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Live Room I/O

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gaz7224:
Hi All,

How much I/O does a live room need?

At the moment, I've got a Motu 2408 MKiii and it has 6 individual outs (+ 2 for monitors with volume control) and 8 ins (TRS).  I feel it's a bit limited so I'm either gonna get a MOTU HD 192 or a MOTU 24 I/O, but I can't decide which.  The 24 I/O has 24 TRS ins and 24 TRS outs, and the HD 192 has 12 x XLR I/O.  I'd prefer the HD 192 because the meters are easy to read, and I prefer XLR sockets, also the A/D converters are better, but the 24 I/O has double the amount of I/O and is cheaper.  The 2408 has plenty of digital inputs, and in the meantime I'll be using a 8 channel mic pre via ADAT, but in the future I'll want to add a few better pre-amps and they generally have XLR outs, so I'd rather have XLR I/O, rather than TRS.  I know you can just go XLR to a TRS jack, but XLR TO XLR just seems better.  Am I just being a bit OCD? haha

I figure I'm going to have 3 stereo sends for headphone mixes, and one 1 stereo send for a set of speakers in the live room.  And then 16 returns (8 mics, 2 channel DI, and the 3 stereo returns for keyboards etc).  So, I guess 12 Ins would be more than enough along with the 8 channel pre-amp via ADAT.

How much I/O have you got in your Live-Room?

Thanks,

Gaz

stainless:
I'm now up to 28 I/O

the inputs are a luxury so I have all my pre's patched in so I don't have to spend time  patching things in during a session. It also allows me to have my own bands set-up  in place and use other pres/mics, etc with others without having to unplug/reset our set-up.  My live room has 12 4x XLR  placed around it so I never have to have long cables running across the floor.  I have a Presonus D8 (ADAT with 8 pres input only) a Aphex 141 DA converter, and a Lucid 8824 (8 AD/DA). The RME has 4 internal pres. All else is external

For outputs, I have 14 stereo headphone jacks  scattered around the room. I use SPDIF for my control room monitors.

I have used 6 headphone mixes at once several times, and my own band uses 5.  I only have a Presonus  HP60, so 6 is all the headphones I can run n(well 7 if I used the headphone jack on the RME) so that occupies 12 outputs (6 stereo pairs) I group instruments into individual sends (drums, bass, guitar 1,2 keys, vocs, etc) and this takes another 7 - 8 outputs. The remaining i use for sends to outboard gear (compressor, EQ, exciter,  etc)

and yes I have a lot of patch bays (13 spaces worth).....  because I hate crawling around underneath/behind things with a flashlight to try and plug in/unplug things

and yes it's still a work in process... but I am approaching the point where I have to ask, when is enough ..... enough?

so really plan "ahead" unless you enjoy routinely reconfiguring everything

gaz7224:

--- Quote ---and yes I have a lot of patch bays (13 spaces worth).....  because I hate crawling around underneath/behind things with a flashlight to try and plug in/unplug things
--- End quote ---

That was gonna be my next question.  Do patch-bays degrade audio quality and how much should go through a patchbay?

I've never had a patch bay, and it has been a pain in the ass.  Ideally I'd like everything patched via a patchbay using 'half normal' mode, so I can wire things up for my 'typical' set-up, and then if I want to change something temporarily, I can just patch it in the front.

Can you get XLR patchbays that work in half normal mode?

stainless:
I run everything through the patchbays.  I can't say absolutely that signals are as good, less good, the same with or without  a patchbay.  My XLR patchbays I have wired myself

as to a normalized XLR patchbay- I've never seen one, nor have I seen a switching XLR, so I'm thinking NO... but there may well be such a beast... but I'll guess (if it exists) it'll be pricey...

 I think the Switchcraft  14B dual switching jack might to the trick... but they ain't cheap and you'd have to build yourself

I think I have 128 XLR's and 192 TRS (a small fortune in cables to be sure... something i try not to think about)

gaz7224:
Is it better to have  the live-room electric on the same electrical circuit as the control room?  so they share the same earth by being on the same  breaker on the electric board?

I suck at electric terminology, but I hope you know what I mean.

Thanks.

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