+1 for the Rean, I bought a couple off Craigslist nearly 20 years ago and they’re still kicking.
@darenager, is there a way to tell how the channel is set up by looking at it? There doesn’t seem to be any markings that I can tell.
On mine the grey jack is the switching/breaking one, so if the grey jack is at the front the connection is normalled, if at the back it is split/isolated.
Should also mention in case it isn’t obvious, when using normalled you want your sends/inputs on bottom row, and returns/outputs on top row.
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I have and S-Patch. Highly recommend too. The switch is great for flexibility… for example, some channels, I’m not using the top to bottom flow of the back jacks, so I just have my synths connected to tops and bottoms with the throughput setting. This allows me to take them from the front to any preamp or effect I want.
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Thanks for those procedures and tricks.
That will help
Finaly i bought my first bay. Took Samson. Very convenient for my first steps. I discover slowly the modes that fit my organisation. And for this particular fact, the switch are really great confort.
I realise how much i needed it since long time. I understand also that if i want all my INs and OUTs plugged, i need a second one. And i will buy it soon, cause it’s the Way to have everything in place and totaly usable without any accrobatic practice just to test an idea.
Futhermore, it’s the only way to fully use my equipment in all its possibilities, mainly according to the audio capability of each particular gear (several OUT or audio IN to play with internal fx or filter).
Soooooo happy. That patch bay really change my life in the studio and open new perspectives 
Thanks to R Tinez for its video and all of you for your shared xperience 
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Interested by this thread as well.
Thought a MOTU UltraLite Mk3 and a MIDAS Venice 160 would grant me enough I/Os.
I was not thinking clearly obviously… Couple of hardware synths later, I am down the same road as well.
If I get this well: a normalled patchbay has the ins and outs (at the he back) permanently connected? So if I want to alter this, I would only have to patch the front ins and outs that I want?
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That’s correct.
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Check the video on first post.
Can’t be more clearly explained 
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None of my three Patchbays that I have is supported. 
Patchbays are such a necessary thing in larger setups, but I kinda hate them. We have 6 96 point patchbays in the studio and trying to track down a problem when everything is patched up for a mix is a nightmare. Static electricity build up, scratchy connections or failing cables drive me nuts. Finally broke down and ordered a Flock Audio Patch system that will greatly reduce the manual patching on the TT bays. Stupidly expensive, but your sanity has gotta be worth something. I’ll report back when it arrives and I get it wired up…
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1000% all day long.
I mentioned this in a YouTube comment on that video. I hate standard patchbays. I used them for a while and I can see how they are fine for some but I found with a little effort you can get something much better for not much more money. What I use is an old extron mav plus 3232a. It is a 32 by 32 stereo audio matrix. Any input can be mapped to any combination of outputs. For instance you could send one input to all the outputs, or you can chain internally as much as you want. It handles balanced and unbalanced audio. There is also attenuation on each input and output and mutes and it can be controlled from the face of the unit using buttons or through a web interface. I paid $200 for it. It absolutely schools any of these standard patchbay in lots of ways but the downside is it uses special connectors you will have to wire yourself and it is more of a fixed install where with a traditional patchbay you can move cables around. The idea here is plug in all your stuff and not deal with cables. I use it in conjunction with an Allen and heath qu32 mixer and two stage boxes and my input and output count is something like 140 inputs and 90 outputs. Way more than I’ll likely ever need but I wanted to ensure that. I mostly leave the mixer physical inputs and outputs open and have lots of ins and outs on the extron matrix open. I mostly use up all the stagebox ins and outs. I kind of have 3 areas and it is nice to link them with just the Ethernet cable of the stageboxes. I mostly use the matrix for effect units and drum machines and synths.
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Patch bay AND a mixer?
Reached a point where I have 4x stereo sources (Virus, Tetra, Evolver, Volca FM) and 4 mono (Avalon, 2x modular outs + microphone), plus OT and Rytm as hub. Also 2x FX that I want on send/return.
I have a Mackie 1202 with 1x defective mono channel, which is no longer enough to route/switch any sources into the OT, has well as running OT/RYTM stereo outputs as main outs.
Thinking it’s time for a patchbay. Route all the sources and FX through that, then just the OT/Rytm outs through the mixer. I would have to re-plug the FX per patch, but I could then use the mixer axes to pull of drum/synth bus master FX and compression using the mixer auxes.
Seems like a plan, but no patchbay experience, will it do what I want?
Hope you don’t mind reviving this topic.
I’ve got a fairly simple question, about using a patch bay as simple “Y”, allowing me to grab the signal as a “direct out” on a mixer.
Right now my studio wiring is pretty simple : everything goes straight to the sound card. It’s super nice as everything is always ready to get recorded.
But it’s a pain when I want either to play a synth without switching the computer on, or if I want to feed my Octatrack with sound.
So I figured out that I could use my cheap Neutrik patch bay. I flipped each card so Front A and B are always connected to each other and to Rear A as well. Basically an"Y" wiring.
Am I good if I connect all rear A to the sound card’s inputs, all synths to all Front A, and then use the Front B points to grab any synth to route it somewhere else ?
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Yes, the magic of the half-normalled configuration. Doubles as Y. I think you’d usually use Rear A for synth out, Rear B for interface in, and Front A as Y. That’s how most of mine are setup. But if your setup works better the way you did it, that’s fine as well.
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Thanks !
I prefer to patch the synths directly on the front side, because I still need to unplug them when I’m off for a gig.
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That’s the main way i use mine. Out of main gear and IN mix table in the rear. External and miscellaneous gear in front when needed.
The patchbay solved all my studio organisation as i have all my gear pluged, except few that are “nomad/invited” gear that came in front. Very flexible use.
May I garner your attention on a separate thread, as I have a question about patching in an analog heat, what with it taking balanced mono. Would you just give it two pairs of slots on the patch bay?