Best way to connect several 16track recorders?

A bit confused here, i´d like to connect my 16 track 2" and my 16 Track Digital Recorder to the same 16 buss mixer.

I´d like an easy way to transfer files mainly from 2" to the digital recorder and also be able to use busses and record straight to the 16track digital.

Put both on a patch panel?, split cables, split with trafos?

Any input welcome. /Toby

I'm not a studio guy but I would do a tt patchbay with DB25 connectors on the back and then make your machine specific cables with DSUB plugs on the end to match. That will "grow" with the evolution of your setup.

This sort of box can be useful to accomplish the kind of thing you want to do.  They are great when you want to do a wholesale change of recorder connections & save wasting money on a patchbay & patch leads. They can normally be had a lot cheaper than this.  I have 3 of them to enable 24 track switching. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Black-Box-ABC-Switch-3-Port-25-Pin-D-Sub/283244300682?hash=item41f2ad098a:g:brQAAOSwhwlb31~z

However if you need to do partial switching of say half the recorder, maybe better to install a patchbay.

mattssons said:

Put both on a patch panel?, split cables, split with trafos?

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You don't need any additional transformers here.
Rob's suggestion is inexpensive, but not very flexible. Beware that using computer cables with a single common shield may generate cross-talk. I would advice to use specific audio cables.
Pachbay is more flexible, but also more expensive and changeover is not as quick.
In order to provide both modes (console to both recorders or recorder to recorder) you'll need to mult the console outputs.
There is another solution that may work for you.
Connect the console to the tape recorder and the output of the tape recorder to the digital recorder. Then you can easily transfer from tape to digital. In record mode, just put the tape recorder in input mode, the console signal will go through to the digital recorder.
But you would not be able to transfer easily from teh digital recorder to tape.

The way I have mostly seen it done is to bring all connections out to multipin connectors  like EDAC’s or DL’s. Then patch as necessary.

At our studio we have the following

all of the multi-track assignments on the desk and all of the multi-track returns are wired on a patchbay and the patchbay is wired to elco 120 pin's connectors. From there each of our multi-trck recorders is also wired to elco 120 pin connectors. From there depending on the work we are doing that day or what we need to be doing, we can patch the elco 120 pin connectors sending and returning 24 channels of the multi-tracks at a time.  The only thing Really special in wiring here is our desk has 24 assignments and 48 channels so we have a the 24 assignments mult so that if I assigned to track 1 it gores to track 1 on two machines.

Thanks Everybody!

Great answers, makes it clearer about  how i should connect them.
I really should hang out here more, the brains of internet seems to be here, as it´s been very few replies on other forums.
Currently setting up a tracking room with analog gear, some really old, so there´s always something going down!
Be well /Toby

What Pucho describes is the  full way it’s done. If you don’t already have a patch bay and don’t anticipate needing to cross patch tape tracks and channels you could skip the patch bay part and just have an EDAC patch system. That would limit you to only switching all 16 tracks at a time. It would be a lot less work than wiring patch bays as well as EDACs.

Gold said:

What Pucho describes is the  full way it’s done. If you don’t already have a patch bay and don’t anticipate needing to cross patch tape tracks and channels you could skip the patch bay part and just have an EDAC patch system. That would limit you to only switching all 16 tracks at a time. It would be a lot less work than wiring patch bays as well as EDACs.

Click to expand...

true but that is because the console has a large extensive patchy. so instead of going from the patchy directly to the machines we do the eco thing to swap machines as needed.  However these days there is little need to swap machines most of the time we keep pro tools connected and very few ask for the 2" machines.