Do patchbays degrade the quality of the sound?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guernica
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tyler675recpro said:
I dont think bruce has anything else to do but follow people that are smarter than him around everywhere, so he can criticise them and make himself feel better. Thats why he has so many posts, he just talks about nothing.
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LMAO:D:p :eek:

My sides are beginning to hurt!:p
 
My dawg Cuzzin'Brucie Blue Bear, yousa' funny Mofo!!! Great come back!!!:D :eek: :D
Tyler, please don't make the same mistakes that I prev'ly made when I 1st started on this board and tried to answer questions
that made no sense and were totally wrong! I can dig the fact that you are trying to help others,but be sure that you fully understand the question and reply ONLY if you know the answer
otherwise you'll confuse many who are trying to learn.
I basically try to provide answers and advice on the SIMPLEST of questions and on a FEW occasions,can help some one with a difficult prob. Most of the time and sit back and learn, then apply whatever knowledge I attain to recordings.
So don't try and take on Cuzzin' Brucie. Why U ask???................
I taught him EVERY thing he knows!!!!!

BTW Guernica, patchbays do solve messy cabling connections
especially in the area of repatching.
I own a Behringer PX 2000, which is as cheap as one can get! It has 4 switchable modes for cable connections however the jacks are unbalanced and a DBX PB-48 that contain 96 -1/4" TRS jacks (balanced) and can be switched from norm to half norm and connections made of nickle/silver. This I basically use for repatching EQ,Filters and Comps into insert on my board.
 
for an excellent all-around article on patchbays, check out the current issue of tape op, #29. of course there's really no reason you shouldn't already be getting this magazine considering that it's fucking FREE and the best recording mag in existence, imho. www.tapeop.com
 
VOXVENDOR said:
I always laugh when I go into a Project studio, and they have a big giant argosy desk with a relatively small Ghost or Mackie in it, and one side is all patch bays... I mean like 20 of them, and they have like 24-36 "sockets" on each bay, yet only like 12-20 pieces of ouboard gear........ Thats like 500 sockets for 12 pieces of gear... *LOL*

Either they are trying to give the impression that they have a "big" studio, or they just have a fetish for sockets :D
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If its a studio with lots of midi gear, it does make sence in a way. most synths and samplers have multiple outputs. Most of the time you'll end up with much and much more outputs than available inputs. Using a patchbay you can hotswap your gadgets.

Other example...the inserts and inputs of your console are located on the back, and the back is not accessable. Its handy to have all the connections on a patchbay so you can easily swop the compressor from channel 1 to channel 18
 
thats exactly what im tlaking about. huge patch bays for 4 channel boards, im mean, what the fuck? it just seems unnecesary to me
 
All I know is that I've been looking into a PB for a couple months now and still don't know enough to make the leap. I started out looking at bays costing a couple hundred, but after further research I'm up to quotes in the $1500 range. What the fuck. Anyway, my point is that it's not a simple decision, so take your time. Of course, I could just be making it more complicated than it has to be. I'm good at that shit, yo.

Dragnalus, I read that article in TapeOp and didn't think it was very clear. I love TapeOp, but even it assumed too much of the reader when discussing patch bays.


UnclePonto - are you related to Uncle Torpedo?
 
Re: Re'an

UnclePonto said:
Quick warning though...

I have a Re'an patch bay and I must have gotten a lemon because I swear 25% of the connectors are dead or dying. And I have not been abusing it. So if you're in the market I'd recommend something other than the Re-An.

UnclePonto
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You got a lemon. My re'an has been just great.
 
Downside Studio said:


If its a studio with lots of midi gear, it does make sence in a way. most synths and samplers have multiple outputs. Most of the time you'll end up with much and much more outputs than available inputs. Using a patchbay you can hotswap your gadgets.

Other example...the inserts and inputs of your console are located on the back, and the back is not accessable. Its handy to have all the connections on a patchbay so you can easily swop the compressor from channel 1 to channel 18
Click to expand...

Even for a 32 Channel board and a reasonable amount of outboard stuff... 500 sockets???

Im not saying everyone with this set up is silly, Im just refering to people who go out and by a bunch of patchbays to make it look like the have a bunch of stuff...
 
I just put in a new studioconsole, which came from fabric with all the connections on a patchbay located within the console's frame. Each channel has :
line in, mon in, send, return, group, tape send, tape return. That are 7 connections X 40 channels = 280 sockets.
The mastersection of the console has 160 sockets for 2tracks, aux, effects sends/returns, talkback, etc.
These are just the standard connections that are labeled and connected within the factory.

Next to these connections there are 96 tielines connected to interface the console with all the outboard equipment, along with 40 patchpoints coming from the recording rooms.
In the left row of 19" panels I have a 44 point patchbay (of which only 12 are connected) so I can always connect extra keyboards etc. Same for the right row of 19" panels.

So that makes a total of 280+160+96+40+88=664 patchpoints. Am I'm using hardly any keyboards in the studio.

So what the hell do I use all these patchpoints for? Well most of them are half-normalised Which means that patching the output doesn't break the normalling, and patching the input does break the normalling. So for everyday and standard use I don't have to patch much. mostly it's normalled to have a logical signalflow. Whenever I want to do something that's not standard, like routing tapereturn 40 to channel 2 I just patch it that way. This makes my studio unbelievable versatile. I can patch the mics from the recording rooms to either any of the consoles preamps, or to any of the outboard tube preamps. I can route the outputs of any of these preamps to any of the consoles line-inputs, monitor inputs or tape-sends. I can patch in a compressor whenever and whereever I want. Get the point? I don't have to patch anything. The console can operate without any patchcord inserted. It just follows the normal signal flow.

I do understand it looks very over the edge, and I stared at the patchpanel for a couple of hours before I even knew what the hell all the labeling meant, but once I start working, I figured out in short time. I just have it a couple of weeks, and wouldn't want to switch back.
 
Here's a pic
 

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Downside Studio said:
I just put in a new studioconsole, which came from fabric with all the connections on a patchbay located within the console's frame. Each channel has :
line in, mon in, send, return, group, tape send, tape return. That are 7 connections X 40 channels = 280 sockets.
The mastersection of the console has 160 sockets for 2tracks, aux, effects sends/returns, talkback, etc.
These are just the standard connections that are labeled and connected within the factory.

Next to these connections there are 96 tielines connected to interface the console with all the outboard equipment, along with 40 patchpoints coming from the recording rooms.
In the left row of 19" panels I have a 44 point patchbay (of which only 12 are connected) so I can always connect extra keyboards etc. Same for the right row of 19" panels.

So that makes a total of 280+160+96+40+88=664 patchpoints. Am I'm using hardly any keyboards in the studio.

So what the hell do I use all these patchpoints for? Well most of them are half-normalised Which means that patching the output doesn't break the normalling, and patching the input does break the normalling. So for everyday and standard use I don't have to patch much. mostly it's normalled to have a logical signalflow. Whenever I want to do something that's not standard, like routing tapereturn 40 to channel 2 I just patch it that way. This makes my studio unbelievable versatile. I can patch the mics from the recording rooms to either any of the consoles preamps, or to any of the outboard tube preamps. I can route the outputs of any of these preamps to any of the consoles line-inputs, monitor inputs or tape-sends. I can patch in a compressor whenever and whereever I want. Get the point? I don't have to patch anything. The console can operate without any patchcord inserted. It just follows the normal signal flow.

I do understand it looks very over the edge, and I stared at the patchpanel for a couple of hours before I even knew what the hell all the labeling meant, but once I start working, I figured out in short time. I just have it a couple of weeks, and wouldn't want to switch back.
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*LOL*... I know how patchbay connections work.... Your missing my point.... Im talking about people who don't have the gear to support having that many patchbays.... and buy a bunch of patchbays, just to fill their rack in a cheap manner...

If you have the use for it, and it works for you... by all means... have 1000 sockets.... But, I was just refering to a smaller project studio I went to recently, that didn't have the use for it, and clearly bought them just to make there control room look all techy..

They were just using a Mackie 24*4.. and one stereo compressor and one Pre (I think)... And nothing was really hooked up to the patchbays, other than the ins and outs of the compressor, and the ins and outs of the board....... Even the adats bypassed the patchbays and went directly to and from the board..

And there were like 500 friggin sockets... THAT, is what I was talking about :D..

I meant it lightly, try not to read too much into my ramblings.... Cause thats all they are... Ramblings :D
 
Damn you, you have no idea how long it took my to type that post.

so next time if you reply to a thread, tell me not to reply...or actually before I reply...I hate typing those long replies. Or you type, and I quote, like you did. your post was longer than mine...but I actually typed it....damn I'm confused
 
It's ok Downside... You'll be alright ;)



No reply to this post necessary

:D
 
So, let me get this straight. Does normalised mean, when you unplug the patch cord, the connectors patch across the coinciding connector, so if ur running normally, you dont have to patch in?
 
tyler657recpro said:
So, let me get this straight. Does normalised mean, when you unplug the patch cord, the connectors patch across the coinciding connector, so if ur running normally, you dont have to patch in?
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Yes......... that's what I posted way above.....!

Bruce
 
Now Bruce that was very nice of you to throw junior Tyler a bone after his assertations of divine omnipotent knowledge in all things recording. I think it was past his nap time and had a wet dipy.

I'm glad we are all betters now.:D
 
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