How To Wire a Recording Studio with a Patch Bay - BridgeSet Studio
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- Опубліковано 25 сер 2024
- We built our BridgeSet Studio from scratch, including designing and building the desk, choosing the gear, then wiring it all into our Apogee Symphony MK II with our patch bay.
This video reviews the outboard gear in our studio and how and why we wired it the way we did. We are using the Neutrik NYS-SPP-L1 48-point 1/4" TRS Balanced Patchbay. Available to purchase at the link below!
Patch Bay Review 0:20 - 0:54
I/O Overview 0:55 - 1:32
Inputs 1:45 - 3:45
Outputs 3:46 - 6:17
Mic Preamps 6:18 - 14:59
Compressors 15:00 - 17:20
First Patch / Test 18:30 - 20:50
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This is probably the best video I’ve seen explaining patch bays. Thank you 🙏
Absolutely the best patch bay and wiring video. I’ve watched a lot of videos on this but the fact that you started with all of the equipment and did a full setup made a massive difference. Great work 👍😀
This is EXACTLY how I wanted to lay my patch bays out, but didn't know how. About a ba-zillion YT videos later- I'm VERY grateful to have found YOUR video! It's VERY organized, and easy to follow- Thanks to YOU, my studio will be up, and running! Liked, and Subscribed! THANK YOU!!!!!
Blast off!
Yeah this is the most straightforward explanation of a patchbay. It’s something I’ve put of for awhile but would consider it now that I can understand it a lot better
Thanks, this was very helpful. I like how you walked through and showed the actual wiring between the outboard equipment and the patch bays.
Best patchbay routing video. Very very helpful. Deserves a sub.
This video changed my life!! Great looking studio.
Dude, thank you for the video. I'll been looking for a patchy video that explains the process in the simplest way possible, and this video was it. Thanks again.
Man!! You have no idea how many vids I have watch on patchbays - no other explains it as detailed as you do. Kudos!! Just subscribed to your channel and looking fwd to your content.
Cheers from Miami, FL.🥃
Thanks! I've been looking for this video for weeks.
Thank you
Thanks
I basically run the same setup with Apollo x rack and asp880
I added a digital AB data transfer switch
($35 amazon)
DB25 to switch 8 outs to trs patch bay on data switch A
and 8 combo loose snake feeds for temporary outbound gear on
data switch B
I see those boxes go up to 4 channels without degrading
DB25 outs from a single source so as long as your not trying to run any of those 8 channels simultaneously it’s a nice routing option on the cheap
You can run a
radial extc on one channel, say C
Then run xlr on channel D
Very cool addition to the patch bay workflow if your source gear has DB25 connectivity
My Audient asp880 has two
Nice for live room snakes too
Ever since I started using ethercon I’ve been experimenting with everything else I have for additional expansion
I like the clean looking studio - unlike so many.
Thank you! By far the most helpful patch video I’ve seen. Answered all my questions
you are so right by far the best
Very well done - good content and nice production values
Great video! Helped me alot.
The second greatest video Ive seen thank you !
Great video!
Thank you!
Dude this was hugely helpful, thanks
Have fun!
Right On !! Cool !
Only one that's made any sense. Thx.
It's crazy how much more informative content is from smaller youtubers.... great I hope your channel grows.
Thank you so much! More to come and open to content recommendations!
Super helpful video. One Q: how do you get phantom power to your condenser mics?
TY! Phantom power will pass through the bay from the preamp to the mic. You just want to be very careful to only turn phantom on once everything is plugged/patched and that you turn it off before unplugging anything when done!
dude thank you for taking the time to do this. so helpful. Would you be able to explain how to physically adapt the Neutrik patchbays to be half-normalled to isolated? Can this be done per patch or is it a global function requiring a whole other patch bay per set up?
Per patch! We actually have another video on our channel showing this. The link is ua-cam.com/video/gFV3wXrfJI0/v-deo.html
This was exactly what I was looking for. My dream setup includes an analog mixer like an SSL XL-Desk. Would you be interested in doing a video tutorial for wiring up an analog mixer?
I wish I had a nice analog mixer or else I would! Glad this helped. If I get hired to wire a desk I will definitely document it!
@@BridgeSetSound Got it. I am using an SSL Big Six in my project studio. It would be cool to see how you would setup a Big Six in a hybrid setup using a patch bay to connect it to external hardware.
Greetings,
This was ana amazing video and i agree with so many of the others that it maybe the best patchbay video on UA-cam.
That being said I have one question. With the patten you was using for preamps why wasn't it carried over to the compressors? That way you could use the compressors as inserts on your DAW instead of patched only.
Thank you! A: you can definitely do as you suggested but this is our preference for flexibility having so many different users and use cases.
We do a lot work using the comps, eqs and effects without the preamps. We process a lot of stems for mixing, we master and record midi->analog synths->audio.
Having the compressors, eqs and effects all isolated and ready to throw into any chain in any combination is works best for us.
Thank you for the love!
Thank you again for making this video! I reviewed the patchbay chart that you linked to and notice that you are using four patch bays when you probably could have fit all of the connections into three (or maybe even two). Did you decide to use that four patch bays so that the signal flow stays organized and cascades from top to bottom? I'm curious because I started charting out my patch bay setup for the SSL Big Six and if I use three patch bays, the design looks clean with the signal flowing smoothly from top to bottom however I would have lot's of empty patch slots. I could fit all of the connections onto two patch bays but then there would be two "lanes" of signal flow. Does this make sense?
Exactly! Wanted the flow to cascade. We could have used the second half for the isolated channels but decided to stick with the flow.
@@BridgeSetSound One more question! I'm curious to know how you would handle a pedal board of stereo effects for synths. Would you patch each pedal effect into a separate input on the patch bay? Our would you patch each pedal in series the way a guitarist would? If you patched each effect in separately, would you keep all of the connections to one patch bay that is dedicated to pedal effects to keep in organized?
A patch Bay?? there's about 10 there!
hey, thanks for the super helpful video. would there be any issues running phantom power through a trs patcbay like the ones you're using in your studio? I want to connect all the snakes coming from my live room to the patchbay so I don't have to reach in the back of my interface when I need to re-route something.
thanks! amazing studio btw
The key with phantom power is just making sure it is OFF before plugging/unplugging anything throughout the chain.
We added the XLR patch pay for inputs hardwired directly to the XLR in on the preamps to fully separate mic vs line inputs on the bay.
@@BridgeSetSound Thank you!!
Great video! Very informative! I just wondered If you are able to connect condenser mics to the xlr patchbay as well? Since Im not sure if TRS Cables are able to transmit phantom power..
Thank you! Yes, the TRS cable is the same as a Mic cable just with a different connector. It is still +, -, ground.
The very important thing about using condensers with the patch bay is to only unplug the cables once phantom power is off. Do not disconnect while phantom power is on.
Thanks for your video. This is my last puzzle to solve... How do you patch an effects unit to the patch bay (and then connect a synth that's connected to the patch bay to the effects patch bay ins/outs, and finally to the DAW? Do you still patch effects unit outputs to outputs (top row) and inputs to inputs (bottom row in the back)? If you want to patch a synth into the patch bay to that effect, you patch the synth output to the top row of the patch bay (back, outputs), signal flows half-normalled down to the input, then... do you patch the synth patch bay input (bottom row, front) to the front top of the patch bay (output) or to the front bottom (input) where the effects ins/outs are connected to the back of the patch bay? In this case, do the effect outputs need to be in a different numbered output (or another patch bay)? How do you get the signal from synth output -> synth patch bay -> effects patch bay -> effects -> DAW patch bay -> DAW?? Thanks for your help!
Hello! Yes, outputs from the synth to the top row/outputs of a patch bay so you can patch the synth from the bay to any effect or input. For effects and processing, use isolated and not half normal. This is good practice to control the signal flow with effects. Unless you wanted the synth to automatically flow to a certain input every time, I would have the synth patch bay isolated so you physically have to patch the synth to whatever you want to use it thru.
TLDR - synth patch isolated so you have to patch from the synth patch outputs into any compressor, effects, input, etc you’d like.
Hope this makes sense?
@@BridgeSetSound It makes sense! I just figured out the last puzzle piece which for me was that you patch the front patch bay output from a synth (whose outputs are connected to the back PB outputs- top row) to the effects unit input (front bottom row), then from the front patch bay output of the effects unit BACK to the input under the PB synth output (which is my DAWs input 1 and 2!!).That closes the loop and sends the effected synth signal to the DAW for recording. I got it now. Thanks for your video and explanations!
Question:
I have a similar studio setup
I noticed you have one channel gear
What do you use one the 2bus for stereo processing?
The reason I ask is I just got 2 Shelford channel strips for stereo in and mix processing but I was thinking about sending one back and picking up the API Channel strip and then use either UAD2 plug or a dedicated outboard mix bus compressor for mixing
I’ve been tracking and find there’s not much need for analog stereo
My guitars are hiz or spdif from Axefx3
My Drums are Superior Drums 3 with a usb Crimson E kit
Would you have one of each high end
Channel strip or have two of you favorite
At $4200 each with tax most of us aren’t swinging 2 pairs of each, thanks
I’m always so tempted to have 2 of everything but we have an SSL Fusion, API 5500 and Warm BUS-COMP for stereo processing that gives us enough to work with in terms of stereo keys, overheads, bus and mastering.
The API channel strip is of course amazing and having 2 of those would be ideal but the price is not accessible to everyone. I’d look for 2-channel units that you can use as stereo or parallel mono for processing 2 sources at once.
Stuff in the box sounds great too and there’s nothing wrong with it especially if you have a great hardware recording going in that captures the dynamic range you need and gives you that headroom.
Hopefully that helps?!?
I have an apollo x8 with my mac mini and dangerous d box+ summing mixer monitor controller. much respect for the symphony mk2. I just want to ask, what are you doing for your storage solutions on the mac mini? I have been looking at display link hubs to expand my monitors to 3 but not sure If I should invest in a NAS or just put it on an external hard drive. You know with sound libraries and sound banks being so big, especially VST's and what not.
We run the studio on a mac and have had issues with some display link hubs power cycling the mac mini so def search for use cases between the computer and hub youre looking in to. We ditched the 2 monitor approach for once nice big curved monitor but that was totally preference.
We run the software on the computer but any recording we do to external drives.
On your diagram. How do I hook my effects units up to include sidechain? Thanks
The sidechain on a piece of gear is an input let’s say a compressors output is A1 and input is B1, we would use B2 for the sidechain and keep A2 empty. That way you can take the send/output you want to trigger the sidechain right into B2 while the sound that’s being effected is using A1 and B1 for its IO. Hopefully that makes sense!
BridgeSet Sound I have a question for you!!! How does 48V phantom power work within your system? Correct me if I am wrong. So, you plug your mic into the front of your XLR patchbay and then go out of the back of your XLR patchbay with an XLR to TRS cable which then goes into your TRS patchbay which is then half normalled to your mic pre input? If you are using a condenser mic how does it get phantom power? Does phantom power from your mic pre travel thru the TRS patchbay then thru the TRS to XLR cable, then thru the XLR patchbay into your mic cable that is attached to your mic? I have found all kinds of conflicting info on the internet about this. My studio setup is very similar to yours and I plan on purchasing a few patchbays but I want to get this question nailed down before I pull the trigger.... Any info you can provide is greatly appreciated. If you need me to clarify my question please let me know. Thanks for posting this video!!!!
Hello! Yes, phantom power will flow through so long as it is a balanced patch bay and balanced cables. We have not had any issues doing it this way for a while now. You can also fully isolate your entire patch bay but will have to patch no matter what. This particular configuration was done to cut out patching if simply plugging a mic in and knowing which pre and ultimately input it would flow through. Any other questions let us know!
@BridgeSet Sound Thank you so much for the response... Your videos are great and super informative.
Thank you! Working on a few more as well speak.
Are you using the Hosa DB25 to TRS cables? I know those are a lot cheaper than other companies. Obviously they have a lower build quality than the others but have you guys experienced any issues with them so far?
No issues so far, just paying a lot of attention to tension with how we tied them up in the back of the rack!
Thank you. But why HALF NORMAL and not NORMAL? Splitting a signal?
To be honest, because it ships half normal and we read the diagram, hooked it up, and it works perfectly for all the use cases so far.
Why would you ever need to patch something in front of your main monitor outputs?
The converter only has DB25 outputs so we use a remote part of the patch bay to get signal to the monitors and keep our snake clean. We never do any patching with the monitors involved which is why it’s away from any other signal flow.
Are those regular Hosa nickel patch cables?
Yes front patching with the CSS series and back with the DB25 breakouts.
How do you like the quality of the hosa db25?
It is plenty fine. Has worked well for a while now and had secure connections.
What did you do for labeling? I started to do mine with a label maker but lining up wastes so much tape.
Best option is to buy sticker paper for a printer and use photoshop or similar design and print. We just have a printout next to it right now but will be doing the sticker thing and posting whatever template we come up with.
This is not a good idea at all and could prove very expensive . You mentioned that you didn’t know who was going to be using your studio as it was going to be a “very live work space”. Anyone unaware could very easily short your equipment whilst inserting a trs patch lead if they tried to change the Mike channel.
We did update the configuration slightly to make it more flexible (final studio video coming) and have protocols in place to prevent inexperienced access to mics. The studio is mostly used for production with line level or dynamic mics. A lot of midi to audio signal processing as well. Thank you!
Greetings,
First this is an amazing video, but I agree with the previous statement. Patching in mics without killing the phantom power could fry your mic pres. People that aren't familiar with your studio flow may accidentally make these kind of errors. Food for thought 🤔
It would be more helpful to mention what part of this plan is a bad idea - the mic inputs - rather than trashing the whole idea in your first sentence.
@@BridgeSetSound I have designed and built many patchbays. Microphone INPUTS should use XLR patching to prevent any chance of phantom shorting in the normalling bays, which can produce enormous peak signal levels that endanger speakers and piss off artists wearing phones. I generally use female-only panels of FXLR conns to concentrate all available microphone inputs in one place if the studio owner wishes to patch mics. Otherwise, the patch point for a microphone is its default preamp output, which shows up in the normalled TRS bays as Mic 1, for example.
This is a very workable solution. For larger rooms (40+ microphone inputs) most of the microphones bypass the bay to default preamps in the CR, leaving only a small number for patchable CR use.
Hey Steve are you in Abby Road Studio 2? Good, then get a shave and a shower!
This is confusing lol
Happy to answer any questions. Ask away!
So get some levelers for the other two cabinets so they level out with the height of your desk. And then put some edge trim hardwood strips around the edge of the plywood to finish it off it’s not very expensive to do but it’s a finishing touch that will sell the shit out of that nobody wants to see those layers of plywood they want to finish surface. You could see Gaps voids in the plywood and that’s not good
Great Video. Thank you for taking the time to do this for us. ☺️🎚🎧George Amodei