Lets Talk Patch Bays

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smellyfuzz

smellyfuzz

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I would like a some what detailed description on what they do.

How are they hooked up to a console ?

How do they differ ?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using them ?

Is there a use in a small home studio ?

All comments welcome.

Sean
 
smellyfuzz said:
I would like a some what detailed description on what they do.
Click to expand...

The quick description:
(i) when you're dealing with an output that's normally connected to an input, if you run it through a patchbay, you'll have a convenient place to break the connection, or to connect the output to another input, or to run something else into the input;
(ii) when you're dealing with something that's not normally connected to something else, the patchbay moves the jacks around to the front of the rack where you can see them and get at them.

That's the quick description.

There have been tons of discussions about patchbays. If you do a search, you'll find them. Here's one with with some of my thoughts on different types (skip the first three posts, which are really about something different):
https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?threadid=60420
Other posters have their own thoughts: some consistent, some different, some interesting, some possibly insane.

How are they hooked up to a console ?
Click to expand...

Cables. Lots of cables. Connect the outputs to the top row(s) of your patchbay(s). Connect the inputs they "normally" go to the bottom row directly underneath. Connect your mixer and your multitrack recorder(s); your effects boxes; your mic preamp line outs; your mixdown deck(s).

How do they differ ?
Click to expand...


See the link above for a few thoughts.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using them ?
Click to expand...


Advantages:
- You can quickly re-route things without fooling around with cords connected to the back of various pieces of equipment.
- Once you can do this, you will probably do more re-routing, thus discovering some new possibilities.
- They look cool. Really "pro." Or perhaps not ... maybe like an old-fashioned rural phone switchboard. Your call.

Disadvanages:
- They're not free.
- They take up room in your rack.
- They double the number of cables.
- They're extremely flammable, and will occasionally erupt in a plume of hellish blue flame.

Is there a use in a small home studio ?
Click to expand...


Yes. Well, how small?
 
What about XLRs

I have just added a new pre-amp to my home studio. I tis racked with other gear including two 48 point patch bays. That is on one side of the mixer and there is another rack on the other side.

Becuase the back of the racks is not easily accesible, what shall I do so I can plug mics in without too much trouble. In other words, I want to bring the XLR mic input on the pre-amp to the front of the rack. What is the best way. Patch bays are all quarter inch connectors. The only other thing I see for XLR is snakes however I do not need the length or the usual number of channels (lines).

otwithstanding the lack of a need for many XLR inputs, an XLR patch bay would do the trick but I cannot find one.
 
XLR patchbays are found in alot of pro audio places. Guitar Center and Musicians friend isn't one of them. XLR Patchbays run for around $500 on the low end of things. Read the above mention treads, inside you will mind some good links to Patchbay makers and why some are used more than others.

SoMm
 
If you've got more than a few preamps and effects processors, you would benefit from a patch bay. You operate them like an old-time telephone switchboard operator, plugging and unplugging short cables right in front of your face rather than crawling behind all your gear and getting tangled up in wire.

PB's operate at line level, so the only time you'll need to crawl back there and make a change is if you want to direct a mic cable to a different preamp. Once the mic cables are hooked up, all other routing (compressors, gates, verbs, etc ---> recorder) can all be done at the front with patch cables.
 
Re: What about XLRs

It's generally considered a bad idea to mix mic signals into your 1/4" patchbay. However, it is possible to run XLR lines through a TRS patchbay. So long as there are two conductors and shield, they don't care what kind of connector they run through. But for various reasons -- like the danger of mispatching and the problem of phantom power making contact with the tip contact before the ring as you insert the plug -- you probably don't want to run your mic preamp inputs through your patchbay.

An easy solution is just to hook a mic cable to the preamp input and leave it dangling outside the rack.

A full-on XLR patchbay (with two rows of output points and input points) is probably not needed.

A more elegant solution is a sort of half-patchbay, with a single row of jacks not normalled to anything (just plug your mics into the jacks). i.e. a rack panel with female XLR connectors, wired directly to cables going into your mic preamp inputs. Markertek sells panels with cutouts into which you can install XLR jacks. They've also got a system whereby you can mix different cutouts (XLRs, 1/4", DSubs, whatever) side-by-side in a rack panel. A somewhat easier solution, which involves less soldering and more buying of premade cables, is to get a box (Hosa and Carvin make them) with a single row of female XLRs on the front running straight through to male XLRs on the back.
 
You can have an XLR patchbay custom made for you. But I just use a stage snake.
 
What I've done is this. In the studio there's a 19"x3 1/2" plate on the wall between the studio and the controll room with 16 panel mounted XLR's. Each one is hard wired to an individual mic pre. The balanced line level output of the mic pre's come up in one of my patch bays. I have to get up to patch a mic to the input of a preamp but that's no big deal as it's a brease to move a pre output anywhere at the patch bay.
 
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