Patchbays explained - Part 1
You’ve probably seen them lurking in the studio, a mass of cables and holes with small, cryptic labels. “Can you just re-patch the second Drawmer to channel 15?”. You reach forward, hand shaking, sweat dripping from your brow, the numbers blur – what channel was it again? Aaarrrgghhhhh!
Ehem, enough about my dreams. This series of articles is for those of you with patchbay phobias. Patchbays can be confusing – do I need one? what types are available? How do you set up a patchbay? All will be answered.
What is a patchbay?
A patchbay (sometimes called a jackfield) is an invaluable bit of kit for all but the smallest home studio. It is used to route and re-route signals, typically between the mixing desk and the outboard equipment like fx units, compressors and tape/harddisk recorders.
An easy way of thinking about it is that its just a way of placing all the inputs and outputs of your equipment in one, easy to access location. To change your wiring or route a guitar to an FX unit you can do it with a patch cable in seconds rather than having to fumble around in the dark behind the mixing desk.
Types of patchbays and connections.
A-gauge
These are the standard TRS 1/4” jacks – the same size that guitar cables use. These patchbays are reletively cheap and easy to configure and so are mostly used in home and semi-pro studios. They usually have jack connectors front and rear which makes them quick to set up and change without testing your soldering skills.
Their downside is that because of the shape of the jack connectors, they put more strain on the contacts in the patchbay which wear out much quicker than the other types with constant use.
B-gauge
B-gauge patchbays use the PO316 connector which was originally designed for use with telephone switchboards in the days of yore. They are rugged and much more compact when compared with the A-gauge jacks. Due to the compact nature of the connectors they put a lot less stress on the patchbay’s contacts so tend to last a lot longer and are easier to push in/pull out.
The downside? Cost. B-gauge patchbays are expensive. Expect to pay upwards of £200 for the patchbay and £10 per patch cord! The rear of the patchbay is normally just a row of contact points. Once you decide on how you want it wired up you have to solder the wires directly to the back. Usually seen in professional studios.
Bantam
The Bantam patchbay utilises a jack that is very similar to the B-gauge but is much smaller. It is designed for use where space is at a premium as you can fit twice the connectors in the same space (48 compared to 24). Unfortunately because of this miniturization, the contact area between the jack and the contacts of the patchbay are much smaller and can result in unreliable behaviour. They also cost £300 upwards.
Continue to part 2 >>>.
Recommended reading:
Recording and Producing in the Home Studio
Home Recording Made Easy: Professional Recordings on a Demo Budget
Jon Maskrey
19 February 06
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