TSR-8, Spirit 16 patching question

[lilcapn]

i'm setting up patchbay(s) to use with my Soundcraft 16 channel Spirit board, trying to figure out the best way to do it -- comments please on this plan:

OUT of the tape sends on the first 8 tracks of the board to the patchbay
NORMALLED
to the INS on the TSR-8 via the patchbay,
coming back from the machine, out of the OUTS on the TSR-8
NORMALLED to the RETURNS on the first 8 channels of the board

does this make sense or is it boneheaded? will i ever want to insert compressors, outboard effects, etc between the board and the tape machine (breaking the normal on the patchbay) or should i only use inserts, aux sends, and fx sends/returns for that?

when is HALF-NORMALLING useful?

thanks for any input, i know there are multiple threads on patchbay routing, but it's hard to reconcile all the various information into something that will help me here...

thanks,
mac

 

[Track Rat]

What you describe will work but there are lots of options. How many busses on that mixer? Aux sends and returns? Inserts?
On may patch bays what I did was to have the inputs to the tape machines (and the analog inputs on my sound card) are just brought up on the patch bay, not normalled through to any thing. The mixer channel direct outs and the eight buss outs are then brought up the patch bay not nrmalled to anything. This way I can patch any individual channel or any group of channels (from a buss) to any track input. Also the channels inserts are brought up in the bay and are all normalled to themselves as are the main staereo buss inserts. The main stereo buss outputs are there too so I can patch to what ever device I want to mix down to.
My aux sends come up on the patch bay as are the returns so I can put effects where I want them. And of course all my effects and processors and the line outputs of all my external mic preamps are there too.

 

[lilcapn]

making sense of it all

track rat --

i see the logic now of NOT having something normalled, so you can choose more easily what you're sending to the tape machine.

when you're normalling the inserts to themselves, this is done with the TRS-to-Y cable, right?

i only really got enough snakes to have 8 channels at once going to the patchbay; i'm rarely recording more than one thing at a time, but maybe i'm making life more difficult for myself by having to move things around.

do you have even your playback stereo (eg if you want to listen to a cd or tape or DAT) going through the patchbay?

thanks for all your info -- i read some older posts of yours about patchbays that were helpful as well,
thanks,
mac

ps any views on behringer ultrapatch? i have a neutrik (used) on the way, but i'll need more and they're so damn cheap...