Looper's Delight Archive Top (Search)
Date Index
Thread Index
Author Index
Looper's Delight Home
Mailing List Info
[Date Prev][Date Next]   [Thread Prev][Thread Next]   [Date Index][Thread Index][Author Index]

Re: Anyone using a Rane SM 26B?


> 
> Anyone using a Rane SM 26B?
>I don't know the merits of a balanced buffered signal versus other
>signal varieties, so can someone tell me why a unit like this is needed
>when a simple patch bay should be able to do the same thing?

I've used two SM-26's, both of which I purchased used for under $150 each.
The cheapest Switchblade lists for $750.

You can take a stereo or mono signal, and then do a bunch of things--three
mono send and returns, three stereo sends to another mixer, mono send and
return with two stereo splits, etc, etc.  The buffered signal helps keep
your input level to the various devices (loopers, processors. whatever)
constant regardless of what you do to the other channels, helps maintain
your fidelity, etc.  Their nickname for it is the "Swiss Army Mixer", and
I've found it to be very useful.  You can use it with balanced or 
unbalanced
signals.  I used one for years to take a mono signal, send it to three
loopers and then bring it all back to a mono source.  You won't be able to
recombine four signals with just the SM-26, you'll need a second mixer for
more than three mono signals.


A simple patchbay won't do all that, but might let you split your signal
from one source to several devices and then recombine the signal at the 
end.

TravisH


-- 
Tiktok, Seattle's premier one-man improvisational band.

homepage:  
    http://home.sprintmail.com/~tiktok/index.html
    www.mp3.com/tiktok