Small studio patch bay wiring

Youve got this patchbay setup on stage with you in your minirack so you. This is just an example of a wiring solution for the api 1608 console. My tascam m3700 is nearing completion and though the studio itself is still a ways out im starting to try and figure out the best ways to wire everything together. While theres no right or wrong arrangement for connections, create a clear wiring diagram. There are so many items deemed a necessity in setting up and operating a studio. The most confusing task for a musician is learning how to setup a home recording studio. One patch bay needs to be halfnormalled for the studio tie lines. Monoprice 8channel 14 inch trs male to 14 inch trs male snake 26awg. Switchcraft studio patch 1625 small format patchbay. B patch points use either long frame or ttbantam jacks with self. Most modern patchbays use tiny telephone tt, or bantam. Although the audio patchbay will be the most common in a small studio, patch panels are also available for other. This allows the audio or video signal to passthrough the patchbay without using. If you are in an abusive environment, buy cables that are repairable.

The two most common types of patch bays include 14 patch bays and tt patch bays. Each patch point stays independent and isolated from other channels. Although, some patchbays use 14 trs or even xlr connectors. So you can divide the possible number of inputs and outputs youre trying to trace down by 10 when youre wondering where each cable.

It is ideal for making rearpanel microphone mixer inputs easier to reach. If you need some changes you can do it in the bay and dont need to run out to the studio. Switchcraft studio patch 1625 small format patchbay overview. The signal follows the patch cable to where it is patched. If you look at large recording consoles, they all have a lot of patch bays. Where to buy xlr patch panel audio patch panel markertek. Building a studio desk form parts obtainable at ikea plus. The mic tie lines are plugged into the top row in the back of the patchbay, which, because this patch bay is halfnormalled, automatically get sent to the row below. The patchbay is a ubiquitous piece of hardware that many project studio owners dont think they need, but then discover how incredibly helpful it can be. Sep 09, 2010 it would also be good to have the line outs going to the patchbay as well as the inputs to your daw also at the patch bay, the 2 could be halfnormalled behind the scenes which would allow you to cross patch any line out of console to any line in of daw.

Systems wired with mogami w3173, mogami w2549, mogami w2534, and mogami multipair, w2934, w2933, w2932, and w2931. How to use external hardware with your daw black ghost audio. The patchbay was a dbx unit, but the circuit boards started getting flakey each pair of jacks is on a small circuit board which can be replaced, or flipped to change from directthrough wiring to normalled wiring so i hacksawed it in half and found 8 circuit boards that worked. Patchcad is now available in standard and pro versions.

But the more gear you have, the bigger your patch bay needs to be. Its easy to become overwhelmed by the gadgets, cables, and wondering which piece of gear comes first. We offer the a perfect range of patchbays in the uk. Plus, tips on building and fitting racks for your gear. A single 1625 gives you eight pairs of tt patch points as well as db25 io. A patchbay can make your studio much quicker to use, but can also be a nightmare to set up, so heres advice on which to choose and how to connect it up for the best results. Ill briefly touch on both applicationsa smaller patchbay setup for a virtual studio. For enough studio source channel strips to equal the number of tracks on the multitrack recorder, connect the direct outputs on these strips to the rearpanel inputs of the leftmost positions on the patchbay.

The cable you use to reroute signal in a home studio patch bay is usually a trs cable. Patchbay cables patch cables are generally short, and used to connect the ins and outs on a studio patchbay. These will typically include various forms of video, digital audio and data. A patchbay is a central audio connection area for all the gear in a studio that allows. Small and sexy, these tt cables are balanced and how you connect all of. Jeff mac from techrep marketing gives a brief overview of the switchcraft studio patch 1625 smallformat patchbay. You wont be able to remember, so you need a labeling system. Patch bays at europes largest retailer of musical instruments fast delivery, 30day moneyback guarantee and 3year thomann warranty thomann uses cookies to give you the best shopping experience. The video types and unbalanced digital audio will typically use musa or twistandpull bnc connectors.

Patch panels are commonly used in computer networking, recording studios, radio and television. Course, i still have an album project on the go and i need to jump back and forth. A patchbay connects all of the inputs and outputs of your outboard gear into a. These tend to come in the seven colors of the rainbow, plus white, black, and gray. Simply put, we have assembled a variety of audio patch panelsto meet most needs. With so many plugs and wires, it can be a little intimidating and you might ask yourself, where do all those patch points go. Hosa cpp845 14 ts to same unbalanced patch cables, 1. Usually, this would have so many wires plugged into itbringing sounds in or out of the mixing boardthat it would look like a swirling. Id say a patch bay is an absolute necessity for any decent home studio, and for value and features, i. The db25 is a multipin connector with 25 pins and each one carries 8 channels of balanced audio. If all youre dealing with is a couple consumerlevel outboard pieces in a small project studio, a trs bay is probably all that you require. Solderless analog patchbays changed our life in the recording. Although the audio patchbay will be the most common in a small studio, patch panels are also available for other signal types. A power drill and a couple rackblanks, followed by a handful of trs jacks and about 10 ft.

Using xlr connectors allows you to pass both balanced and unbalanced signals and use standard. As soon as you plug a patch cable into the top jack, this connection is broken, and the signal now flows out of the top jack, into the patch cable, but not back into the bottom jack. This patch bay makes it easy to swap the speaker configuration. Most tt patch bays use what are called db25 cables or snakes, or looms to connect the rear of the patch bay to the rest of the equipment in the studio. There are a number of digital cables that youre likely already familiar with because theyre used to connect devices to your laptop. The rear typically uses db25 connectors to save space, but some units use 14 trs or xlr. Proper wiring of your patch bay is a vital part of the home recording studio set up. Whether labelling a patchbay, a termination panel or designing a whole studio from scratch, patchcad has the right tools to get the job done quickly and. Placing a patch cable into the either row breaks the signal path. Moving my mic lines to a separate patch bay wouldnt be the end of the world but i would need to reconsider the snake into the live room. A patch bay in your home studio may be overkill if you dont have the ability to run more than 4 or 5 direct lines to your interface or console. Leaning toward jnepos because ill be able to put it inside a pedaltrain mini against the kick plate w guitar and amp on top and the loop running as he has it. Many studio owners still have the birds nest of wires behind their gear, and this.

In short, a patchbay is your central control for interfacing every input and output. The beginners guide to audio cables black ghost audio. The top and bottom jacks on a patch bay are internally connected so that the signal will pass from the top jack to the bottom jack. If you have a small home studio, i recommend you start off with a 14 patch bay. Allsteel chassis, black anodized finish and secure, highquality xlr connections front and back with internal connections made via pcb wiring ensure long term reliability from the passive art p16. Ive been thinking a lot of studio wiring over the past few weeks. If you feel that you need a patch bay, cant afford to buy one, and are handy with a soldering iron, theyre easy enough to build. Switchcraft patchbay wired with mogami 2549 w2549to dsubs. It would also be good to have the line outs going to the patchbay as well as the inputs to your daw also at the patch bay, the 2 could be halfnormalled behind the scenes which would allow you to cross patch any line out of console to any line in of daw. Whether labelling a patchbay, a termination panel or designing a whole studio from scratch, patchcad has the right tools to get the job done quickly and efficiently. I would switch amp to the right side, same with the loop. This patchbay makes it easy to swap the speaker configuration. You can start small, and once you get the hang of patching, youll recognize when and where you need to expand and what connections you use most frequently. Switchcraft patchbays wired with mogami 2534 w2534, mogami normal wire.

A compliment of feedthru andor solder point connectors that feature xlr, 14 or a combo of both. On soldertype patchbays just add a copper wire across all ground points to make them one common ground. The patch bay is often a great mystery for engineers just starting off and to any musician who comes into a recording studio for the first time. Studio 1 patch bay this is the patch bay in studio 1. The internal wiring that provides internal patchbay connections is. Just punch wire s over your existing wire s to connect all grounds together. But no longer will i be covered in dust bunnies and spiders, thanks to the spatch plus. At first, knowing how to use a patchbay seems like it would require a textbook. Even in a smaller recording session, there is typically a mess of cables going from one end to the other, all in. As mentioned on the home page, so many people start to get into this hobby only to become frustrated and overwhelmed with the process. Our biggest brands are art, behringer, hosa, neutrik and signex. B patch points use either long frame or ttbantam jacks with self cleaning, nickel plated surfaces and switches. This saves wear and tear on equipment that is much more expensive to replace than patch bays are.

The cable you use to reroute signal in a commercial studio patch bay is usually a tt cable 5. Conversely, because the ring and tip of btype connectors are smaller than. While it takes time and planning, its easy to use once everything is connected. Available to all users, patchcad includes the largest collection of templates ever assembled, ready to use in an intuitive. No normals straight thru is when the toprow of patch points jacks is not connected to the bottomrow patch points. Some bays have dryerase strips you can write on across the front. Patchbays not only save time and headaches, they allow you to easily perform a number of mix tricks that would take serious headscratching otherwise. Each patch point on the toprow is connected to the patch point under it on the bottomrow. In my two previous studio installation articles sos september and. Fully balanced and extremely durable, our 48point patchbay makes all your connections easy. Setup diagrams the following setup diagrams are meant to show in detail the interaction between the various studio components for some typical home studio setups. Jan 21, 2018 i have expensive tt patchbays and wiring in my main studio but i needed something inexpensive but durable for a small writingrecording room i set up and the sampson s patch was just what the doctor ordered. The p16 saves wear and tear on the connectors of expensive audio equipment by bringing all commonly used connections to the external patch bay.

The next best thing you can do for organization is to use short, colorcoded patch cables. Jun 21, 2016 jeff mac from techrep marketing gives a brief overview of the switchcraft studio patch 1625 small format patchbay. If you have a studio with analog equipment, youll benefit from a using a patchbay. A patchbay can make your studio much quicker to use, but can also be a nightmare. Hosa pdr369 is a patch bay providing 12 channels of balanced audio throughput. Tt, or tinytelephone also called bantam, bays have roughly four times as. For years ive been crawling around behind the racks in my small studio wiring and rewiring gear every time i want to reconfigure my signal chains. In the heyday of the analog studio, the patchbay was the center of all. A patchbay is a central audio connection area for all the gear in a studio that allows any connection to or from equipment to be made in one location with a standardized cable and connector. Organizing your home studio cables dark horse institute. The hosa cable 14 inch to 14 inch cable kit is designed specifically for multichannel, recordingstudio patch bays. What is a patch bay and why do you need one vintage king blog. Reversible 16point patchbay with xlr female and xlr male connectors.

Design beautiful and accurate patchbay systems within minutes using the new and improved patchcad 2. Available balanced trs or unbalanced ts, these colorcoded cables makes it easy to keep track of your patchbay connections. Then you start adding the hosa patch bay modules of your choice, like the mhb340 8point 14. Most commercial patch bays are 14 inch to 14 inch, this gives you the ability to plug an instrument directly into the patch bay. If you continue browsing, you agree to the use of cookies. I need to install it tomorrow and then start a surround mix for a film score tomorrow night. And some tips on wiring and getting the best out of your patchbay. I have not, in over 25 years, ever seen microphone preamplifier inputs brought out to a general purpose patch panel. Our audio patch panelsare the surest way to clean up that live or studio rig.

Most modern patchbays use tiny telephone tt, or bantam connectors on the front. A patch panel, patch bay, patch field or jack field is a device or unit featuring a number of jacks, usually of the same or similar type, for the use of connecting and routing circuits for monitoring, interconnecting, and testing circuits in a convenient, flexible manner. A patchbay connects all of the inputs and outputs of your outboard gear into a centralized hub. Custom analog audio snakes for all system designs, custom wiring for all analog audio systems. Im torn between the micro fourup patch bay and one like jnepo1 has above. Neve console wiring neve patchbay wiring api console rewiring vintage console rewiring vintage trident patchbay replacement soundcraft 6000 elco wiring soundcraft 6000 edacs soundtrax patchbays soundtrax jade harnesses soundtrax cm4400 elco systems authorized mogami distributor since 1984. Strapping grounds on a punchdown style patchbay is even easier. Finally, for wiring used in critical paths or live broadcast applications, it is sometimes desirable to have to insert plugs in both output and input sockets to break the default path. Sep 19, 2016 building a studio desk form parts obtainable at ikea plus. Then use a small adaptive cable to go from xlr to trs. Apr 15, 2014 most commercial patch bays are 14 inch to 14 inch, this gives you the ability to plug an instrument directly into the patch bay. All of this is simplified by understanding the signal path of a single recording chain. Fully balanced 48point patchbay with 14 trs connectors.