Generic Custom Patch Bay
Generic·Model Custom·custom-patch-bay
About the Generic Custom
A blank patch bayA panel of front-facing jacks wired to everything behind it — re-route any signal with a short cable instead of climbing behind the rack. you can fully configure per placement. Drop one into your rack, then open its details to configure up to 48 ports of any type — XLRThe standard 3-pin locking connector for mics and balanced line signals — pin 1 is the shield, pins 2 and 3 carry the balanced pair. male/female, TRSTip-Ring-Sleeve — a 1/4″ jack with three contacts carrying a balanced signal or a stereo pair. A guitar plug with one extra ring., etherCONAn Ethernet plug inside a rugged XLR-style locking shell — tour-grade network connections that can’t be yanked loose., USB-C, HDMI, BNCThe twist-lock coax connector used for word clock and antenna runs — it locks, so it can’t be pulled out mid-show., DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes., and more. Each port can carry a different connector on the front than on the rear, so feed-through adapter panels (XLR female out front, 1/4" TRS solder tail at the back) model honestly. Useful for modeling custom stage boxesThe I/O endpoint on stage: mics plug in there and one digital line (AES50, Dante) carries everything to the console. The snake, digitized., house patch panels, or one-off breakoutA cable that splits one multichannel connector (like a DB25) into individual plugs — the octopus that turns 8 channels into 8 XLRs. panels that don't exist in any manufacturer's catalog. Each instance is customized independently.
Every rig has at least one panel that doesn't exist in any manufacturer's catalog — the custom stage boxThe I/O endpoint on stage: mics plug in there and one digital line (AES50, Dante) carries everything to the console. The snake, digitized. your shop fabricated, the house patch panel bolted into the venue wall, the breakoutA cable that splits one multichannel connector (like a DB25) into individual plugs — the octopus that turns 8 channels into 8 XLRs. snakeA multicore cable bundling many channels into one stage-to-console run. A sub-snake collects one corner of the stage into a drop box. someone built for a one-off festival. The Custom Patch BayA panel of front-facing jacks wired to everything behind it — re-route any signal with a short cable instead of climbing behind the rack. is a placeholder for exactly those pieces. Drop it into your rack plan, then configure it to reflect what you actually have: up to 12 ports of mixed types — XLRThe standard 3-pin locking connector for mics and balanced line signals — pin 1 is the shield, pins 2 and 3 carry the balanced pair., TRSTip-Ring-Sleeve — a 1/4″ jack with three contacts carrying a balanced signal or a stereo pair. A guitar plug with one extra ring., etherCONAn Ethernet plug inside a rugged XLR-style locking shell — tour-grade network connections that can’t be yanked loose., BNCThe twist-lock coax connector used for word clock and antenna runs — it locks, so it can’t be pulled out mid-show., USB-C, HDMI, DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes. — whatever the real panel carries. It exists so your rig diagram tells the truth.
In practice, this unit sits at 1UThe standard slice of rack height: 1U = 1.75″. A 3U box takes three slices; half-rack gear pairs two units side by side in one. and draws no power, so it costs you nothing in rack real estate beyond the physical space and adds no load to your power calculation. The default weight of 1 kg is a rough placeholder; a fully populated 12-port XLRThe standard 3-pin locking connector for mics and balanced line signals — pin 1 is the shield, pins 2 and 3 carry the balanced pair. panel will run heavier, and a simple two-connector breakoutA cable that splits one multichannel connector (like a DB25) into individual plugs — the octopus that turns 8 channels into 8 XLRs. plate will run lighter. The 100 mm depth is similarly generic — verify your actual panel depth before finalizing rack drawer or doghouse clearances. Port count and type are what matter here, and those you configure yourself per instance, so two custom bays in the same rack can represent two completely different physical panels.
This entry belongs in your plan any time you need to document a piece of signal infrastructure that doesn't have a proper catalog listing — shop-built boxes, venue-installed tie lines, rental-house customs, or prototype gear. It is not a substitute for real product data when a cataloged item exists; if your patch bayA panel of front-facing jacks wired to everything behind it — re-route any signal with a short cable instead of climbing behind the rack. has a manufacturer and model number, find the actual listing so weight, depth, and port truth are accurate from the start. Use the notes and BOM fields to record actual cost and weight, because the defaults here are intentional zeroes — the app won't guess for you.
In the rack
- Configure each instance independently — if you have a 6-XLRThe standard 3-pin locking connector for mics and balanced line signals — pin 1 is the shield, pins 2 and 3 carry the balanced pair. stage boxThe I/O endpoint on stage: mics plug in there and one digital line (AES50, Dante) carries everything to the console. The snake, digitized. and a 4-port etherCONAn Ethernet plug inside a rugged XLR-style locking shell — tour-grade network connections that can’t be yanked loose. panel in the same rack, drop two separate Custom Patch BaysA panel of front-facing jacks wired to everything behind it — re-route any signal with a short cable instead of climbing behind the rack. and set their ports to match each physical panel exactly.
- Update the weight field in your BOM before finalizing rack weight calculations; a 12-port XLRThe standard 3-pin locking connector for mics and balanced line signals — pin 1 is the shield, pins 2 and 3 carry the balanced pair. panel with a steel chassis can easily run 2–3 kg, which matters when you're spec'ing a fly rig or calculating case payload.
- Use the label field on each port to mirror whatever is silkscreened or engraved on the real panel — 'MON L', 'TALK', 'DANTEThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes. 1' — so your rig diagram doubles as a usable reference at load-in.
- If the physical panel's depth is deeper than 100 mm, correct it before checking rack drawer clearance — a custom fab box with rear XLRThe standard 3-pin locking connector for mics and balanced line signals — pin 1 is the shield, pins 2 and 3 carry the balanced pair. barrels and strain reliefs can easily push 150–200 mm and conflict with rear power strips or cable management.
Configure up to 48 ports of any type per instance, with a separate connector on each face. Placeholder cost/weight — edit in your own BOM.
I/O Ports (4)
| Port | Connector | Direction | Signal | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port 1 | XLR FEMALE | bidirectional | analog audio | — |
| Port 2 | XLR FEMALE | bidirectional | analog audio | — |
| Port 3 | XLR FEMALE | bidirectional | analog audio | — |
| Port 4 | XLR FEMALE | bidirectional | analog audio | — |
Related gear
Community rigs using this gear (1)
Browse all rigs →
Related articles
Guides from our library that cover planning around patch bay gear.
