What kind of and how much outboard???
Forgive me if you know this stuff........
Normalling allows direct connections to devices that would NORMALLY be directly connected but allows for re-arranging the signal path without having to unhook anything.
Typically direct outs are NORMALLED to tape (computer) ins and tape outs are NORMALLED to the tape returns (or your b mix).
Insert sends are NORMALLED to the insert retuns.
Basically your outputs are above (top row) the inputs (bottom row).
Normalling automatically connects the top and bottom connections...... whatever signal is comming out of one device plugged into the top row in the back of the bay is automatically channeled out through the bottom row of the back and into whatever device is hooked up there.
OPEN configurations only connects the back to the front and not the top row to the bottom.
I might be misunderstanding Erik713 but the drawback to OPEN configurations for tape sends and returns is that you would need to hook a patch cable at the front of the bay to hook any and all of those connections together.
"1. I am recording into Samplitude via an RME Multiface and an ADI 8 Pro. That will be 16 I/O. Since I can route outputs in software, should I have an output patchbay simply for the flexability of multing??"
IMO...... yes.
The other cool thing about normalled connections is that you can mult the signal with a single patch.... at least you can with most of the "card type" bays, where you merely flip the circut card horizontally 180 degrees to change from NORMALLED to OPEN.
I am making the assumption that you are not using a sodered connection type bay.
Say you have a guitar plugged into mixer channel 1 whose direct out is hooked up to the back of the bay in slot 1 which is normalled to recorder input 1.
If you plug a patch cable into the top front of slot 1...... you are STILL normalled to the recorder input 1 through the back bottom of slot 1 and the patch cord is carrying the signal also......
where you may, for instance, plug that into your delay unit's input and take the delay output (100% wet) and bring it to the bottom front of slot 2.
This breaks the normalled connection in slot 2 comming from the direct out of mixer channel 2 to recorder track 2 and allows you to print a dry and wet track side by side.
2. I have a few outboard preamps. How do you guys deal with them?
You could normal specific mic pre outs to specific mixer channels (line ins).
Effects ARE usually set up in OPEN configurations because you dont want to connect a compressors output to its own input but I have NORMALLED certain signal paths with a bay.
For instance normalling the output of a compressor to the input of an EQ.
3. Could anyone give me a demonstartion of how they have their patchbay setup??
I have
a Tascam M30 board with 8 channels of direct outs NORMALLED to the 8 inputs of my computer (a DELTA 44 and Gadget Labs 496).
The 8 computer outputs are NORMALLED to my 8 tape returns on the mixer.
The 8 channel and 4 buss sends are NOMALLED to their respective returns.
And the 4 buss "line" outs are NORMALLED to my VS880's 4 inputs and the 880 master outs are NORMALLED to mixer channels 5 and 6 line ins and the Aux outs of the 880 are NORMALLED to mixer line ins 7 and 8.
My effects are now all in OPEN configuration.
I NORMAL the mixer's monitor outs to my monitors.
I like to plug the monitors into the patch bay because then I can insert the monitors (carefully) into any specific point in the signal chain.
BTW ..... I use 2 bays.
I prolly dont ave enough gear to really warrant 2 bays but I like the flexibility.
I have been hooking more up to the mixer directly though ..... sometimes thats just easier.
-mike
