Need info on best way to hook up Patchbay

[Infinitrax]

I bought a set of three 48 point patchbays with a whole mess of mogami and other cables and jacks soldered to the back for just $200. Now I need to know a good source of info on how I should connect everthing. If I can learn the typical way it's done then perhaps I can figure out the setup that the previous owner had and avoid alot of soldering.
Anyone know a good reference, with a nice diagram perhaps? I understand the basics about normalled, hal-normalled, etc. but I'm sure there's tons I dont know about this.
All help will be greatly appreciated.
Steve G

 

[Sound Cracker]

Unique setups are what it's all about...

Patchbays give you the ability to hook up your equipment in a way that makes working with it all versatile and easy to do.

You have to first figured out just HOW you like to work, then you can approach wiring your studio to accomadate you.

For instance. You may use mostly the mic preamps on your console for tracking to tape, but occasionally use an outboard preamp for certain tracks. From session to session, which tracks you actually use outboard preamps could very. So, it may be a good idea to have your consoles Direct Output's and your recorders Input's Normalled together, so if you want to use an outboard preamp for a track, you can just plug the preamps output (which would be on the patch bay too!) into the recorders Input. You could also use the same Console Preamp and record to any track because you can route the Direct Output to any recorder Input you want, but you could still elect to just have mixer channel one go to track one on the recorder, etc.....

You get what I am saying? You would probably want in addition to have all your recorders outputs normalled to the Tape Return or Line Input on your mixer. This way, if when you are mixing and you want to have a compressor between the tape output and the mixers input, you could do so (assuming that you have your compressor on a patchbay too!)

Try to thinks of all the ways you may want to repatch things in any given situation, and make sure those things are wired to a patchbay so you can do so with just a few patch cables rather then having to do so directly to the piece of equipment you want to repatch.

Good day!

 

[jamiecer]

So many connections

At most every studio I've been in almost anything dealing with the console or tape machines in normalled. All of the busses or group outputs are normalled to the tape machines(labeled TAPE SEND) inputs (Buss 1 to Track 1 - Buss 2 to Track 2). This way if you want the kick mics whic are on ch. 1,2,3 to go to track 1 on the recorder you just hit buss 1 on all 3 channels and its there. If you have an external Mic Pre just take the output and plug into the patchbay at TAPE SEND for which ever track you want the signal to go to.

Next, all of the tape outputs are normaled to the tape returns or line inputs on the console. What ever is on track 17 automaticly shows up on the consoles ch 17. The cool part here is if you want tape track 17 to go to ch.1 all you do is plug a patchcord from the patchbay TAPE OUT 17 and plug into CONSOLE LINE IN 1.

All of the channel inserts should be connected as well. When nothing is in one of the patchpoints the sound just goes out of the console then right back in. When the normal is broken by inserting a cable into INSERT SEND you can then connect a compressor or external eq or anything else and bring it back to the same channel by connecting the output of the processor into INSERT RETURN. The patching would go INSERT SEND 13 to COMPRESSOR INPUT. COMPRESSOR OUTPUT to INSERT RETURN 13.

All of the Aux sends should connected to the patchbay. To make this part most effective hook up your FX processors in's and out's to the bay. You can now go out of AUX 1 to your DDL and bring it back to any ch. or send it to tape by simply moving a patchcord to a different point. An example of this would be a stereo reverb and wanting to have the inputs be aux 3 and 4 and the FX show up on faders 23 and 24. The patching would go AUX 3 to REVERB IN L. REVERB OUT L to CONSOLE LINE IN 23. AUX 4 to REVERB IN R. REVERB OUT R to CONSOLE LINE IN 24. On the next session the set up may have a DDL on Aux 3 returning to ch 22 and a mono send for the Reverb on Aux 4 with a stereo return on 23 and 24. Now the patching would go like this: AUX 3 to DDL IN. DDL OUT to CONSOLE LINE IN 22. AUX 4 to REVERB IN L . REVERB OUT L to CONSOLE LINE IN 23. REVERB OUT R to CONSOLE LINE IN 24.

Some Consoles have a button that says EXTERNAL. You can normal a CD player to this. When you hit the button you can listen to the CD through the Monitors. On the patchbay you'd have four points dedicated here. Two for the EXTERNAL IN L-R and two for the CD OUT L-R. Since the points are normaled as long as no cable is inserted sound goes straight from the CD to the EXTERNAL input. If your friend brings his mini disk player over thats no problem, just take the outputs of the minidisk and plug them into EXTERNAL IN L & R. When you press the EXTERNAL button now the minidisk is what you'll hear. Unplug those two wires and the CD player is back. If you wanted to record the CD to tracks 5 and 6 the patching could go a couple of ways. To use a channel to EQ the sound and control level: CD OUT L to CONSOLE LINE IN 1 the press the buss 5 button on the console. CD OUT R to CONSOLE LINE IN 2 the press the buss 6 button on the console. Now the CD is going to channels 1 and 2, you can play with the eq and level then off to busses 5 and 6. Another way to do this is: CD OUT L to TAPE SEND 5. CD OUT R to TAPE SEND 6. Now the signal is going straight from the CD to tape tracks 5 & 6.

There is also a way to make some of the points work as a mult. These are very useful in tracking and mixing. Let's assume the mult consists of 4 points. Tracking: You have your way cool Neve 1072 mic pre, and you want the singer to sing the song three times. You could move the output of the micpre from TAPE SEND 17 to TAPE SEND 18 to TAPE SEND 19 at the end of each take or with the mult, one time you'll make the connection mic-pre out into the MULT then 3 patchcables out of the MULT, one into TAPE SEND 17 one to TAPE SEND 18 and one to TAPE SEND 19. Now all three tracks are getting the same signal. Just arm one of the tracks and hit record. Next pass, disarm the 17 and arm 18 and so on. Mixing: Let's now say you have an electric GTR on track 15. It only plays for part of the song. At the end of the song track 15 has a vocal on it. Take your patchcord and plug it into TAPE OUT 15 and the MULT. Next plug two more patchcords and go from the MULT into CONSOLE LINE IN 15 and another open channel (CONSOLE LINE IN 29) Now the GTR can be treated with one EQ and set of FX on channel 15 then muted when the vocal comes on. The vocal which is on ch 29 can be unmuted and heard with its own set of FX.

I could go on for hours but I think this should give you a few ideas on the flexibility that a patchbay can bring to a studio and how it should be connected. If you need more info let me know, I'd be more than happy help. Happy wiring
Jamie