Studio cable management software

  • Thread starter Thread starter jamesthegold
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jamesthegold

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Hi, Its been a while since i last posted, and i have now more equipment and of course cables!!!
I have anhybrid studio using cubase as my DAW with 3 x Motu audio interfaces with a total of 24 channels i have an allen and heath ZED 428 console , Tascam TSR 8 tape machine and and and.............
I have several patch bays and in order to be flexible i need to connect them in the best way
So i do not want to spend hours and days trying out different wiring possibilities.............. so I thought.................
Perhaps there is some software that i could use to do different designs before i actually change my studio as it is now
Any help with this would be great
Regards
 
You need a design program like Auto Cad (or any of them that are easier) - and then you map your wire flow and gear positions.
 
Hi Papanate,
Yes That is what I also thought! But I do Not have the program
I will have to Go with some normal CAD Software unless someone can suggest an alternative
Thanks for your reply
James
 
The usual procedure is to draw up all the inputs and outputs, one upon the other and have them "half normalled". The trick is deciding which ins and outs to pair up. Now I know Jack about CAD but I don't see how it can help you make that decision?

Assuming the mixer has Direct Outs, to my logic, "D/01 1/2n's to MOTU line in 1, "D/O2 to M line 2 and so on until you have accounted for all the MOTU inputs.
I also assume the MOTUs line outputs need to come back into the mixer for, er, mixing? Another set of 1/2 norm'ed ins and outs. That allows you to patch the tape machine in at mix down to add tape mojo*.

BUT! Maybe you want the tape machine normally linked up to the mixer? These are things only YOU can decide. Once you have "a plan" then yes, I am sure there is software that can make you some pretty labels but it can't decide your M O for you.

*AKA "noise, distortion, wow and flutter" but at least it only lasts for about 20 minutes at a stretch!

Forgot to say, I hope everything is balanced? Unbalanced connections are usually OK in isolation but mixing them with balanced I/O can be a recipe for disaster or at least some time wasted tracking down hums.

Dave.
 
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I just use a HTML page with big table with one box per socket. The table looks like the patch bay.
Signal names are entered into the boxes. I do not label the actual patch bay.
When I then want to plug in a patch, I bring up the HTML page on the screen,
count the row and column, then count the same on the physical patch bay.
Works for me.
Haven't bothered normalising anything yet.
 
Hi all , thanks for all of the information , ideas and suggestions
Ill give feedback in a few weeks once I have
"made a plan"
Regards
 
The secret with patchbays and normalling is that your everyday setup should work with no cables in - so if ch one always goes to channel 1 of the mixer, set everything up so that works. Your cables then just get put in to change it. Inputs appear on the top row with their usual destinations immediately below and half normalled. outputs appear on a top row with their usual destinations (like a tape machine's inputs) on the row below. If one coming in always needs to go to two destinations, then a patch lead in a half-normalled top row can go to somewhere else. If you have say, 8 coming in from a desk's 8 group outputs, then 1 can also go to 9, 2 to 10 etc if the recorder has 16 inputs - that kind of thing. If you have something like a rack compressor, it's in and outs are in a cluster of 4, same with EQs and other processing and you patch these in as required.

Draw out your everyday must have connections - the way you'd do it if you did not have a patch bay. Then feed each connection from A to B via the patchbay - half normalled. You can then re-wire everything in a jiffy.
 
rob aylestone said:
The secret with patchbays and normalling is that your everyday setup should work with no cables in - so if ch one always goes to channel 1 of the mixer, set everything up so that works. Your cables then just get put in to change it. Inputs appear on the top row with their usual destinations immediately below and half normalled. outputs appear on a top row with their usual destinations (like a tape machine's inputs) on the row below. If one coming in always needs to go to two destinations, then a patch lead in a half-normalled top row can go to somewhere else. If you have say, 8 coming in from a desk's 8 group outputs, then 1 can also go to 9, 2 to 10 etc if the recorder has 16 inputs - that kind of thing. If you have something like a rack compressor, it's in and outs are in a cluster of 4, same with EQs and other processing and you patch these in as required.

Draw out your everyday must have connections - the way you'd do it if you did not have a patch bay. Then feed each connection from A to B via the patchbay - half normalled. You can then re-wire everything in a jiffy.
Click to expand...
^Yes! And I personally cannot see how a CAD program can help with that? I also think that if a patchbay setup is NOT half normalled you lose one of its biggest advantages and every day is sphagetti junction!

Dave.
 
Slouching Raymond said:
I just use a HTML page with big table with one box per socket.
Click to expand...
Waaaay back in the day I built a database-driven page on the studio intranet for this. There were drop-downs where you could pick what piece of gear you wanted to connect where and it would tell you which holes in which of the 5 bays you needed to patch.
 
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