For anyone thinking about adding a patchbay, that $140 patchbay is a great addition but keep in mind you will probably need to spend that much or more on cables. I just helped a friend put one in and he was shocked that he spent more on cables than the patchbay.
lol. I've just bought myself a little soldering kit so I can make my own patch cables. A bit of money to outlay but I reckon it will pay for itself. And it's fun.
@@loubennett9849 You'll definitely save money being able to fix broken cables but I have found that the parts usually cost more than a premade cable unfortunately.
The point you made at the very end about other people being able to turn up and just "jack in" to use your gear was something I hadn't considered before. This was a good video that explained everything really well. Thanks!
I use the Samson s patch. If you have room on the rack, put a 2U blank plate in between the Samson patchbays for labels. I put my patch bay on its own rack.
Hi Chris, thanks for the video. It brings back a lot of memories. I still have a Tascam patch bay in my studio rack from the 1980''s. It hasn't been used for many years. With Cubase and Izotope and now Baby Audio. The plug ins are fantastic. I have no need for outboard effects so I donated all my outboard effects units to a music school
I've used a patchbay in my small project studio for several years now and it's one of the best investments I made. Everything is normalized, but when I want to make change to the setup (eg. changing from stereo monitoring to surround) it's dead easy. One should also perhaps indicate which connections are balanced , mono and stereo. I made a patchbay map in excel identifying each channels input, output, whether normal, half or thru, and stereo mono or balanced. I also made a documentation of various patch diagrams for reference.
How are you connecting the mics? Are you using a stage box, or are you plugging the mics directly into the patch bay? And if you're using a stage box, are you using XLR to TRS converters? This is driving me nuts!"
Samson S-patch plus....the best on the market ! Never had a single problem with these (in comparison to Behringer, Neutrik and others). I use 4 of them in my studio.
one of the best videos i've seen on patchbays! any chance you can share your google sheet that you showed in the video? i'm terrible at making up sheets and making them look pretty....thank you!
Thanks for the video... I'm still looking for my "main" setup with my patch bay in my studio, changing things all around, hopefully soon setup will be more stable. Chris, how do you work with the mics which coming from your recording room? You told that your using XLR snake (I use the same option between my rooms): but how you connect between mic XLR to patch bay TRS input or you use "XLR to TRS snake" to connect to the Samson patch bay? Sorry, my question might be silly, but I use XLR patch bay for that reason, which is not helping me out..
Dude you're always doing videos that are things I'm looking into. I'm looking at at the Art Pro P48. Is there a huge difference in a patchbay? And Thank you!
Lol, good to know! With these types of PAtch Bays, not a lot of differences. Your Patch Mode switches are at the back, mines in front. It will all work the same. On your side, you might have some room to label your ins/outs
@@mixdownonline Thank you sir for getting back to me so fast. Yeah I plan on getting a few more pieces of outboard gear. One more compressor and maybe an eq, not sure which eq? For the eq I have about $500.00 budget. Any suggestions?
This is now my ‘Go to’ video on patch bays. The only thing I’m a little unclear of is why outputs 7&8 from the audio interface are normal’d to the inputs of the Crème. Sorry if I’ve missed something obvious!.
He answered that in an above post! It doesnt matter if the patchbay has xlr or trs when it comes to carrying phantom power. You still need xlr for the connection type though when it comes to using a mic. So I guess the preamp for the mic must have a trs output to connect it to a trs patchbay... My guess is that the microphone needing phantom power gets it from a preamp that can provide this, but then the signal is "converted" to a trs signal that dont need the phantom power anymore, so you can send it elsewhere, like to a compressor, then to a reverb, etc and before it finally is sent to an input on your audio interface - all using a patchbay to route the signal differently around in and out of different hardware... But I'm only guessing now, but seems like a logical conclusion...
One of the benefits of the patchbay is it saves the wear and tear on your I/Os especially for mid to expensive gear. Constantly plugging and unplugging will eventually need repairs. Replacement of a patchbay is much cheaper than replacing or repairing certain gear in my humble opinion, but your mileage may vary.
I had the same idea about running my microphone cable snake into a patchbay like this. But I was told it’s a bad idea to run phantom power through a trs patchbay. Any thoughts? I’d really like to hookup my studio like this, but it worries me a bit.
Yes, it can be risky, but what I do on my side is always turn off Phantom Power when connecting cables through the patchbay, and turn it ON only when the patch cable(s) is connected. So far so good!
I have one of those S-Patch Plus patchbays myself. I've managed to write the labels onto the white areas at top and bottom, using a very fine-tipped pen. It was a bit of a pain, but I did it!
Thanks Chris, not the most exciting topic but very useful! As a similar suggestion, could you do a video about power management, no one really talks about that. With many home studios growing with outboard gear, and often in rooms with just a few power wall sockets, what do you need to consider, (ie. do you need dedicated circuits, 3-phase, power blocks in your racks, etc.) I’m sure some people are daisy chaining power board which can overload individual wall sockets, etc. Again, not exciting but really important.
Nice vid. What about the impedance relationship between mic and preamp, when using half normalled mode to send the mic signal to the compressor and converter input simultaneously? Does it change or have any negative affect on the mics performance?
I asked the same kind if question another youtuber and this is the answer I got: "The input impedance when running two or more pieces of gear in parallel will be lowered, but input impedance of these devices is normally so high it does not present an issue. As long as you aren't splitting the signal 10+ times, you should be just fine. Do note that you shouldn't be splitting the raw mic signal, only the line level signal post-preamp. Mic and instrument levels are so low to begin with, that splitting them isn't a great idea.
I have some outboard gear in my project studio and picked up a Samson S-patch a few years ago. I wanted to connect everything in a convenient way and also learn about using a patchbay. Take care, Chris, and thanks again for the tutorials!
hi, very useful one, i have a doubt ? how do you connect the Lynx aurora to your audio interface, or do you use aggregate devices ? Kindly let me know Thank you.
@mixdownonline Best video I've seen yet on the fundamentals of setting up a patch bay in one's studio. Any recommendation on the best bang for the buck TRS patch cables?
Great video and explanation, but how are you phantom powering all those mics and connecting them to a trs patchbay? Are you sending phantom power through the trs patchbay or are you also using an xlr patchbay? Thanks much
I didn't think I needed a patchbay until I considered all of the additional functionality my modern day devices provide that I wasn't utilizing due to not having all of the inputs and outputs patched in. I have an RC-600 looper with 6ins/6outs that I now have patched into a patchbay allowing me to use it as a separate effects processor, even while I'm looping. Similarly with my workstation, I wasn't utilizing all of it's outputs so wasn't able to record it's drum zone out of a separate output. If you would have asked me if I needed a patchbay before I got one, I would have told you I didn't, but even I found it extremely useful, if only for getting the most out of the existing gear I already own.
One question master Chris can you show how to create a metronome audio track where I can record my exercises and listen the metronome in the background after export both audio? Thank you
You should use Patch Cad 3 to make labels. I have the same setup. You will be surprised how much info you can get on a very small label and all color coded too.
For anyone thinking about adding a patchbay, that $140 patchbay is a great addition but keep in mind you will probably need to spend that much or more on cables. I just helped a friend put one in and he was shocked that he spent more on cables than the patchbay.
That's a good point. Cables can get expensive. I'll pin your comment on top
lol. I've just bought myself a little soldering kit so I can make my own patch cables. A bit of money to outlay but I reckon it will pay for itself. And it's fun.
@@loubennett9849 You'll definitely save money being able to fix broken cables but I have found that the parts usually cost more than a premade cable unfortunately.
@@ross9868 yep! Lol But I’m hoping with the older cables I can use those parts to save a bit. It’s great practice. 😊
@@loubennett9849... and you can set the length to the exact requirements 👍
The point you made at the very end about other people being able to turn up and just "jack in" to use your gear was something I hadn't considered before. This was a good video that explained everything really well. Thanks!
I use the Samson s patch.
If you have room on the rack,
put a 2U blank plate in between the Samson patchbays for labels. I put my patch bay on its own rack.
Hi Chris, thanks for the video. It brings back a lot of memories. I still have a Tascam patch bay in my studio rack from the 1980''s. It hasn't been used for many years. With Cubase and Izotope and now Baby Audio. The plug ins are fantastic. I have no need for outboard effects so I donated all my outboard effects units to a music school
That's very nice of you, David! And yes, plugins are fantastic!
The best explanation of the patch bay on the net!!! Thanks for making it so simple!!!
Bruh. thank you for this video. been researching and watched a lot of videos and your video is the only one that clicked with me.
I've used a patchbay in my small project studio for several years now and it's one of the best investments I made. Everything is normalized, but when I want to make change to the setup (eg. changing from stereo monitoring to surround) it's dead easy.
One should also perhaps indicate which connections are balanced , mono and stereo. I made a patchbay map in excel identifying each channels input, output, whether normal, half or thru, and stereo mono or balanced. I also made a documentation of various patch diagrams for reference.
Same here, definitely one of the best studio investment I made.Thanks for sharing!
How are you connecting the mics? Are you using a stage box, or are you plugging the mics directly into the patch bay? And if you're using a stage box, are you using XLR to TRS converters? This is driving me nuts!"
Awesome video!! I’m going back and forth on getting a patch bay.
Samson S-patch plus....the best on the market ! Never had a single problem with these (in comparison to Behringer, Neutrik and others). I use 4 of them in my studio.
Still using them after all those years :-)
@@mixdownonline Yes, bought my first one about 15 years ago and it's rocking on ever since 🙂
one of the best videos i've seen on patchbays! any chance you can share your google sheet that you showed in the video? i'm terrible at making up sheets and making them look pretty....thank you!
I love your explanation, those are easy to understand....
Glad to hear that! Thanks for watching!
What cabels do you use? The outboard gear often has XLR. The patchbay has TRS.
TRS and XLR to TRS Cables to connect my gear to the PB
Great video. Is it possible to see how you have the gear running to the back of the patchbay?
Thanks for the video... I'm still looking for my "main" setup with my patch bay in my studio, changing things all around, hopefully soon setup will be more stable. Chris, how do you work with the mics which coming from your recording room? You told that your using XLR snake (I use the same option between my rooms): but how you connect between mic XLR to patch bay TRS input or you use "XLR to TRS snake" to connect to the Samson patch bay? Sorry, my question might be silly, but I use XLR patch bay for that reason, which is not helping me out..
I have the same question. Have you found the answer somewhere else?
Dude you're always doing videos that are things I'm looking into. I'm looking at at the Art Pro P48. Is there a huge difference in a patchbay? And Thank you!
Lol, good to know! With these types of PAtch Bays, not a lot of differences. Your Patch Mode switches are at the back, mines in front. It will all work the same. On your side, you might have some room to label your ins/outs
@@mixdownonline Thank you sir for getting back to me so fast. Yeah I plan on getting a few more pieces of outboard gear. One more compressor and maybe an eq, not sure which eq? For the eq I have about $500.00 budget. Any suggestions?
This is now my ‘Go to’ video on patch bays. The only thing I’m a little unclear of is why outputs 7&8 from the audio interface are normal’d to the inputs of the Crème. Sorry if I’ve missed something obvious!.
What about phantom power for mics? May I connect condenser mic to patchbay? I guess no.
Did u answer that question ?
You might want to use DI device for this purpose, but I'm not an engeneer so might be wrong.
He answered that in an above post! It doesnt matter if the patchbay has xlr or trs when it comes to carrying phantom power. You still need xlr for the connection type though when it comes to using a mic. So I guess the preamp for the mic must have a trs output to connect it to a trs patchbay... My guess is that the microphone needing phantom power gets it from a preamp that can provide this, but then the signal is "converted" to a trs signal that dont need the phantom power anymore, so you can send it elsewhere, like to a compressor, then to a reverb, etc and before it finally is sent to an input on your audio interface - all using a patchbay to route the signal differently around in and out of different hardware... But I'm only guessing now, but seems like a logical conclusion...
One of the benefits of the patchbay is it saves the wear and tear on your I/Os especially for mid to expensive gear. Constantly plugging and unplugging will eventually need repairs. Replacement of a patchbay is much cheaper than replacing or repairing certain gear in my humble opinion, but your mileage may vary.
so on my Apollo rack I put what jacks I. them
I have a question: I can't really see this on the video, for the connectors at the front, do I use balanced TRS cables or unbalanced 1/4 inch? Tq.
I had the same idea about running my microphone cable snake into a patchbay like this. But I was told it’s a bad idea to run phantom power through a trs patchbay. Any thoughts? I’d really like to hookup my studio like this, but it worries me a bit.
Yes, it can be risky, but what I do on my side is always turn off Phantom Power when connecting cables through the patchbay, and turn it ON only when the patch cable(s) is connected. So far so good!
@@mixdownonline thanks for your reply. I’ve heard that answer a lot but not from anyone I trust. Appreciate your feedback.
Hey man this video is super helpful. I was wondering if I could email you and lick your brain about my setup.
Patchbay labelling designer: store.mixperience.net/patchbay.html?fbclid=IwAR1w_duwlrMqtvBNb_s5xovaEwAPry2MhpTEU3dtbE76NrWNdy0mcaLH_aU
Cool, thanks for the link!
@@mixdownonline Too bad there are no instructions on how to actually design a label. The label designer page doesn't make sense.
I have one of those S-Patch Plus patchbays myself. I've managed to write the labels onto the white areas at top and bottom, using a very fine-tipped pen. It was a bit of a pain, but I did it!
Thanks Chris, not the most exciting topic but very useful!
As a similar suggestion, could you do a video about power management, no one really talks about that.
With many home studios growing with outboard gear, and often in rooms with just a few power wall sockets, what do you need to consider, (ie. do you need dedicated circuits, 3-phase, power blocks in your racks, etc.) I’m sure some people are daisy chaining power board which can overload individual wall sockets, etc.
Again, not exciting but really important.
Important topic! For usre!
That's a good topic. I just use a Furman M8 power conditioner.
How does phantom power come into play? I have a grasp on everything except that. Thank you!
Nice vid. What about the impedance relationship between mic and preamp, when using half normalled mode to send the mic signal to the compressor and converter input simultaneously? Does it change or have any negative affect on the mics performance?
Not to my knowledge, it's like using a splitter as far as I know. To my ears, the sound stays the same.
I asked the same kind if question another youtuber and this is the answer I got:
"The input impedance when running two or more pieces of gear in parallel will be lowered, but input impedance of these devices is normally so high it does not present an issue. As long as you aren't splitting the signal 10+ times, you should be just fine.
Do note that you shouldn't be splitting the raw mic signal, only the line level signal post-preamp. Mic and instrument levels are so low to begin with, that splitting them isn't a great idea.
Ffs not ONE patch bay tutorial video gets to the point! And when they do it makes no sense and has nothing to do with a beginner’s set up
Hi! Where can we buy It in Spain?
I have some outboard gear in my project studio and picked up a Samson S-patch a few years ago. I wanted to connect everything in a convenient way and also learn about using a patchbay. Take care, Chris, and thanks again for the tutorials!
hi, very useful one, i have a doubt ? how do you connect the Lynx aurora to your audio interface, or do you use aggregate devices ? Kindly let me know Thank you.
@mixdownonline Best video I've seen yet on the fundamentals of setting up a patch bay in one's studio.
Any recommendation on the best bang for the buck TRS patch cables?
...I'm ready now. thanx for the insight!
Great video and explanation, but how are you phantom powering all those mics and connecting them to a trs patchbay? Are you sending phantom power through the trs patchbay or are you also using an xlr patchbay? Thanks much
All TRS, and 48V works fine 🙂XLR and TRS cables work the same way for 48V, the connections are different, but the cables are the same
@@mixdownonline ok, great. thanks much
I didn't think I needed a patchbay until I considered all of the additional functionality my modern day devices provide that I wasn't utilizing due to not having all of the inputs and outputs patched in. I have an RC-600 looper with 6ins/6outs that I now have patched into a patchbay allowing me to use it as a separate effects processor, even while I'm looping. Similarly with my workstation, I wasn't utilizing all of it's outputs so wasn't able to record it's drum zone out of a separate output. If you would have asked me if I needed a patchbay before I got one, I would have told you I didn't, but even I found it extremely useful, if only for getting the most out of the existing gear I already own.
What I needed to know and good situational reasons to not get or get a patchbay towards the end.
Still using this patchbay or did you upgrade?
Still using it :-)
One question master Chris can you show how to create a metronome audio track where I can record my exercises and listen the metronome in the background after export both audio? Thank you
Just check out this video ;-) ua-cam.com/video/0DmYOEy7Q58/v-deo.html
Thank you for your videos. Really appreciated!
Glad you like them!
You should use Patch Cad 3 to make labels. I have the same setup. You will be surprised how much info you can get on a very small label and all color coded too.