After a long period of using mixers, soundcards paychbays and what else I have found a beautiful solution in using a soundcard that combines as a programmable digital mix.
In my case this is a motu 828 mk3. I have all outputs of my machines connected directly. The outputs of my soundcard are connected to all the inputs of my equipment and 8 channels are going into my mixer.
The beauty is that I can now use the soundcard as a programmable patchbay routing all inputs and outputs. Super flexible and it also works when I dont switch on the computer.
I have used physical patchbays, but then still I needed to use cables to switch, plus i needed double cabling from and to the patchbay. Thats whats all bypassed now.
Me, I am a happy camper now. Hopefully my example can inspire you to find your own solutions.
Iāve no idea if this will help as there are so many different ways to configure the SiX. Mine is very much setup to work with both my A4/Modular setup and a DAW (Bitwig or Reason), both together and separately.
I have a Jupiter 6 and a Little Phatty into the 2 mono channels (which I can switch to second input for microphone or guitar). A4 and modular into the 2 stereo channels. AR into Ext 1 and DAW main output into Ext 2. This way I can route any combination through the main bus or bypass it via Bus B or straight to monitors.
I take the SiXās main out to a couple of inputs on my audio interface (828 mk3). I also take the Foldback 2 outputs and the Bus B outputs to another bunch of inputs on the 828 so I can record to multiple tracks at once if I choose.
The remaining 4 inputs on the 828 go to a Prophet Rev 2 and Nord Lead A1. I route those within the 828 to go to another pair of outputs which I connect to the SiXās Alt inputs on the 2 mono channels. Those Alt inputs feed the SiXās ST Cue 1 bus, which can be routed to the main bus. I canāt route those to the other outputs Iām using but thatās fine as I can record those 2 synths straight in to the DAW from the 828 if I need to.
The only challenge I have is not using the G-Series compressor on everything when it sounds so damn good. 
Ha, I draw diagrams like this all the time, all the time. Too many piece of gear with interesting ways of processing audio input is the problem, Iām always convinced thereās some optimum arrangement thatās forever over the horizon. At the moment Iāve got the MPC One hooked up to the sub output of my mixer for sampling everything else, and this works fine, but it means Iām not making good use of the Octatrack, or the analogue filtering that the Analog 4 can offer, etc. etc.
Itās like a game or a logic puzzle, trying to pair off soulmates so you can focus on the remainderā¦ itāll never happen. Although maybe if I configured the Octatrack to pull in four monosynths, thenā¦ I need a pencil.
Iā¦ Just started thinking deeper about my signal routing, it started with MIDI after I got a Midihub and wanted to open up all of my gear to be controlled by a MIDI controller even though I need more than 16 channels, so the Midihub started to serve two different MIDI routes to allow channels 1-16 to be reused.
Last week I finally figured that I can use my Mackieās mixer ALT 3/4 as a bus to the OT from the mixer, I had huge problems deciding what I wanted connected to the OT and now with a push of a button from the mixer I can mute that channel and send it to the OT, or any combination of channels, now Iām looking into the 1010music Bluebox and imagining all the ways I can route and re-route audio signals to the OTā¦ So yeah, lately during some nights Iāve been going to sleep while thinking about signal routing, haha.
So is it accurate to say this can operate as a āstandaloneā patchbay? i.e. One doesnāt need to connect this to a computer (all the time) to use it, and you donāt need to be at the computer to adjust the digital routing, and can do that from the front panel?
I also use a (well itās two) Patchbay and a mixer that can route.
All my soundmaking devices run into the Patchbay and from there into my mixer. On the patchbay I can get all the signals as well as send signals to the mixer, so I can patch in FX as through effects or patch in other sound sources.
My mixer has 2 stereo sub channels that I use for sampling. Every channel has 2 pairs of outputs. channel one i use for sampling in gear, channel two goes to my soundcard (that I rarely use).
All my synths have their location and are hardwired to the patchbays. I have 2 stereopairs and a pair of midicables on my Desk for my groovebox. That Switches between former Akai Force, now Maschine+ and my Deluge. I disconnect one device and attach the other, mostly because I use them at the center of my desk and decide what I use at the moment. Thatās a 5 seconds move.
The second sample pair goes to my Blackbox.
If I get something new, or want to use gear that I donāt have in my default setup. I can just patch ins and outs from and to the Patchbay.
So I do a little cable handling, but not full rewireng as I did before I bought the patch bays.
Iāve gone for a motu 828es and a load of old motu ADATs - currently have
26 in / 16 out - can handle more.
The mixer software has a virtual patchbay - combined with something like 8 sends means I can route anything to anything really easily.
Saving presets also means I can switch the whole lot around from the front panel.
Iād highly recommend it. If I was to do it again I would pair the motu 828es with a ferrofish pulse 16 as iām sure its better than the old motus iām using for ADAT.
Itās just sad, that you cannot easily control the mixer from a hardware controller. Love my 828, but Mixing on iPad vs mixing on my hardware console is an easy choice.
Yeah that would be nice
I find that some general idea of what you what to accomplish during particular session helps a lot.
It is often a good starting point that leads to stuff being more often done without constantly thinking about optimisations and all the possible outcomes.
this is true -
Iām prone to analysis paralysis. At the same time a proponent of the guiding principle: āwhat are you trying to do?ā
For now -
Since DT just sums stereo audio in to mono (right?) -If one were inclined, is there any good reason not to treat the L & R inputs like Inputs 1 & 2 - and just feed in 1 TRS to each from a different source?
itās hard to imagine for anyone here how much i thinked out my MIDI routing.
taking into account even such things as MIDI port baud rate, number of used channels per port, and even MIDI cables length.
audio routing is the opposite for me, simple AF:
synth ā> multiFX unit ā> mixer.
well, i have one really complex case:
synth ā> synth ā> multiFX unit ā> mixer! 
I wish it were that simple for me. The other day my sample session was:
Drum machine > Lyra input > Landscape Stereo Field > mixer to EQ > aux send to DOD 201 Phasor > Boss DD-6 > Midiverb II > mixer return > buss out to Toraiz SP-16.
My personal cons of the K-Mix are that I could use more inputs for stereo FX returns, and there is some bugginess with the unit itself. My original unit had to get sent to KMI for repair where it would only boot 20% of the time, and I ended up getting a different refurb sent back to me. The current unit I have has issues when channels are stereo linked (round encoders max themselves out as soon as theyāre touched, rendering all built-in DSP un-editable via the unit itself. I need to open another ticket for this, but working from home for my audio related day job has me relying on it day to day.) The bugs Iāve encountered on both units scare me a bit. Iām a QA tester for another company, and I seem to be a bug magnet with everything I interact with 
As for considering the Bluebox, the built in delay is a plus, as is the metronome & midi capability. MIDI control of the KMix is a bit of a pain because Iāll need to buy another KMI midi expander to interface with my OT. I had one, but that is now in use full time with my Boppad.
Same here! Got 2 patchbays now
Logic tells me I should get a regular patchbay like the Samson S-Patch or one of the competing ones by Neutrik, dbx, etc. to make it easier to route audio between guitar/electric violin, synths, and various hardware effects, in various parallel and/or serial paths.
However Iāve had MTX-8 on my mind since I saw Loopopās review. I think Divkid explains the practical application a little more clearly. He has the āguitarā version that comes with Tube Screamer style preamp.
Interesting.
First Iāve heard of this.
Solutions:
Digital Mixing Desk
Patchbay
Mixing Software RME, MoTU etc
or
a Matrix mixing Desk:
Combine several If needed.
That definitely works, sure. My hope was just to have my setup chained through the DT but kept in stereo though - would save having a mixer or losing the stereo field.
Currently seriously considering a Rytm, but the additional cost just for stereo inputs seems a bit ridiculous (obviously thereās other benefits, but I donāt necessarily need them).