Patchbay - how do they work? (junction box, buffer box??)

[alexreinhold]

OK, I've officially arrived in the pedalboard rabbit hole...

In my attempt to make my pedalboard as convenient as possible, I stumbled across 4-way patchbays (e.g. Temple Audio 4-way or OneControl). Now I have a few questions some of you can maybe help me with:

1. is a patchbay the same as a junction box and/or a buffer box? If no, what are the differences?
2. my aim is to manage the 4CM conveniently, i.e. install such a box at the side of the pedalboard so that I can simply attach send, return and input (and output?) cables to a box like this with 3 or 4 inputs. Is this possible with a patchbay/junction box/buffer box and, if yes, how would the cabling work?
3. completely different use case. but if 2 is possible, would I also be able to route, say, my Kemper, audio interface and amp to a box like this and drill it to my desk to have all inputs next to each other and always stick my guitar cable into the one I need?
4. if 2 and/or 3 work, should I expect any negative effects on tone or would it be completely neutral?

Best
Alex

 

[TBurst Std]

I hate to say this, but you have to investigate this by each brand. They interchange those terms. Why go down the rabbit hole. Ditch the amp and get a second Kemper

 

[alexreinhold]

lol you're right per se. But I somehow find it fun to work on these things lately. Also... been missing the amp in the room and don't like the Kemper much via a cab.

 

[TBurst Std]

Don’t use a cab, use a FRFR with a good IR. It’s exactly what you hear recorded.
I say this as I view Amp in the Room as BS. We never heard that on ANY recording.

 

[TBurst Std]

And to rant further, most who obsess on the amp in the room sound like CRAPOLA live playing with others.

 

[alexreinhold]

I currently use my Genelecs and they're bloody awesome. But, albeit they don't give me the feeling of a cab (the slight bottom-end pressure, the air released, you know?). Do you get this from an FRFR?

I mean, the other day, I was at my cousin's studio. He's got a Kemper, a Quad Cortex, 3 4x12 cabs, at least 5 amps (all high end Mesa, Bogner, Marshall, Orange stuff). And I gotta say, nothing compared to the feeling of playing the JCM800 via the Mesa 4x12 cab. And I say "feeling" and not tone or sound or whatever.

In the mix... different story of course. But standing in front of this cab, feeling the action go through the tubes. It's f*ing awesome.

Now, would I trade my Kemper for that setup? NEVER! Do I love the feeling of it - hell yeah.

Long story short - that's why I've been going back to analog/tube a bit. Just for feeling...

 

[alexreinhold]

@mayfly though we went off-topic - do you have any advice on junction boxes for the intended purpose mentioned above ?

 

[TBurst Std]

Yes FRFR is much different than studio monitors. FRFR are far field and much larger. I have a pair of Mackies at 1600 watts each. A single one can reach about 127 db.

 

[mayfly]

@mayfly though we went off-topic - do you have any advice on junction boxes for the intended purpose mentioned above ?

Dunno man - most patchbays that I've seen are completely passive (they just provide a handy place to plug into your board). Not worth having IMHO unless you are constantly tearing down and putting back up your rig.

Regarding buffered ones etc, if you're looking at a specific patchbay, I might be able to offer some more insight.