Patch Bay

[greed2000]

What do you use a "patch bay" for?

I'm going to be mounting our bands PA equipment into a rack soon and I wonder will a "patch bay" be of any benefit to me. (4 power amps, effects processor, crossover, EQ)

thanks,

greed

[Rip]

Chances are that you don't need a patchbay. The most common application of patchbays is in the studio, but that's not to say that live set-ups don't incorporate bays. I general, a patchbay is used to connect ("patch") tons of gear through a series of jacks all put together in a neat little box ("bay"). Basically, a patchbay has a front and back panel. The jacks on the front are connected to the jacks on the back. You would plug all of your gear into the back panel jacks (even your mixer inputs/outputs, but not speakers and mic lines) and leave those connections permanent in your rack. Then, using the front jacks, use short cables to connect, for example, the insert on channel 3 of your mixer to the input of your compressor. This way, you don't have to go behind your rack with a flashlight. However, this is only a benefit if you need to change your set-up during a show, which is rarely the case. Another possible benefit is that it saves wear and tear on the jacks in your gear and instead wears the jacks on the patchbay which is quite a bit cheaper. Again, this is only a concern if you are constantly disconnecting your gear. Some people use bays strictly for organization......no one likes cables draping in and out of your live rig. Bottom line, my guess is that the majority of your gear is processing the entire mix before it hits the speakers. In that case, you're probably doing just fine without any bays.

[greed2000]

Thanks for reply...I appreciate it.

greed