Help me with my first Patchbay setup?!

[lionheart]

I've had a permanent setup since i started mixing on analog boards, but i would like to take a step further, and set up a patch for my studio..

I have a toft ATB24 desk, Motu 24io, 12 external preamps, and about 8 external compressors.. i also have two external reverb/delays but i think i would like them to stay connected to my aux send/return on my Toft...

Do you guy's have some tips on what kind of patchbay to buy, and a easy way to set this up? I have 3x 24-24 snakecables (ballanced Jack-Jack) i can use.. so a Patchbay with Jack connections would be prefered if quality is the same as the ones you have to solder/make yourself?!


Thanx guys :-)

Oyvind

[lionheart]

No one?

[musicmixer04]

hi.

bantam patch bays are more reliable, but a little more hassle to hook up. if you want jack bays there are alot out there. I use the neutrik patch bays, they are very flexible, cause you can switch between normalled, half-normalled or de-normalled operation just pulling off the front panel and flipping the 24 independent circuit boards the way you want.

for neutrik patch bays check out Siv. ing. Benum AS

good luck:)

[lionheart]

Thanx:-)

Is there any difference in sound quality when it comes to Bantam VS Jack bay's ?

[musicmixer04]

Is there any difference in sound quality when it comes to Bantam VS Jack bay's ?

nope.

but, if you use jack(trs) connections on both sides, and the jacks stays plugged in for a very long time, you better clean them by plug & unplug them once in a while to make sure there will be no bad connections.

bantam patch bays don`t seem to have problems too often. soldering is a safe way to go. the electrical connection stays solid.

for me. trs patch bays are more flexible at the time. makes it easy to add remove gear quickly.

[Jayro_Rockola]

I'd say the first step is to bust out a pad of graph paper and start hashing out different ideas for your setup. Brush up on your normalization if it's been a while (or never).
Signal will almost always travel downward in your bays so use normals or half-normals to your advantage.

A typical and simple setup for two bays with a console would be:

bay 1
Mic receptacles>Preamp imputs
bay 2
Bus or direct outs>MTR Line ins

where > = normalization

You could then just hard wire the main outs if you mix ITB to whatever CR matrix you use (master section of your board or standalone box like the Central Station most likely)

If you want to mix OTB, add another bay like this:
MTR line outs>console line inputs

This is assuming there is a mic/line switch on your desk, which i'm pretty sure the ATB has.

This doesn't really take into consideration any other outboard like comps or fx but depending on how many channels you're hooking up you might be able to squeeze them next to your main i/o connections. (remember these probably want to be isolated)

If you don't have the room, just snag another bay. You'll need it eventually anyway!

Here's a fairly simple patchbay diagram I did for our place when we put ours in recently. I reccomend making one for your setup as well. Organization is awesome!

BTW, I don't consider myself an expert or anything, I was just in the same situation a couple of months ago, learned alot and felt like passing it on. Feel free to post or PM any more questions you come up with. I'm sure there'll be a few!

Good Luck!

Jayro

[lionheart]

Hey:-)

thank you for helping me out guy's!!!

i think things are starting to come more clear:-) All inn all a patchbay is more or less just putting my gears inn's and outs to a panel so i can reach them and route them wherever i want:-)
And as long as it doesn't harm the sound quality i think jack bay's are what i should start with.. or maybe order some custom made patch bays??

Any good companies that can make patches for you??

[drBill]

Originally Posted by lionheart

Hey:-)

thank you for helping me out guy's!!!

i think things are starting to come more clear:-) All inn all a patchbay is more or less just putting my gears inn's and outs to a panel so i can reach them and route them wherever i want:-)
And as long as it doesn't harm the sound quality i think jack bay's are what i should start with.. or maybe order some custom made patch bays??

Any good companies that can make patches for you??

Before you start ordering or soldering, you would be wise to study up on star grounding and installation techniques such as non-metal rack rails, telescoped shields, individual ground wires, balanced power etc. There's nothing worse than spending $20k and then having to trace down a bunch of "ground issues". Be smart up front and you'll minimize your work when the install comes. BTW, having patchbays made for you is heaven, but EXTREMELY expensive. Very labor intensive.

[Jayro_Rockola]

You'd probably be cool with some regular ol' TRS bays. They usually come in 48 point configs, two rows of 24. Neutrik is popular and inexpensive.