Anybody make a parallel mixer like this?

[TheQuietWilds]

I'm looking for a parallel mixer for putting several mono delays/reverbs on one aux send. Ideally it would split the signal into ~4 channels, with controls for impedance/level matching, phase, pan and level. Any additional processing of the main output like stereo processing, eq, insert points (etc) are a plus, but not a necessity. Any ideas on a high-quality parallel mixer like this?

I got the idea from reading the Motown mixing thread about how back in the day, they would mix the returns from multiple delays/reverbs/echo chambers, and I have been collecting vintage units like the RE-201, Echoplex, Spring Reverbs, etc for a while as a guitarist. I'd like to use them to add some legit analog echo to my recording setup.

[Warren Beck]

An odd duck, but a distribution amplifyer could do this. The input impedance could be made variable easily enough, phase - 1 switch, level - simple pot, and pan???? The DA would have to be in a 2 channel out system to give you panning (assuming it is a sterio aux send - but rather useless as the aux would have its own pan {arguably} and the sterio spectrum of the pre-return would be messed in to the return - so I would not do it) but it is relatively straightforward - definitely a make-your-own sort of thing.

[sscannon]

Originally Posted by TheQuietWilds

I got the idea from reading the Motown mixing thread about how back in the day, they would mix the returns from multiple delays/reverbs/echo chambers, and I have been collecting vintage units like the RE-201, Echoplex, Spring Reverbs, etc for a while as a guitarist. I'd like to use them to add some legit analog echo to my recording setup.

I'm not sure I understand what you are trying to do. You can mix the returns of all your effects with a normal mixer. Just send to each effect, and assign the returns of those effects to faders feeding the mix bus. Then blend those returns together with the faders. No need to have a single aux send feed them all, send to each one separately, feeding each effect the desired amount (i.e., more delay, less reverb). One aux multed (and feeding all effects at once) would give you little control over the individual send levels.

[TheQuietWilds]

Originally Posted by Warren Beck

An odd duck, but a distribution amplifyer could do this. The input impedance could be made variable easily enough, phase - 1 switch, level - simple pot, and pan???? The DA would have to be in a 2 channel out system to give you panning (assuming it is a sterio aux send - but rather useless as the aux would have its own pan {arguably} and the sterio spectrum of the pre-return would be messed in to the return - so I would not do it) but it is relatively straightforward - definitely a make-your-own sort of thing.

It's a mono aux send, stereo aux return. So what I'm looking for is one mono send (coming off the aux send of my main summing mixer) to a 4+ channel distribution amplifier, to a 4+ channel mixer with pan/level control.

EDIT: I'm using a hybrid ITB/OTB setup, and my summing mixer only has one aux. I haven't even really been using the aux for anything most of the time, so it is a bit of an afterthought. I do most of my day-to-day reverb ITB using plugins.

[Matt Syson]

Hi
Surely you can do that 'in the box' by sending to a mix bus then splitting that out again perhaps into another virtual group?
Matt S

[TheQuietWilds]

Originally Posted by Matt Syson

Hi
Surely you can do that 'in the box' by sending to a mix bus then splitting that out again perhaps into another virtual group?
Matt S

I could, but my physical I/O count is somewhat limited. I'd prefer to do it off the Aux, and am just looking for a high-end solution for distribution/mixing of parallel hardware tape delay and reverb units.

[digitrax]

NAD makes (or used to make) a mono-in to 6-independently controlled outs distribution mixer, which you could use for the sends - it's ins are all unbalanced on RCA's but it's got enough headroom to handle +4 and there's enough room in there to mount 1/4s (or even XLR's) - I'll have to dig mine out of the garage and get you the model number.

The returns could obviously feed through a normal mixer.

I don't know of any product that does it in one piece, although I could build you one if you need something custom (or more particularly, high-end).

[TheQuietWilds]

Originally Posted by digitrax

NAD makes (or used to make) a mono-in to 6-independently controlled outs distribution mixer, which you could use for the sends - it's ins are all unbalanced on RCA's but it's got enough headroom to handle +4 and there's enough room in there to mount 1/4s (or even XLR's) - I'll have to dig mine out of the garage and get you the model number.

The returns could obviously feed through a normal mixer.

I don't know of any product that does it in one piece, although I could build you one if you need something custom (or more particularly, high-end).

Thank you for the offer, but I've had bad experiences with commissioning custom work over forums. I think this can be accomplished through just using a separate distribution amplifier (Drawmer and ATI both make a good looking line of these) and a nice small-format mixer. I was hoping there might be something existing that did this as a single unit, but it appears not.

[digitrax]

No problem. Actually, I would rather not do custom work if I can't meet and interact with the client during the process - doesn't work out well for either of us.

I'd probably just use two units myself. There are a number of rackmount line mixers with just level and pan (you see 'em all the time in keyboard rigs and in music stores summing five drum machines into one amp, etc.) and even a basic (Rolls or whoever) line-only will be more "high-end" (more direct signal path) than a conventional level/pan/aux send/eq mini-mixer, so...

Good luck on your quest and let us all know what you end up doing.