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All three are line-level (as opposed to mic level) inputs. Without looking at the manual, I d guess that in your case, it goes as follows:Line in: line-level inputs on the main mixer channels...use during tracking for sources like keys, synths, external preamps, active DIs, etc. Monitor in: line-level inputs in the master section used for monitoring your recording deck during tracking and overdubbingTape in: physical connections from your recording deck outputs, which in this board s case sounds like they are normally routed to both the line in and monitor in...in tracking and overdubbing, use the monitor in to, well, monitor the recording deck outputs while the main mixer channels are being used for mic preamps. In mixdown, flip the main mixer channels over to line in to mix from the tape inputs using full channel faculties. But this is just a guess...

can you guys help me wrap my head around the difference between monitor inputs, tape returns, and line inputs?a long time ago i fell into the habit of either using outboard preamps, or extra channels on the right hand side of the board to send to tape, and then using the channel line inputs coming back from tape. i really like doing things like this, because i can be 'mixing' the whole time, during takes, during playback, and i can get a really good sense of what it will 'really' sound like. i'm finally in a good sounding live room and i want to start adding mics to my drum set up. in addition, i like the way my board preamps sound. so i've resorted to using my monitor inputs, which is acceptable, though i miss having the full eq at my disposal and using knobs instead of faders is a bummer, but i'll deal. my manual says that the tape returns are normalled to the line ins, but i've never fully understood this. in the interest of becoming more flexible, and mic'ing bottom heads, help set me straight. the mixing board in question is a soundcraft 600.

Also, that board is from the mid-80s, no? I don t think outboard preamps were nearly as much of a thing then...the board pres were used for just about everything.

I have this console also. The "tape returns" are simultaneously sent to both the monitor channels on the far right-hand side of the board and the "line" inputs on the first 16 channels on the left side of the board. So, if you had nothing plugged into the "line" inputs of the first 16 channels, the "line" button pressed on each of those 16 channels, and your tape machine's outputs inserted into the board's "tape return" inputs, you'd hear what was being played from tape. If you did not depress the "line" button on those 16 channels, you'd only hear what was plugged into the "mic" input of each channel. However, if you were to plug something (like the output of an outboard preamp) into the 1/4" "line" input on the channel strip and pressed the "line" button on that channel, you'd hear what was coming from the external device only. The "normalling" of the tape returns to the line inputs basically means that you can plug all 16 of the outputs of your tape machine into the "tape return" inputs on the console, and never have to worry about plugging tape outputs into each channel's "line" input-- the tape signal will always be there, unless you insert a plug into a channel strip's "line" input. The insertion of a plug into the "line" input of the channel strip breaks the connection from that channel strip's "line" input and the tape return signal that's normally being sent there from the console's "tape return" inputs. Hope that helps a bit. The advantage gained is that your "line" inputs on each channel will be open and ready for the insertion of an external device's output, and not occupied by a wire carrying a tape return signal. When you're ready to start mixing from tape, you just pull out any external devices going into the "line" input of each of the first 16 channel strips, press the "line" input button on each channel, and you'll have the tape output signal right there for your use (without ever pulling plugs from the "tape return" inputs on the far right of the console).

The line in's and mic pre's on your Soundcraft are just the same input with a pad. IE; when you hit the line button on the channel strip, it just changes the mic pre to line level, it doesn't switch it to a dedicated line level input. Some people probably don't like the fact that their line signal is essenitally running through a somewhat colored mic pre. I personally think it sounds fine after it's been modded/rebuilt.

You have a split mixer. And I'm guessing it's got 24 tracks, 8 stereo buses, and 16 monitor returns.Like Adam said, in the old days people didn't really track with outboard pres, so the mics were going into the channel strips on the left so you could choose to EQ them or send to auxs, and then the fader and pan let you control how much you're sending them to the recording buses (and I think the fader also affects the direct out level, but I'm not sure).The section on the right is the bus faders and monitor returns. You only have 8 bus faders because the buses are stereo, so if the kick goes out to bus 1 and the snare to bus 2, you have to hard pan the kick to the left and the snare to the right on their respective channels. You do have 16 separate multitrack returns and they sit on top of those 8 buses - 2 returns on each channel strip. The returns are limited in their controls as you probably saw. So the intended workflow is this: When tracking, the microphones go through the channels on the left. You EQ and send to auxes (or not), then the signal goes to the fader and pan and you use them to control how much of the signal is sent to buses. On the right, you'd usually keep the bus faders at 0 on the scale and push them up or down as necessary. Then you monitor your multitrack outputs on the top. When you mix, you'd patch the multitrack outputs to the line inputs, so now you have a lot more control over what's coming back from the tape machine - a more extensive EQ, access to all auxes, and of course the big 10mm faders. As you can see, it's kind of a pain in the ass to work this way because when you switch from tracking to mixing you have to readjust all the faders on the left and kinda rebuild your mix. That's one of the reasons (only?) why inline consoles became a thing.The one thing I'm not sure about is why there are separate monitor inputs, tape returns, and line inputs all existing on the back of the mixer. It seems to me that the way to do it is have the monitor returns and line ins, then on an external patchbay the multitrack outputs would be normalled to the line inputs. Then when tracking you would manually patch the multitrack outs to the monitor inputs.

okay, so i guess i get line ins and monitor ins, but it seems to me that the line inputs and tape returns are superfluous. what am i missing? what is the benefit of routing through the tape returns, and then 'flipping' to the channel faders? why not just route through the line inputs (as i have done virtually since i started recording music)?

I think main reason is that some people may have a use for the line inputs in tracking - it sounds like you don't.

n.c. wrote:and if i want to send to tape without going through the groups i can just use the channel line out, right?Yes, but the only thing to remember is that the channel "line outs" are unbalanced. This normally won't be a problem, but can introduce noise in extreme circumstances (such as long runs of cable, or strange interfaces).i can simply pull whats plugged into the line inputs, and plug into the line outputs, and relabel the patchbay, right?Yes.and if you're not comping tracks, there is no reason to go through the groups, right?The main reason to output through the groups would be that the group outputs are balanced and the channel direct outs are not.also, when coming in through the tape returns, are the tracks still routed through the mic pre?They are routed through the mic pre also. That way you have access to the full EQ section.

n.c. wrote:and if i want to send to tape without going through the groups i can just use the channel line out, right? i know this seems like a really stupid question, but right now i have my line ins going through my patch bays, but i don't have my line outs wired up. I had a 500 that had a weird aux assignment because the club that had it was using it to run a number of monitor mixes from the FOH position (instead of a dedicated mon position by the stage). I ran all of my tracking like that - into mic in, out from direct out. As FM eliya mentioned above, the line outs are post-fade and eq which is also super nice and flexible.