Handbook for Sound Engineers

832 Chapter 25

a jackfield, was and is exceedingly tedious, messy,
expensive, and error prone.
Four-track recording set the mold for console design
for many years. The monitoring section evolved. Fig.
25-15 can be compared to the simpler back end of a
stereo mixer in Fig. 25-12. The main difference can be
seen as the addition of an entirely separate mixer within
the console just to handle the multitrack monitoring.
Fortunately, it’s a fairly bare-bones mixer; it’s all at high
signal levels, and little, if any, gain is required except as
makeup gain in the monitor mix bus.
While all these tracks are being laid, it’s necessary to
hear what has been done previously in the control room
and studio. In the same way that source/return listen of
stereo machines was needed, so each individual track of
a multitrack needed similar treatment. It grew, though.
Initially, as the number of tracks per machine increased,
the number of mixer groups increased correspondingly.
Each group had its own A/B switch relating to that indi-
vidual console track output and the associated machine
return, with its own level and pan controls feeding an
altogether separate stereo monitor mix. This new
monitor mix appeared as another source on the main
monitor selector. This, alas, was insufficient. Foldback
prefade mix feeds no longer became a luxury but a
necessity, since the desk stereo output or a derivation
thereof could no longer be relied upon to be even
roughly what the artist needed to hear. There was no
proper console stereo output at any time other than
mixdown. Foldback feeds were added to the monitor

system on each group. Effect sends were also added,

just to help the monitoring sound pretty.

The monster has split itself amoebalike into two

entirely separate signal-processing systems: the main

mixer and a monitor mixer. A curious situation occurs:

the mix used for monitoring during the original multi-

track recording had to be transferred over to the main

system entirely at some time for mixdown. Ordinarily,

tape-machine returns are not only brought back into the

monitoring section but are also tied to high-level line

inputs on the main mixer section. The remix takes place

using those channels into the main stereo mix bus.

Perhaps the first major rationalization (which

occurred long after many conventional X-input,

24-group, 24-monitoring consoles had been made) was a

result of the realization that few people actually needed

24-group faders sitting there full up, collecting dust.

Losing them instantly avoids a normally unnecessary

gain-variable stage in the signal path, which, if malad-

justed, could upset noise or headroom performance.

Individual channel outputs together with a much

smaller number of stereo mixing subgroups—usually

four or eight pairs—which could again be routed to any

of the multitracks, proved easily as flexible. But still

there was duplication of monitor buses and main stereo

mixing buses both with their attendant effects and fold-

back feeds rarely being used simultaneously. At last the

dawning of the realization that the pair, that is, the

monitoring and stereo mastering buses, could be one

and the same thing. In-line monitoring recording

Figure 25-15. Four-track monitoring.

Group

select

switches

1 234

Mix buses

Input

channels

(main paths

only shown)

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Mix &

group output

faders

Send

Return

Tape

track 1

Tape

track 2

Tape

track 3

Tape

track 4

Source/

return (A/B)

switches

Monitor

pan

Left

Monitor mix

'A' 'B' 'A' 'B''A' 'B''A' 'B'

L

R

Monitor

mix amps

To monitor

select switching

Right