Do I need a patch bay?

D

dbun

Experienced
Hi guys,

I'm waiting to receive my Axe Fx II (can't wait!).

I've been trying to plan out how I will run my setup. I really want it to be as compact as possible, so ideally just the Axe Fx in a 2RU case.

However, I'm not sure if I should go for a 3RU case with a patch bay to reduce wear on the connections?
Is this something to be concerned about, or not at all?

Thanks!
 
sounds good. The more rig pics I look at with patch bays the more convenient it does look, so I think I'll go for it.
 
dbun said:
sounds good. The more rig pics I look at with patch bays the more convenient it does look, so I think I'll go for it.
Click to expand...

You will definitely benefit from having a front-of-rack panel... makes setup/teardown a real simple and efficient process! :)

Talk to Hans at VAFAM.
 
If you gig with the set then I would use a patch bay.
If you connect the cables in front you have better oversight then with all the cables in the back.
Especially when you have trouble, you don't have to look with a flashlight in someone else's spaghetti [emoji6]
 
As a multiple computer rack setup guy, I love the patch panel, but I run it out the back of the cabinet.
I don't need something to trip on when I moving around on the stage.
 
I never understood why anyone would need a patchbay...
I connect the power-cable, two main outs and the Faslink on the back, guitar goes in front and I'm done. And as loopie said: Less clutter in front of your setup. I never worried about the wear on the connections to be honest. Is this a thing guys? I had an input replaced on my main amp after something like 15 years. And that was just because the screw they used back then was not a good one.
 
nangillala said:
I never understood why anyone would need a patchbay...
I connect the power-cable, two main outs and the Faslink on the back, guitar goes in front and I'm done. And as loopie said: Less clutter in front of your setup. I never worried about the wear on the connections to be honest. Is this a thing guys? I had an input replaced on my main amp after something like 15 years. And that was just because the screw they used back then was not a good one.
Click to expand...

The front of a rack is SO much more visible on a dark stage than the back.

I have power, midi, 2 speakon cables for my wedges and an XLR for FOH. It takes about 2 minutes to plug those in to the front.

Due to lighting, access to back of the rack, deep Axe Fx rack depth, shallow Matrix rack depth, etc the same process at the back is probably 10 min, and I may still get something wrong!

These days, the back cover of my case NEVER comes off unless I need to rewire something [emoji2]

Don't knock it until you try it... I bet you would never go back!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
My patch panel is at the rear of my rack. It has all of the connectors I need for my Furmal power conditioner [PowerCon In / Out], AxeFX [XLR for MFC-101, 2x XLR for FOH, USB, MIDI] and my power amp [2x Speakon]. For live use, I only need the PowerCon In, XLR for MFC-101, 2x XLR for FOH, and 2x Speakon connection. For me, there are two major reasons to have a patch panel:

Reason 1
It allows me to quickly set up / tear down at gigs, because all of the connectors are presented right at rear face of the rack. I never need to hunt around inside my rack for anything. It takes me less than 30 seconds to patch all connections into the rack, and the same for tear down.

Reason 2
It allows other people to reliably set up / patch into my rack. When we play gigs where there is a stage crew, I just tell them to plug into the rear panel and no further instruction is necessary. It can't be done incorrectly because each connector fits into only one input; the XLR for the MFC-101 and FOH are different genders, so those can't be miswired. The only possible error would be reversing the left / right channels for FOH; the output are labeled, but getting it wrong isn't a big deal (left / right stereo guitar signal orientation is irrelevant for my patches).
 
I've got a piezo equipped guitar and "regular" guitar so I plug them in at my pedalboard into an A/B selector that I've wired in. I also have an 8-pole neutrik Speakon jack that carries my Faslink, "acoustic" and electric signal and matches the jack that is wired to the back of my rack. So with two twists of my snake the rack is wired to pedal board and guitars are hooked up where they belong. I also have a panel in the front with XLR's labelled with electric and acoustic for the soundguy. Super easy and fast.
 
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