Universal Patch Panel - Q for Steve_K (and others)

[IndyWS6]

Greetings
I'm installing some outboard gear in my recording desk and, naturally, all of the connections are on the back. With the desk against a wall, it would be a pain in the ass to connect and move cables, so I'm thinking about building a patch panel and routing all of the connections to it for front access. Some of the gear has XLR's, some has 1/4" stereo and some has 1/4" mono connections. I'm looking for a universal panel and jacks to accommodate that. What are some good sources?

If I remember correctly, one of the pictures of Steve_K's AxeFX rack rig had something similar in it. Couldn't find the picture, though. I was hoping I could find a brand name on it but thought I'd ask...

Thanks in advance...

 

[Pushead]

How comfortable do you feel about soldering, and how often do you swap or rearrange things in your racks?

 

[IndyWS6]

Soldering is not a problem.

It's not about rearranging - it's about connecting devices to the outboard gear. The jacks are on the back and would be mostly inaccessible. If I route the in's/out's from the gear to a patch panel in the desk, I can make any connection I need on the front without problem...

 

[steve_k]

Greetings
I'm installing some outboard gear in my recording desk and, naturally, all of the connections are on the back. With the desk against a wall, it would be a pain in the ass to connect and move cables, so I'm thinking about building a patch panel and routing all of the connections to it for front access. Some of the gear has XLR's, some has 1/4" stereo and some has 1/4" mono connections. I'm looking for a universal panel and jacks to accommodate that. What are some good sources?

If I remember correctly, one of the pictures of Steve_K's AxeFX rack rig had something similar in it. Couldn't find the picture, though. I was hoping I could find a brand name on it but thought I'd ask...

Thanks in advance...

This guy here....http://vafamsound.com

He will custom make anything you want.

 

[ripleyripley]

Yes, I ordered one from the guy Steve mentions above. I mimicked the I/O from rear of the Axe 2 and added some jacks for my power amp and speakers (making changing from power amp and cab to amplified FRFR from the front.). Cost is based on how many I/O you add and mine was about $200. Genuinely good investment IMHO. Makes using it much easier.

thread here from the Fractal board, talking mostly of Han's health but you can see what everyone thinks of his work. He's the best. There is a picture of mine in post #46

http://forum.fractalaudio.com/lounge/87 ... ost1085366

 

[IndyWS6]

Thanks for the info...

I know that there are "universal" patch panels that allow you to buy and snap in the type of jacks you need and then wire accordingly. I just can't seem to find them on an Interwebz search. Plenty of data/network results, but the audio links are limited. Anyone else?

 

[IndyWS6]

OK - finally found a representative picture. This is a screen grab from something Steve_K posted. I'm looking for something exactly like this: a rack mount panel that you can install various jacks in (XLR, 1/4" Stereo, 1/4" Mono, etc.) that can be wired to the outboard gear so the connections are easily accessible out front...

 

[messenger]

Steve_k replied earlier in the thread with a link to what he used. You must've missed it.

 

[IndyWS6]

Steve_k replied earlier in the thread with a link to what he used. You must've missed it.

Yup - sure did. Must have been scrolling too fast

 

[voodooradio1]

You should be able to find everything except the actual panel here. http://pedalboardshop.com As for the panel itself , just stop by Lowes or Home Depot and have them cut down a pc of Plexi-glass to the size you need.

 

[Pushead]

I suppose it depends on how many pieces/connections you have. When we put together our studio, we ran everything to 1/4 patchbays (though with the new board it's mostly TT).

I'd go with something like this:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...e=&network=g&gclid=CJDSw73r18ICFSxgMgodYH8A9A

And run everything to balanced 1/4" cables, even unbalanced connections (RCA). This patch bay has the ability to be normalled (unless something is patched into the front, it will always connect the top side to the bottom).