Patchbay Help with a Small Analog Rig

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hithere
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Patchbay Help with a Small Analog Rig

Post by hithere » Sun Jul 12, 2020 11:13 am

Hello all,

I have been putting together a small analog rig, and coming from over a decade of DAW use I am learning something new everyday.

My rig consists of a Tascam 48 OB 8 Track Tape Machine, Tascam M3500 Unbalanced Console & a Tascam M-1516, and Samson 48 Point Balanced Patchbay.

My only outboard gear is a DBX Compressor & Sansamp Rack Unit. Both have unbalanced & balanced I/O. I am only using the onboard pres from my board as of now.

My simple objectives are

1. Being able to use my DBX during tracking & mixing on any channel.
2. Being able to record the Sansamp to any track.
3. Be able to access my microphone inputs without going behind the board (May not need to use patchbay? Just run a stage snake for easier access?)

I managed to get signal into my compressor using the patchbay, by plugging a TS cable from Mixer Channel Insert - > Output Back of Bay and then patching in the compressor on the front panel, but the TS Cable on the board cuts the signal on the mixer. I assume this is because it isn’t a TRS Ring Tip Sleeve cable? If I use the compressor directly into the Channel Insert using a TRS Ring Tip cable, it works fine.

I have been reading for days about Patchbays, but still struggling to get my simple rig setup. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

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digitaldrummer
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Re: Patchbay Help with a Small Analog Rig

Post by digitaldrummer » Sun Jul 12, 2020 1:59 pm

I use these and some XLR to XLR snakes to route my mic inputs to the front of the rack (instead of behind it):

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... d-patchbay
The attachment xpatch.jpg is no longer available
maybe if you bring the DBX out to a 1/4" patchbay (I uses these -- https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... d-patchbay) then you can use a standard "insert cable" from the board to the patchbay?
xpatch.jpg
xpatch.jpg (25.58 KiB) Viewed 1234 times
one thing I like about this is there are switches on top to reconfigure normal, through, half-normal. I had others that had to be disassembled and flipped. anyway, configure it as "thru" for the DBX.

insert cable - https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... -ts-6-foot
patch.jpg
patch.jpg (26.06 KiB) Viewed 1234 times
Mike
www.studiodrumtracks.com -- Drum tracks starting at $50!
www.doubledogrecording.com

hithere
studio intern
Posts: 29
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2012 6:23 pm

Re: Patchbay Help with a Small Analog Rig

Post by hithere » Mon Jul 13, 2020 8:18 am

Thanks for the reply Digitaldrummer!

That ART is on my list of things to purchase.

Otherwise I do have the Hosa Insert Cable & a Samson S Plus Patchbay.

Maybe I need two of the Hosa Cables? One to Patch the Compressor to the patchbay, and another to run from the channel insert of the mixer to an Input and Output of the patchbay? It seems if I try to connect the compressor to the patchbay without using the Hosa Cable with 2 separate 1/4 Cables, I get a feedback loop.

Another thing I have been trying with no luck, is using RCA to 1/4 cables to take the Tape Input & Direct Outs from a mixer channel to an Input and Output on the patchbay. Then on the front panel I try to patch that into my compressor to no avail. In this scenario the channel insert on the board is unused.

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digitaldrummer
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Re: Patchbay Help with a Small Analog Rig

Post by digitaldrummer » Mon Jul 13, 2020 8:58 am

just use straight cables to go from the compressor to the rear of the patch bay. you are just "extending" that circuit out to the patch bay. then plug the insert tip/ring into the front of the patch bay and into the inert on the mixer. check your mixer manual, but usually "tip" goes to the input of the outboard gear, and "ring" is the return. if your patch bay is configured for "thru" you can use the top and bottom jacks, if not, just use either the top or bottom of 2 different bays. I use a label maker so I know what jack is what... (if you don't have a scribble strip)

for this:
Another thing I have been trying with no luck, is using RCA to 1/4 cables to take the Tape Input & Direct Outs from a mixer channel to an Input and Output on the patch bay. Then on the front panel I try to patch that into my compressor to no avail. In this scenario the channel insert on the board is unused.

if you had an effect loop that might work like this, but I don't think the direct out/tape input is going to do what you need?
Mike
www.studiodrumtracks.com -- Drum tracks starting at $50!
www.doubledogrecording.com

hithere
studio intern
Posts: 29
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2012 6:23 pm

Re: Patchbay Help with a Small Analog Rig

Post by hithere » Fri Jul 17, 2020 11:29 am

IMG_1580 (2).jpeg
IMG_1580 (2).jpeg (62.35 KiB) Viewed 1126 times
This is how I have it setup right now.

Insert Cable into I/O of back of patch bay half normal & compressor on I/0 of back of patchbay.

I can get the signal into the compressor by patching on the front panel, but that compressed signal doesn’t go back to the board. I would assume I would have to use another patch cable somehow to get it back to the board, but doing so from the Comp Input to Bay Output cancels out the entire signal.

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digitaldrummer
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Re: Patchbay Help with a Small Analog Rig

Post by digitaldrummer » Sat Jul 18, 2020 7:47 am

I would put "tip" (black) on the top jack of the rear of bay 1. Then put "ring" ont eh bottom jack of the same (rear bay1). If the bay is normalled, then your mixer channel should work normally - meaning if nothing is plugged into the front of the patch bay, the mixer channel works as if there was no insert cable plugged in (the signal is just looping back).

then configure bay 2 for "thru". use straight patch cables and route the input and output of the compressor to the rear jacks. If it were me, I'd put the input on top and the output on the bottom jack.

next, plug a patch cable from the top front jack of bay 1, to the front jack opposite the input of the compressor is (top front jack of bay 2 in the examples above). Then do the same from the bottom jack of bay 1, to the jack that is opposite of the compressor output (the front bottom jack of bay 2 in the example above).

here's a really crude (fast and bulbous you might even say...) drawing if that helps...
insert.jpg
Mike
www.studiodrumtracks.com -- Drum tracks starting at $50!
www.doubledogrecording.com

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