ABSTRACT
Patching employs short, very flexible cables with an identical plug at each end and a patch panel into which the control operator inserts these cables. A supply of the cables, called patch cords, in varying lengths usually hangs inside an equipment rack in the control room. The patch panel or patch bay is found sometimes on the face of the equipment rack, sometimes at one end of the console, but always within easy reach of the operator. In addition to replacing defective console components, the operator can use patching to connect external equipment to the console or to connect the console output to additional external sources. Impedance matching can be viewed with perhaps a bit more clarity by using a water hose analogy. The operator must patch the mult to an impedance combination that matches 600 ohm and that matches the console output. Matrixing is used primarily to connect external stand-alone facilities to a console.
