Routing & Signal Flow

Core Philosophy: Flexibility First

Our default workflow prioritizes clean capture and maximum flexibility. We differ from the "commit early" school of thought—instead, we believe in eliminating bias and obstacles between the artist and their vision.

The Principle:

Default path: Mic → Preamp → DAW (clean, unprocessed)
Outboard processing joins the chain POST-DAW via sends/returns
Patchbay enables instant re-ordering—insert hardware anywhere in seconds
Nothing is baked in until the artist decides to bake it in

Why This Matters: When you capture clean, you preserve options. The artist can hear their performance without preconceptions about what gear "should" sound like. This aligns with our blind A/B methodology—we present choices, not predetermined outcomes.

That said: The patchbay is designed so you CAN commit through hardware when the moment calls for it. One patch cable inserts any piece of outboard into the tracking chain. The flexibility goes both ways.

Physical Layout

The Control Room is adjacent to the Overdub Room (with direct window sightline). The Live Room is located down a hallway, requiring long cable runs and video communication.

Key Cable Infrastructure

Short Runs (Control Room ↔ Overdub Room — adjacent)

8x XLR tie lines: Overdub Room wall panel → Control Room patchbay (25' runs)
Direct window sightline—no camera needed for basic communication
Headphone feed from Monitor ST Cue Out (no Hear Back needed—direct communication)

Long Runs (Control Room → Live Room — down the hall)

16x XLR tie lines: Live Room wall panel → Control Room patchbay (75-100' runs via Canare snakes)
4x Speaker cable runs (12 AWG, 75-100'): Control Room amp rack → Live Room cab wall
Cat6: Hear Back PRO hub → Live Room personal mixers x5 (75-100')
SDI video (essential): Live Room cameras → Control Room video switcher (50-75')
SDI return: Control Room camera → Live Room confidence monitor

Video/Comms Note: Because there's no window to the Live Room, all visual communication runs through the camera system. This is essential equipment, not optional.

Default Signal Paths (Clean Capture)

These are the normalled paths—signal flows this way without any patching.

Vocals (Default)

Mic → Preamp (1073MP or Millennia) → Interface → DAW

Clean capture. Compression and processing applied in-the-box or via hardware insert during mix.

Drums (Default)

All drum mics → Preamps (Millennia/1073MP/API) → Interface → DAW

Clean capture on all channels. Parallel compression, saturation, etc. added via DAW sends to outboard.

Bass (Default)

DI (Radial JDI) → Interface → DAW (clean DI track)
+ Cab mic → Preamp → Interface → DAW (parallel capture)

Both signals captured clean. Blend and processing decisions made later.

Guitar (Default)

Guitar → DI Split → Radial JDI → Interface → DAW (DI safety track)
Guitar → Kahayan 8x4 → Amp → Cabinet → Mic → Preamp → Interface → DAW

Amp tone is "committed" but captured clean through preamp. No outboard on tracking path by default.

Hardware Insert Paths (When You Want Outboard)

Outboard processing is available on DAW sends/returns. This allows you to:

A/B processed vs. clean in real-time
Print through hardware when ready to commit
Use outboard on mix buses, not just tracking

Vocal Processing (When Desired)

DAW Send → MC77 → LA-2A → DAW Return

Or patch directly into tracking chain:

Mic → 1073MP → [patch to MC77] → LA-2A → Interface

Drum Bus Processing

DAW Drum Bus Send → Serpent SB4001 → DAW Return

Parallel compression, glue, punch—all available without committing during tracking.

Monitoring Signal Flow

Interface Outputs → Dangerous Monitor ST → Main Monitors (Output A) / MixCubes (Output B)

Talkback Signal Flow

AT808G Talkback Mic → Monitor ST Talkback Input → Hear Back PRO Hub → Personal Mixers → Live Room

Video Communication Signal Flow

Live Room Camera (SDI) → ATEM Mini Pro → Control Room Monitor
Control Room Camera (SDI) → ATEM Mini Pro → Live Room Confidence Monitor

Note: Always confirm video is working before starting a Live Room session.