Use patchbay or not?

[donnie7]

We have a 20 year old patch bay wired to our console and wanted to know if it would impact maintaining optimum signal quality? The patch bay has not been used much. Everything is working fine. The console's inputs and inserts are wired to the patch bay using Belden 8450, 22 gauge, solid core instrument cable. Maximum signal travel, instruments to console, is 50 feet. Was wondering what's best? Going from each instrument directly into the board or using the patch bay? We have lots of keyboards and drum machine modules to connect. Burnishers can only clean the patch bay's phone plug contact surfaces, and not the insert point contacts. Is this anything to be concerned about? Thanks everyone!

 

[rich]

Less connectors the better, but in the real world patchbays are indispensible. If you're really concerned the only place you might want to consider bypassing the bay is on mic level. Drum machine and keys are all line level nothing really to worry about there unless your contacts have gone bad(high quality patchbays are worth the money). The only thing you can clean or needs to be cleaned are the contacts. The best studio's in the world use patchbays.