Monitoring/routing

[swarfrat]

This should not be hard but I'm having trouble getting my head around it. I have:

Behringer UMC1820
Various hardware synths (Yamaha Mult12, Roland JV-880)
Modeler (Headrush MX5)

Monitor speakers (JBL305p)

And since the JBL's aren't terribly loud, id like to be able to run the MX5 and Multi12 into a Headrush 108 (maybe with a sub eventually for the Multi12). The drum kit, and vocal mic are away from the JBL's, plus I practice at the wedge to practice close micd singing while playing guitar at the same time. So I like to record that way too.

I have a patch bay which may be of help here but it's not currently in use. most of the time the electronic sources just go to a submixer. If I want to print drums or keys to audio tracks, I can bounce that. So far so good.

But the MX5 is recorded live, so I don't really want it in the 2 ch mix going into tracks 7/8. Or rather I don't want everything from the submixer going into 7/8 with it. I believe it's the only source with this problem. Vocals, acoustic guitar are also live, but don't rely on monitoring to be heard. Any midi sources are recorded as midi and bounced to audio tracks as needed.

After laying all this out (there was a story in college about explaining your problem to a giant teddy bear outside the ta's office before you could ask for help), I think my solution is to use the patch bay send (without the return breaking the path) to plug the MX5 to its own tracks on the interface inputs during tracking, and the submixer going into 7/8 might be unnecessary as well. (Do the same during bouncing for midi sources) That way the submixer is for monitoring only and handles the two separate monitoring systems.

Should I be making better use of the patch bay? Like at least interface inputs 2-8 picking off the patch bay return? (1-2 are on the front panel and have mic pres. I know the trs inputs are balanced but I think they skip the mic pre. So I might keep 1-4 available for mics. ) I'm not sure I need it but I have it and it's a behringer patch bay. It's probably more valuable as a doorstop than trying to sell it.

 

[studio]

Patch bays, when functional are a great tool in the right hands.

Sure, there are some that cost more than others but for your home studio you can route many applications with it.

See how many splits you can do without too much signal degrading. If not then maybe using another tool every studio should have is a set of iso transformers to split a signal.
Thanks.

 

[swarfrat]

I think I got it all figured out. All the default routings just work without any patching. To record the modeller (or bounce a MIDI source to audio), patch it into the 3/4 inputs on the patchbay. I'm a little bit worried about my kid patching and turning on phantom power - I don't believe the JV-880 or the Multi12 are balanced out - so they should ideally be isolated (in a studio with no kids I might just say plug carefully. I got a 9yo.) The MX5 is balanced out and phantom safe - so unless he actually plugs something unbalanced into 3/4 and enables phantom power it's safe.

When I sold my acoustic drums, I kept my snare and cymbals. The idea was I can play/program drums on the multipad/kick/snare pad. The hat/crash/ride mics are cheap condensers and are used for triggering off L80's in post. Overhead is a PZM on the ceiling over the kit that does a great job with the snare and cymbals. Snare mic is a bottom side dynamic that's basically for processing. It all switches over in a few minutes.

Looks like I'm short a mess of TRS patch cables though..

 

[studio]

I think I got it all figured out. All the default routings just work without any patching. To record the modeller (or bounce a MIDI source to audio), patch it into the 3/4 inputs on the patchbay. I'm a little bit worried about my kid patching and turning on phantom power - I don't believe the JV-880 or the Multi12 are balanced out - so they should ideally be isolated (in a studio with no kids I might just say plug carefully. I got a 9yo.) The MX5 is balanced out and phantom safe - so unless he actually plugs something unbalanced into 3/4 and enables phantom power it's safe.

When I sold my acoustic drums, I kept my snare and cymbals. The idea was I can play/program drums on the multipad/kick/snare pad. The hat/crash/ride mics are cheap condensers and are used for triggering off L80's in post. Overhead is a PZM on the ceiling over the kit that does a great job with the snare and cymbals. Snare mic is a bottom side dynamic that's basically for processing. It all switches over in a few minutes.

Looks like I'm short a mess of TRS patch cables though..

Most people don't use their patch bay as a mic input. That eliminates the whole phantom power accident issue. Phantom power also does not run on properly set up TRS runs.

If you are coming from your patch point in to your mixer mic input, then you should find another method to make that happen. Did you buy TRS to XLR cables?in your case, that would be the wrong application.

I would just purchase an 8 channel sub snake and be done with it. Thanks.

 

[swarfrat]

Actually it doesn't - this is probably why 9yo kids aren't normally allowed to run around in studios. Any time he were to push the button - anything plugged into the interface could get phantom. I'm tempted to put di's on all the unabalanced gear but that's expensive...

Not so bad. Behriger DI400 stereo transformer isolated 1/4ts in, 1/4trs out (perfect for patch bay phantom power blocking.

 

[swarfrat]

I replaced my old racked flat mixer with an RX1602 and it's way cleaner now. I have knobs for the stereo monitors, separate mix for the wedge, and phones all on the front panel. Every source is a single set of knobs (some stereo stuff was split across single sliders before). Best of all, all the normal connections are in the back!

All normal stuff just happens with nothing plugged in to the patch bay. Recording guitar happens with two cables.

At $25 a pop for 2ch, I figured the transformer was cheap insurance on the unbalanced line gear (just two - JV880 and the Multi12).

Now to throw up the UB1204 on craigslist. I might even dump the rack stand and build it into an Argosy style desk. (All the midi gear fits in 3U, all the audio gear fits in 3U, minus a power strip and crossover. But I don't like their keyboard goes in the middle in front of the PC monitor layout).

 

[swarfrat]

Dymo to the rescue. Normal playing requires no front panel connections. Record guitar or bouncing synths/drums just requires two patch cables.

Sweetwater just put the JBL LSR310S on sale and that rounds out this phase of the setup. It wasn't the next thing on the list but it is now.

Next phase is a sub for the Headrush wedge, but that's not really necessary until I'm playing bass out (or E-drums but that's not happening). It'll still make drums and bass more fun when the house is empty though, as the JBL's don't really do house rattling volumes.