wow..
What a bunch of confusing opinions I see here.
Ok, one single brace is not good.
Depending on the bass, it's size, your climate and what tone you want you can go with just about anything that works but a single wide center brace like you just took out. Also, there is little advantage if any making the smaller center brace out of the wide one you just removed. If you can, do it for the enjoyment. In that case you will need one across the lower bout and upper bout on the average. I think 3 or 4 braces with two uppers is quite normal but that depends on the back itself. I have seen as few as 2 and as many as 5 on the back braces (or 1 in the case of French basses). Again, take a chance and do what looks good for you in your mind, the bass itself and the climate it will live in. The X-system is a choice in some cases depending on all of the above as well and in that, there are a few ways to do the X. Two pieces with a lap joint, 3 pieces with no joint, one angled piece with a separate lower bar type cross angled or what ever the bass needs in your mind. Other than the center brace, the other braces should be shaped more like bassbars and not flat wide pieces, I think!
Have fun. The restorers that have repaired the most backs successfully will have the best advice in my opinion. Nothing is ever easy with a flatback. You have the birdseye view of the back in question to decide how much support it needs to work and how much to let it breathe.
I have had and played basses with just about every kind of back out there, well most of them. You don't know whats best without changing things and living with it for a decade each way. The back vibrating is not a problem. Even the scroll vibrates. My Gilkes was as loud from the back as it was in front. The Sound post will make it vibrate but the top should float more than the back. Don't get too technical here in the mind. Repair it sensibly and go play the bass, That's part of the recovery, the playing in of a restored bass.
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