Patchbays for dummies - Even your mother will understand this! | A Song Is Born Ep.6 - Hardware
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- čas přidán 5. 06. 2024
- The audio patchbay is the heart of any studio. If you need to connect many different hardware processors, mixer inputs/outputs, effects and other bits and pieces, having a patchbay setup will easy your day. Here is a tutorial that even your mother will understand, normal or half-normal.
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Before we start mixing the song we've been working on for the last 5 episodes, we need to have a solid hardware foundation and the infrastructure in place when we turn on the hardware we're gonna use.
00:00 How patchbays work
05:29 Normalling and Half-Normalling
13:45 Thru / Back to front
15:40 Different setups and how it works in the real world
18:56 Planning ahead and my setup
Also a big thanks to the sponsors of this series: Antelope Audio, AMS Neve, Golden Age Premiere, Stam Audio, Audient.
I must emphasize that all the sponsored gear came from me contacting the makers of it, asking them to provide it. This is the gear I wanted to use and I knew the gear from before. No sponsor dictated what I could or couldn't do, say or don't say, iwhen it came to the use of it.
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thepatchbay.co.uk/product/tal...
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The best patchbay video i've seen. The examples make way more sense for people who may be trying to figure this out than just abstract explanations. Top!
Happy you think so. Thanks!
It's not just the best video about patchbays; it's actually the only good one. Espen would have been a great teacher (and I do know because I am one).
Thanks! I've worked as a teacher on/off ever since I started out in music. It's always ups and downs as independent and different jobs along the way is very common. Teaching is great fun and I've learned a lot that I hope comes through in my videos, at least the videos where I actually try to teach something. ;-)
absolutely the clearest explanation !
@@EspenKraft
Out of all the wasted videos people have made about patchbays that teach you nothing, this is literally the only video that actually teaches you step by step wth a patchbay is and what it does. Thank you so much for the frickin common sense when teaching people who have no idea where to start in regards to patchbays. I was this person a year ago and had to pay someone to show me how to use one because not a single video shows you how to use one. Your awesome.
Thank you for saying! :)
This is almost verbatim what I was about to write. Excellent video
BEST PATCHBAY EXPLANATION VID, period.
Im a TOTAL beginner and you just saved me about $1000 in college debt... short and concise explaination that literally anyone can understand.
Cheers!
I’ve been struggling with the patch bay concept for years. NOT having a patch bay to route synths through various outboard effects has definitely stifled creativity as I simply can’t be bothered to re route all the cables! Cue the patch bay and a note pad to plan the set up of destiny. Thanks as always for a comprehensive tutorial.
Cheers! :)
Honestly the best thing I have ever spent money on. Ever since putting patchbays in my setup everything works smoothly and my workflow has improved by orders of magnitude.
The sighting of the Rockman chorus was an unexpected pleasure! In fact, any Rockman under the SR&D manufacturer were epic! Great patchbay tutorial, also. Thanks!
Thanks!
when i searched “patchbay” and an Espen Kraft video popped up?..🎉🎊🍾🥳
Thank you!!!
Cheers!
2 points should be talked about. 1. balanced vs unbalanced 2. sending line level sources to fx that are not line level.
That was outside the scope of this segment, but an interesting topic.
So, how about you discuss it now? Both of you? 🤓
No. I'm really happy he didn't talk about these issues here in the series. Have you made videos on these topics?
I’ve watched so many videos and no one has explained it this clearly… now I feel confident purchasing and using one of these
Go for it! Cheers :)
By far the best patchbay video. Thank you!
Cheers!
In the process of rethinking my current gear connections, this is just what I need! 👍 great explanation!
Cheers!
This is one of the best explanations/demonstration of patchbays I have seen from anywhere. Nice one Espen :)
Many thanks!
THANK YOU !!! Half normal is what I want, I want to still hear stuff and redirect or sample it and I 2 copies of things, 1 clean 1 dry especially with bass guitar. BRILLIANT!
Patch bays, the secret of an efficient studio setup! I don't have much outboard gear but used to end up with a complete mess of wires trying to use my effects units on different instruments. I eventually learned what the "inserts" on my mixer were actually for, but it was still a pain to patch things in as the sockets weren't easy to get to. Then I got given a patch bay by a friend who was moving to a completely software based setup. Complete game changer once I got my head around the "normalling" concepts.
I think patchbay science is the physical manifestation of the phrase “mutually exclusive”:-) great video it actually makes sense!
Cheers!
Youre on a roll with quality content. This was so helpful and inspiring!
Thanks!
Interesting ! Brilliant for the half mode!!
Cheers!
Best explanation of patchbay use I've ever seen. Thanks a lot Espen.
Many thanks for saying!
awesome, what a studio btw wow
This video brings me back to my first home studio decades ago. It was very small but with the same ideas behind it. Very nice to watch and listen throughout this video, thank you!
Cheers!
Thank you, Espen! I am at the point of setting up my patchbays in my hybrid studio( Sampson S-Patch Plus). These are nice patchbays, as they have switches on the front side to easily change between normal, half-normal and thru modes. I was having difficulty figuring out the best configuration. This video will help me organize my workflow much better. I'm looking forward to the ten-fold payback in time, which I think will definitely happen.
Cheers!
Good timing, I got my first patchbay a couple days ago, setting it up now.
It;s amazing to see that you all do it by yourself, I have just entered into the patch bay / 500 series format. Thanks for taking the time to share this information.
Cheers!
Been thinking about getting a couple of patchbays for a while. This was very helpful! I really appreciate your effort in showing these examples and thoroughly explaining everything. Thanks :)
Happy it could be of help. Cheers! :)
Best patchbay video on CZcams. Easy to follow and well explained and demonstrated too.
Excellent work.
Many thanks for saying!
Very good and simple use cases that are well explained patchbays
Thank you for bringing this, Espen ❤
Thanks man!
Good timing, as I'm getting my first patchbay for Xmas... and even better is that by chance it's the same model! This helped me confirm my understanding of the default routing a bit better and then added more useful info for me. Many thanks!
Cheers!
Excellent video, demystified so much, thanks Espen!
Happy you liked it, thanks! :)
Great explaination Espen ! ...loved the old footage too !
Cheers!
I'm JUST starting to play around with various audio equipment, so I'm an absolute novice. Some things in this video are things I'll revisit, however, watching it just once, I feel, advanced my understanding of at least being able to hook the pieces I've acquired together. You've got to start somewhere...and this was a tremendous help. I'm subscribed.
Many thanks, and best of luck with your setup and moving forward. :)
Great video and your studio is rad!
Cheers!
So now I finally understand how these works! Thanks for the vid
Cheers!
Very useful tutorial Espen. Good recall plus some learning points for me, cheers 🍻
Many thanks man!
@@EspenKraft Yeah thanks again. Great timing as in process of re-jigging studio connections with my Behringer Ultrapatch PX1000 and 2x Eurorack Pro RX1602’s 16-input Line mixers 😁👍🇬🇧🍻
Well explained, very solid and complete , I wish all the masters/ teachers new how to teach like you
Thank you 🙏
Many thanks for saying!
Thank god for this video I was loosing my marbles 😅thank you Sir 👍
Cheers!
Great review with deep explanation, thanks!
Cheers!
So excellent! And so needed! Thanks so much espen
Cheers!
It was a pleasure listening to your tutorial! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your knowledge with the world.. I was preparing to sell the Ultrapatch Pro unit that has just been sitting in a box unused in my home studio... but now, I will put this to use!
:)
Cheers!
Thanks!
Amazing video you're a really good storyteller and instructor. Thank you so much
Cheers!
Great video, Espen! Like it.
Thanks!
Very well explained, thanks!
Fantastic tutorial! I've been thinking of adding a patch bay to my home studio (=my synth room) and this was just what I needed to watch! And thanks for showing a few different ways of using a PB! Great, clear explanations! 🙏 0:55 0:55 0:55
Thanks!
platinum grade tutorial. thx so much espen!
Thank you!
Excellent explanation Espen, thanks! 👍
Cheers!
Best video ever made about patchbays! Thank you so much!!!
Thanks!
Thank you for this video. This is the best explanation I have seen anywhere as I understand it now.
Thanks!
Great video 👍
Cheers!
Thanks Espen, best explanation I’ve seem , and I’ve seen lots!
Thanks! :)
this video deserves a super thanks 🙏
Thanks for this. I didn't know that it could send 2 outs into 1 in. This opens up a lot of ideas.
Cheers!
You actually shouldn't do this because there is a risk that you can damage equipment because there is no summing hardware. Half normalling should only really be used to split a signal, not merge them.
@@colcob Thanks for the warning.
Great information!!! I really appreciate it!! 👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks!
The best one on youtube. Great job EK...as usual!
Thanks man!
FANTASTIC EXPLANATION!!
Cheers!
Tack Espen! Skall koppla min första patchbay, och det här var den enda videon om patchbays jag har förstått. Great!
Så bra, och lycka till!
+ du fick en ny sub.
Tackar! :)
I have one of the Behringer patch bays and one of the Samson Patch bays. The Samson is more useful if I want to change the mode from normal to thru or half-normal. It has the switching on the front. Unfortunately it is a bit more crowded so my labeling is tighter. I use the Brother P-Touch label maker. Great tips as usual Espen!
When I use all my outboards almost all connectors are in use on mine. I'll show that in the next couple of videos in this series. ;-)
PERFECT VIDEO...VERY HELPFUL...THANK YOU!
Cheers!
Thank you, this helped immensely! 🙏🙏
Cheers!
man perfect video so much detail !! thank youi can now have all my compressors used separately
Cheers!
Thank You ! Very Helpful.
Cheers!
Thank you very much Sir, very well explained 👍
Many thanks!
I have a full rackmount hardware setup, and I don't know if I would even still be using hardware if it wasn't for setting up a patchbay. Just the samplers and synth take up 20 points on the patchbay (though I have it so each point is two outputs of my gear, cause I am kinda cheap an' don't wanna spend more that I have to right now, so actually all my synths add up to 40 outputs). Really just an absolute life and time saver, I feel bad for those who don't use them...I understand why some might not though...even cheap pre-made cables can get really really expensive when you need so many
that is why many of us make our own cables!
Best patchbay video in history .... thank you
Thanks!
THANKS FOR THIS BROTHER!
Awesome stuff!
Thanks!
Excellent video thank you.
Cheers!
epsen the greatest as always
this is the best patchbay tutorial I've found online...the others have just been awful. Great job.
Cheers!
Dude awesome job.!
Cheers!
Best patchbay vid hands down
Cheers!
My mom thanks for this easy-peasy explanation!
Every mum should learn about these things. Mums should have a patchbay in the kitchen to play around with while their making dinner for their husbands.
best explanation
Best patchbay video online.
Cheers!
wow this is so crucial thank you!
Cheers!
Excellent tutorial! Although actually quite logical, operating a patchbay can be confusing. Everything is clearly explained here.
Cheers!
All challenges I have with patchbays (I have ~10) relate to balanced / unbalanced issues.
I also have and still use a Mackie CR1604 occasionally for it's nice saturation on the preamps but it is becoming quite noisy. I think it's time for some re-capping. Looking forward to your use of the old gray mix box.
The one I have is a 1202, but mine is still pretty quiet. Or at least last time I used it. The one I have has been through so much mayhem that it deserves a video of its own. ;-) What a tank.
I recently took apart a 1642-VLZ Pro to repair some jacks and noticed the two big capacitors on the power board were bulging. Definitely get it checked out!
A-ha! ....no literally...as soon as you started the drum machine...Take on Me started in my head ;)
It's funny but I have a set up where I can have 28 inputs, 26 analog and 1 stereo coax.
So I generally limit myself to 13 stereo bits of gear. What's weird is I own more than that so a patch bay makes sense, the real issue is, I don't have the room to have everything up and running at once lol.
Nice, Saved!
Cheers!
An excellent and simplified explanation. Perfect! 👍 Thanks so much!
Many thanks!
This is the best video I have seen on patchbays and actually how to make them work in your favor, I don't understand why people can not take the time like Espen does. Thank you so much, is there a Preamp or some line leveler that you like to put your synths through, my Jd-990 needs some love, I dont want to crank the gain on the SSL mixer. Cheers.
Thanks! I have plenty of videos showing how I gain stage, use preamps or whatever to record synths.
Brilliantly explained. Thank you. Make every thing looks so easy to understand. Thank you
Cheers!
Ive watched every patchbay tutorial.. like 3 times. Finally makes sense with this one... cheers.
Awesome. Thanks!
First one how made me understand the whole material
Awesome!
@@EspenKraft maybe you could answer me one question: I have a Apollo x6 and a LA-610 preamp. What’s the best way to route these units in a patchbay if want to use input 1 on the Apollo for the UA preamp and sometimes for unison preamp included in the Apollo? Cause I need to switch between line input and mic input on the Apollo. Thanks
Should maybe explain to beginners why the 1/4 inch jack is only plugged in halfway from the insert from your mixer. Great video!
For any beginners watching; the Mackie mixers (at least back then) had this feature that when you insert a patch cable HALF WAY at the back (of each channel strip) you access the DIRECT OUT of the preamps.
@@EspenKraft Indeed. Its half an insert basically
I sussed the subzero thanks to you. It's defaulted to Half Normal.
Cheers!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers!
great video, in normal mode example.....would you always have the outs and ins of the compressor on different channel on patch bay?
Thanks! It would greatly depend on what I was using the compressor for.
What a great video!!!! But could you please explain why you use trs instead of ts cables??
It really does not matter. Unless you pick up hum or noise, which might or might not happen, using both ts and trs cables will work just fine in a home studio environment like this.
I have combo XLR/TRS inputs on my sound card. XLR for mic level, and TRS for line level. Is there any solution/trick exists, if I would like to use one patchbay channel for mic level and another for line level to the same sound card input? Or I have to decide that the selected sound card analog channel is mic or line level input? I use Focusrite Clarett 8Pre Usb and ART P48 Patchbay.
Hi Espen. Excellent explanation of the different normalling modes for patchbays. What I would like to know is having looked at your 4 patchbays in the rack with various pieces of equipment connected at the back of the patchbays, which modes are you using for the different pieces of gear, I noticed the pedal compressor had the input and output connected to 2 adjacent connections to avoid the input and output of the compressor being normalled but the stereo compressor is connected to the same 2 inputs and outputs which I assume is in the thru mode. It would be great if you could talk again about the 4 patchbays but maybe mention the the different normalling modes you used for the various pieces of gear. I'm building my home studio using a couple of 16 channel analogue mixers linked together along with some old Alesis 3630 and DBX compressors,exciters and reverb units and my recent purchase of the Audient EVO16 and 2 SP8 Preamps. Kind Regards. Alan
This setup is now long gone so I can't make any more videos about that particular configuration.
Hi Espen. Thanks for the prompt reply. I am planning to buy a coupe of Samson Patchbays which have selectable modes on the front of the unit so I can try out some of your suggestions and see what works best for my setup.@@EspenKraft
Very nice explanation and a great video. However, can you explain what type of cables are you using to connect from the patchbay to some effects that have only mono input? I saw on your patchbay that you have 2 inputs for the SRV2000 IN mono, the same goes for SDD2000 IN mono and PCM70 IN mono. Do you use "Y" cables with 2 unbalanced (TS) jack 6.3mm on the patchbay bottom row into one balanced (TRS) jack 6.3mm in the effects mono input or something else?
It's not that complicated. I just set up all patchbay points as stereo in/out, just because I rotate gear so much. Gear come and go. So I hook up mono-in/Stereo-out using only the left in patch point going to the mono in of the gear. If that box get replaced by a true stereo in/out I have the space (patch point) for it readily. Cheers
@@EspenKraft great. thank you for the answer 👍😀
Great video had to watch it a few times before it sinks in properly. One question man. Where did you get the labels for your Behringer patch bays ??
Thanks! I've printed these out myself from taking measures. And transparent tape. Very DIY. :P
@@EspenKraft Thanks for your quick reply. It's nearly impossible to find them on the net. 😂
Hi there I’m setting up my patchbay and I use a uad Apollo twin x. I’ve used the first four top at the back for outputs from my uad 1234. Directly below I have 6 lines for studio monitors, but because I have only access to alternate 2 sets of monitors I patch in my avantones from the front bottom 5&6 to the top 3&4 but I’m still hearing the sound coming from both sources at the same time . Can you tell me what’s going on there anyone 😢? Cheers
One question: Say you have a mixer with 4 Aux sends/returns, but you have for e.g 10 effects pedals and you wanted to connect a patchbay so any of the 16 channels from the mixer can connect to any of the effects pedals but more than once. Lets say you have a drum and a synth both wanting to use the same pedal at the same time. Would you have to use 2 patchbays both half normaled to split the signal twice? Obviously an effects pedal only has one in and out in the real world , but can you patch it in a way where you can send multiple instruments to it at once like one does on larger consoles with many auxillary sends/returns?
I love your videos and demonstations of vintage rack synths particularly. I'm interested about the preamp application with the Audient 8 channel preamp..... I have an ART TubeOpto 8 channel preamp. I use it similarly with a patchbay to route and boost the output volume of a few rack synths I have (JD-990, JV-1080 and TX-802). But, I'm trying to limit my production space and I have the ART TubeOpto 8 disconnected as of right now. My DAW does a reasonable job of boosting these synth outputs but it's not quite the same. Do you recommend and/or always route your synths to a preamp before recording to your DAW? Thank you and keep up the good work!
Always preamps. If you don't you'll end up with a very weak overall sound. Your mixes will sufferr. Cheers
@@EspenKraft Great! Thank you for the quick response. Appreciate it!
Thank you for the video. Do you have the effects in 'through' rather than normalled or half normalled to avoid feedback? When coming in on the same point on the patchbay that is. Thank you
There is no feedback if you hook things up correctly. That's what I show in this video. ;-)