mixer and rout it where you want to IS the right way to do it.

 

[ecc83]

I messed around with it last night and did just that. Didn’t realize it had direct outs to each channel. As far as the line switching goes, could I plug in a sampler/sunth into inst input and use the switch for that method? Or would I have to get a DI box before I go int inst input?

Fork! DI boxes cause a lot of confusion. You can plug the output of most "line'ish level" devices including synths, into just about any input that is NOT a mic input (and even then no harm but probably won't work well)

The almost only time you need a "proper" DI box is when you want to plug a passive electric guitar into a mic input on a mixer, AI or desk. The DI performs two basic useful functions. One, it presents a fairly high impedance to the guitar, though passive boxes rarely deliver much above 200k. Two it has a very low impedance, balanced output at mic level which allows a very long cable to be used.

A third incidental advantage is a ground isolating function that can help avoid ground loop noise.

N.B. some things are called "DI boxes" that are not really. They are 1:1 transformer isolators.

* "Ish because levels in this game are ill defined and all over the shop! Very loosley we can put signals in the 500mV to 10V (rms, look it up) firmly in the " pro line level" slot. 20mV to 1 V rms would be "instrument/domestic audio and embraces the -10dBV "guitar pedal" level of 316mV rms. Mic level I would say is 1mV to 100mV but of course depends on sound level.

As Jay says you can plug virtually anything into anything and check the result. Two things to avoid. Power amp outputs ONLY go to speakers or proper loads. Phantom power ONLY goes to things designed to handle it.

Dave.