Week4 - AA1 - Flow Chart (and optional floor plan) - Darren Slynn

* please click on images to enlarge *

This week's blog was a little tricky, given the 'in flux' state of Studio 2. I have had some experience with mixing desks and signal flow in the past so I pity anyone who has never played with a desk before. I was a bit confused trying to figure out what's happening once the output comes out of the wall bay. This situation would also make teaching audio arts quite difficult: figuring out how it is patched today as opposed to two days ago, while 7 or 8 students eagerly await guidance.

Some things can't be avoided, despite all good intentions. So on to the floor plan.

Because of the state of affairs, I have taken the liberty of going for a 'fantasy' setup (within reason!). Still only 16 input from the wall bay (13 from EMU Space, 3 from Dead Room), but assuming we have 16 back in from the ProTools 192 and outboards. A fantasy 32 channel desk! There are endless variations but hopefully I am getting the concept of how it all works.

Baffles around drums and bass cabinet turned away from singer to prevent spill into the vocal microphone. It is intended to record with headphones (although not included in this plan) with minimal volume level in the room apart from drums. The reason percussion and noise makers are relegated to the dead room: to keep them out of the EMU space mics altogether.

Just a note on the flow chart. The outboard amp (as of Sunday night) is currently hard wired into the set-up. So ... from the wall bay, to the amp, to the desk, to the patch bay (which is normalised - no patching leads required for signal to desk), back from patch bay to the tape inputs on the desk. I think!

Hope the disco effect of the pics doesn't make anyone too nauseous. Sorry about the hugeness of the enlarged diagrams, working on it ...

Speaker pics from'Barry's Vintage Audio Collection' (amazing) @ http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/474594792UCPauy?start=48, accessed 23/3/07

Vintage Kellog Double Button microphone from 'Vintage Broadcast Microphones' (likewise), @ http://www.k-bay106.com/photos.htm, accessed 23/3/07
(lots of pics of vintage microphones)

Bosendorfer Concert Grand from 'Shaffer Pianos' @
http://www.shafferpianos.com/bosendorfer.html, accessed 23/3/07

Just about everything else from 'FreeFoto.com' @ http://www.freefoto.com/search.jsp?queryString=patch+bay, accessed 23/3/07