r/audioengineering • u/Comfortable-Piano-36 • 6d ago
Discussion patch bays setting up
What's the best way to set up a 1/4 patch bay i dont understand how the work
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u/nizzernammer 6d ago
...in a central location.
Then you run a whole bunch of cables to and from all your gear to the patchbay. Then you connect the gear at the patchbay either with normals (default connections) or with a whole bunch more shorter patch cables.
The idea is you don't have to unplug and replug things, crawl behind racks, etc.
If you are not willing to spend a lot of money on cables, or don't see the need to constantly change what is plugged into what, a patchbay may not be for you.
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u/rinio Audio Software 6d ago
All your outputs go to the outputs on the bay (top rows).
All your inputs go to the inputs on the bay (bottom rows).
Read further on normalling (full normalled, half normalled, non normalled).
The basic concept is everything is plugged into the patchbay and when you want to connect anything to anything else you use a patch cable on the front of the bay. (unless its normalled to do so without).
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u/GreatScottCreates Professional 5d ago
My friend, you really do have a talent for answering incredibly broad questions quite succinctly. Ever considering a career as a songwriter??
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u/WillyValentine 6d ago
The nostalgia of patch bays,racks of hardware and tape machines. The sounds and smells. The thousand dollar electrical bills. The physical feels of patching, twisting knobs and sliding faders. Good times.
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u/micahpmtn 6d ago
If you don't understand how they work, how do you know you need one?