ABSTRACT
A rack-mounted, recording-studio component containing at least two rows of connectors used to “patch in” or insert into the signal path a piece of external equipment, usually console sections and tape machines. The two rows consist of send and receive jacks, with the better designs configured for balanced interconnection, rather than unbalanced. The two rows are tied together by shorting contacts, meaning that during normal operation the send and receive points will be connected, maintaining the signal path until something is plugged in. Patch bays are popular in recording studios where it is common to change the units in the signal path for each new session or client.
