Questions & Answers

Connecting a Soundcraft GB8 48 to a Presonus 4848

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asked Aug 8, 2020 in Thunderbolt - Quantum by shaunliddell (200 points)
edited Aug 8, 2020 by shaunliddell

Hi. 

I own a soundcraft mixer GB8 4848 and I want to get it into a Mac for studio 5 pro. Now. I was wondering if this could be done by buying a quantum 48/48 and with d sub taking it to soundcraft inserts? (And of course usb to Mac) If possible buy a second to daisy chain and have full 48 faders available to mix a studio one mix?

Now I have researched and researched this and I am desperate to get the mixer set up as an analogue desk but can find very little help out there. Do I need to buy a patch bay? Will I need to d sub in and out? If so what plugs in to what and goes to where?!?

Guitars, microphones etc into desk  4848 taking it to Mac.

I Know you can use the 4848 with a Soundcraft mixer as someone on YouTube does it with a 32 desk. I don’t want to invest a couple of thousand to find I don’t know how to connect it  or if I have the right cable set up  

Thanks,

Shaun

1 Answer

+1 vote
answered Aug 18, 2020 by AlexTinsley (925,190 points)
selected Aug 20, 2020 by AlexTinsley
 
Best answer

There are many different ways you can do this. We can certainly lend some advice, however the final configuration is up to you. 

The Quantum 4848 has 32 Line Inputs via 25 Pin connectors, it also has 2x sets of ADAT connectors for another 16 channels for a total of 48 In and 48 Out. You could purchase two Digimax DP88's which also feature 25 Pin connectors to complete your setup with just one Q4848 and 2x DP88's or you can get 2x Q4848's and cascade them together, that would give you full fader control over inputs to the computer. 

The art of the patch bay is the most complex part of any studio, it is THE heart of your studio. You'll need to do some planning ahead of time. You need to fully understand the differences between Normal, Half-Normal and Straight Through. Examples of how patchbays are wired can be found in this article from Sweetwater - https://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/articles/how-to-use-a-patchbay/

Consider getting a patch bay to route to console inserts with your outboard gear (1176's, etc) wired either straight through, normalled, or half-normalled. Preferablly using TT patchbay with solder or punch down connections. Using Half-Normal or Normal has outboard effects always routed to certain channels, repatching will allow you to send it to other channels or have other channels feed those inputs. 

Also remember, you have a master bus section with inserts and Aux's for each bus and the master output with inserts as well. You'll need to figure that into your design as well. 

Connecting the Quantum is as easy as 25 Pin Out from Q4848 to Line Input on console and 25 Pin In from Direct Out of Console. 

Now you have some options: 

However this leaves your Mic Pre Inputs still open. You may want to create a remote connection panel below your insert patch bay to get easy access to the XLR's, again solder those XLR cables to what is plugged into the back of the console. 

With some reading and careful planning using a Google Sheet, Excel or just a piece of graph paper and a pencil you can figure this all out ahead of time. Doing this will save you a huge headache later. Even if you chose not to go with our solution, you'll still have to do this. 

The PatchBay is the last piece of gear to change in any studio. It will outlast all other gear. I have patchbays that I've had for 20 years in my rig. And have soldered my fair share of permanent installs. 

If this all seems a bit much, it can be, you may want to consider hiring an audio professional to help you plan this all out. 

Good luck with your studio build. 

I took a picture of the patchbay in the PreSonus Studio:

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