PatchBay Help

Tejo

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Joined
Apr 13, 2014
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From
Netherlands
Gear owned
DM 4800
Hi all.

I want to connect a PatchBay with outboard effects to the DM 4800.
The DM is in use with a IF-FW/DMMKII and DAW Cubase. When mixing I want to use several outboard effects. On the DM4800 the 4 ASN RTN are used for reverb effects and the EFF RTN are used for internal effects. What is the best way to connect the PatchBay? I search and search and find nothing! What are the options for the DM4800? How can I do the routing in the DM4800 so I can use the PatchBay?

Who can help?
 
I think I can hear Tascman typing away feverishly, crafting one of his trademark novel-length responses! :)
 
It's a good question and worthy of a novel-length response :)

It's also worth a good bit of planning before you go and spend your $s on a patchbay as there are numerous options.

How many outboard devices do you have?
How many outboard devices do you plan to have ultimately?

Answers to the above will determine which patchbay and/or I/O card options would serve you best.
 
This isn't difficult or hard to do.

1. You have 12 ASN/RET. 9-12 are "inside the board." Those are for internal EFF Send/Return 1 & 2 (TC EFX, Tascam EFX).

2. Get a balanced patchbay.

3. Get a balanced snakes with 8 cables.

4. Get a Brother label maker.

5. Label the cable ends on both sides.

6. Connect the cables to the bottom row in the back of the patchbay. These are your returns that are being fed to your outboard EFX INPUTS. The other end of this cable goes to the AUX RETURNS in the back on the DM4800.

7. Connect the cables to the top row in the back of the patchbay. These are your sends that are being fed from your outboard EFX OUTPUTS. The other end of this cable goes to the AUX SENDS in the back on the DM4800.

8. Start with that.
 
You can also use your S/PDIF I/O for outboard - I use them for TC Voiceworks (9/10) and Headphones amp (11/12).

If you need more I/O you can add analog cards to your DM.

For the price of a good patchbay you can get about 3 analog cards and direct/insert/buss 24 channels of outboard.
 
Thanks Charlie, I had to crack my knuckles first. (actually, just came back from a third grade talent show...)

Tejo,

I have two patch bays and I really like having them in the rig. Both of mine are Behringer Ultrapatch PX3000 and they are both 48 point TRS balanced patch bays.
The first thing I had to learn about patchbays was the concept of what are "normalled", "1/2 normalled", and "Thru" connections. Essentially, the top row of jacks should be your OUTS from your equipment and the bottom should be your INs.
So, if you want to normally send something out of the mixer, then on to a piece of gear, then out from that to another piece of gear, then back to the mixer, you can do all of that with a patchbay, without having to hook up any wires in the front. Its all done using the "Normalled" connection within the patchbay. The manual for the PX3000 was very helpful.

I wrote a thread about this back in Nov of 2012 here:

http://www.tascamforums.com/threads/using-patchbay-hardware-with-3200-4800.365/#post-1404

Reference this for more info, especially the PDF file I uploaded at the time. You'll notice that I have my Analog card patched into the INs on the top bay and each of my pres are going directly into that using the Normal led connection. No wires in the front. But, I can break that connection anytime, if I have something else that I temporarily want to patch into that (those ) card channel(s). Like Cmaffia's Tascam da-3000.
Hope that helps,
S
 
If you need more I/O you can add analog cards to your DM.

For the price of a good patchbay you can get about 3 analog cards and direct/insert/buss 24 channels of outboard.

GEEEZ!!! Do you have a direct satellite camera into my studio?? That's my exact setup. All of this into on one analog card - an Alesis Wedge (stereo), Rocktron Intellifex (stereo), and an Ensoniq DP4 (four mono).

YEEEUP!
 
GEEEZ!!! Do you have a direct satellite camera into my studio?? That's my exact setup. All of this into on one analog card - an Alesis Wedge (stereo), Rocktron Intellifex (stereo), and an Ensoniq DP4 (four mono).

YEEEUP!

Hahaha - just look over your shoulder.....

I have 2 x analog cards, 1 x surround card and 1 x firewire card - more I/O than you can shake a stick at, but still not quite enough for all the outboard.....
- firewire goes to the DAW for 32 I/O
- analog card 1 routes to 8 channels of outboard EQs and compressors (buss or insert)
- analog card 2 routes to 8 channels of outboard pres (buss or insert)
- surround card routes to 7 channels of outboard pres - these pres return to the channel line ins 1-12 (via bypass to DAW or buss to mix)
- aux 1-8 send/returns go to outboard verbs (stereo) and Line 6 FX (3 x stereo)
- aux 9-12 go to S/PDIF for TC voiceworks and Headphones amp
- stereo outs go to DV-RA1000HD
- AES/EBU outs also go to DV-RA1000HD
.....which leaves me one spare AES/EBU rofl
- and mics go to DM pres 13-24 via a 12 port stagebox

So now I also need some patchbays..... or cascade another DM4800 with 4 more analog cards.....

The routing functionality on the DM is so capable!

<EDIT> But I digress - my suggestion is for a patchbay with DB25s on the rear and selectable normal/half-normal/straightthru switching. On the front I would go with TRS if you have a small number of outboard devices and TT if you have a larger number / pro-setup connected to your DM, and another patchbay with combo (XLR-F/TRS) on the front and XLR-M on the rear connected to your outboard.
 
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Hi,
Thank you all for the amazing help. I am going to check out if I with all this help can succeed to get the PatchBay working.

Thanks a lot...

Tejo
 

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