patch bay... wtf?

[Ben P Music]

kinda just wondering what a patch bay does, i'm looking at one, trying to figure out a purpose... yeah, thanks, haha, peace
-Ben p

 

[Gidge]

its a shortcut to routing signals without climbing behind racks of gear...say you use one preamp to track vocals and on the next take track bg vocals with a different preamp, but use the same compressor...all 3 are patched into the patchbay, and you would simply unplug the cable from the patch that the first preamp on and switch it over to the patch that the second preamp is on....

 

[Gidge]

or go to Google and search "how patchbays work"...

 

[fraserhutch]

Wow, Gidge, they let you outta da cave for the day?

 

[Gidge]

can you tell im bored...

 

[Corndog]

can you tell im bored...

I'm so board I read this thread....

 

[robin watson]

kinda just wondering what a patch bay does, i'm looking at one, trying to figure out a purpose... yeah, thanks, haha, peace
-Ben p

A Patch B is a rack mounted gizmo that you connect all your outboard gear's rear panel connections to, pretty much permanently. The front panel of the Patch B is simply an array of (usually) 1/4" jacks, which you label accordingly, and which give you instant access to all connections, for example, your compressor's ins and outs, which you route to wherever you wish using short 'patch cables.' You no longer have to grovel around the back of your gear anymore; it's all now on the front panel of the Patch B.

Do some research. Even a minimal amount of outboard gear can still benefit from having a patchbay, as it also allows for quick rerouting of gear, and even some experimenting on-the-fly, which you might not otherwise try without the simplicity of a Patch B.

Once I started using a PB, I couldn't believe how I ever got by without one. It was no less an epiphany than when I went from tape-based Adat to HD24. Really frees you up.

 

[suprstar]

Even a minimal amount of outboard gear can still benefit from having a patchbay, as it also allows for quick rerouting of gear, and even some experimenting on-the-fly, which you might not otherwise try without the simplicity of a Patch B.

Damn straight, I have practically NO outboard stuff.. 2 channels of rack fx, and some PA amps, thats it! But I do run the 6 inserts from my mixer to it, so I can add those 2 fx channels to whatever channel I want instantly, without crawling behind the desk trying to figure out what cable is what..

I also run 2 stereo mix sources (main/aux) from my fw mixer, and 3 'destinations' (monitors, PA, headphone amp), so I can run either mix to anywhere I want, any time I want, by plugging in a couple of 1' cables.

I feel foolish for ever NOT having one!

 

[Bguzaldo]

I read this thread hoping to find an answer to my patchbay question. So I'm wondering myself, does using TRS cables (patch cables) for everything but the mic's input mess around with the signal at all. What I mean is you connect a mic to a preamp with an XLR cable, then you connect the preamp to the patchbay with a TRS cable, then the patchbay to the interface or mixer with a TRS cable. Do all those TRS cables screw up the signal at all? I would think having more cable means having more problems. But what do I know?

Thanks
-Barrett

 

[robin watson]

I read this thread hoping to find an answer to my patchbay question. So I'm wondering myself, does using TRS cables (patch cables) for everything but the mic's input mess around with the signal at all. What I mean is you connect a mic to a preamp with an XLR cable, then you connect the preamp to the patchbay with a TRS cable, then the patchbay to the interface or mixer with a TRS cable. Do all those TRS cables screw up the signal at all? I would think having more cable means having more problems. But what do I know?

Thanks
-Barrett

TRS cables, as you must know already, are going to maintain a balanced connection. TS will work, but you will then be unbalanced. Check that the gear you're connecting is in fact balanced - if not, just plain TS will be fine. In you're average home studio, balanced isn;t really necessary in my experience (and some people in the industry even believe unbalanced is actually better since the signal is going through less circuitry).

As for worrying about the extra connections involved with a patchbay: the difference is miniscule at best, and most likely inaudible - that is, if your cables are reasonable quality throughout. The benefits of a patchbay far outweigh any psychologically perceived difference in sound.

For a home studio, TS should be fine, one less connection to go wrong, one less connection to make (if you make your own cables - highly recommended), and cheaper all round.