Routing on a mixing desk

[bruce]

Hi,

 

A slightly strange question...

 

I'm involved in an event which will be using 5 radio mics, a few float mics, and a couple of stereo line-level sources. All very simple.

 

To make it even easier, no significant onstage monitoring required.

 

The mixer which I have available is a Mackie CFX. Not my first choice, but it should do the job. Note that on that model, you cannot assign a channel directly to main outs, you must assign it to either groups 1/2 or 3/4. Each of the 4 groups can then be assigned to either L,R or L&R.

 

Now, I had intended to run all the mics as mono. Pan the radios hard left, and the floats hard right, and assign to groups 1/2, so group 1 is radios, group 2 is floats. Then assign 1 to L&R and 2 to L&R, running the stereo sources through 3-L and 4-R.

 

And that all works fine.

 

BUT. There's always a but, isn't there....

 

I want to be able to insert a pair of graphics on the radio channels and the float channels, rather than just applying them to the main outs. But that particular mixer doesn't have group inserts.

 

It does have group outputs. So my "plan B" is to NOT assign groups 1/2 to the main outs, take the 1/2 group outs via the graphics, and then bring these mono signals back in (using Y-splits to get L+R) via the 2 FX returns, which then get assigned to L+R.

 

So I'm looking for a sanity check. Does that make sense?

 

Bruce.

[Peter Russell]

Bruce, What you suggest should work fine,

just make sure that your stereo returns don't get routed to groups 1 or 2 (Obviously)

:)

 

HTH Peter

[Rob_Beech]

Just to add to what Peter Says, with the risk of a me too post.

 

Perfect routing option there I'd say.

The other way you could do it would be to bring them back in on another channel or channels and route them to group 3/4. although that would use up channels and not give you as much grouping control. It would give you a little more Return control as you could apply any of the channel strips features to that group mix. (how this would benefit I do not know as you are effectivly inserting a graphic anyway).

 

So to conclude, the way you suggest is the way I'd suggest.

 

I've set up some odd routings on desks before. Recently I had to create a footswitch for reverb onto a board...with no footswitch socket.

This involved sending the reverb return to a subgroup (not used for anything else). Using the subgroup output, going through the footswitch, back in on a mono channel and routing direct to L+R from there. The band also liked reverb in the monitors (I know I know) so this made this possible with FULL control. (just providing that aux 5 isn't activated from the return channel)

 

Rob

[bruce]

Thanks chaps,

 

I would have liked to be able to bring the signals back from the graphics via an unused input channel, as suggested by Rob. Unfortunately, I'm a little short of channels

 

So that's why I was thinking about coming back via the FX returns route. The only minor difficulty here is that I'll need to get a couple of splitters to send the mono signal to the L+R returns... Ah well - it's about time I did some more soldering :)

 

Edit: not quite true - after some perusal of the manual, it appears that the return sockets are normalised - if you only connect the L return, it gets internally connected to the R.

 

Bruce.

[Rob_Beech]

the return sockets are normalised

 

 

had you not corrected yourself by the time I got back from my gig I would have pointed that out.

 

 

Got a bloody annoying stage piano with a R/MONO socket instead of L/MONO one. Certain gigs where a PA is provided I'll run it in mono and I always put it in the L channel (force of habit).

 

 

Rob