Amp rack patch panel - front or rear & why

M

Matt Duncan

Freshman
May 9, 2011
61
0
6
Concord, NC
I just bought a new (to me) wedge & amp package so its time to modify things to my liking. On my previous rack I had my patch panel on the rear, but I was thinking about putting it on the front this time. What are some pros & cons of front vs rear patch panels?

Thanks!
 
Re: Amp rack patch panel - front or rear & why

I like my patches on the back. Keeps the controls on the front clear of wires and clutter. You can also have smaller racks, as you don't need to dedicate front spaces for patching.

The downside, is if you need to make a quick patch change, you have to crawl to the back of the racks.
 
Re: Amp rack patch panel - front or rear & why

I prefer to have everything on the front. Then I can push the racks up against a wall and have access to everything, and my meters are on the side facing outwards. I'm out now with Crown V-Racks and I don't like them because I cant put them up against a wall, patch and see the meters at the same time.
Everything else about them are very good.
 
Re: Amp rack patch panel - front or rear & why

Brian jojade said:
I like my patches on the back. Keeps the controls on the front clear of wires and clutter. You can also have smaller racks, as you don't need to dedicate front spaces for patching.

The downside, is if you need to make a quick patch change, you have to crawl to the back of the racks.
Click to expand...

I just switched all mine to the back or all the reasons Brian stated. Because the racks look cleaner, you don't have to "hide them" and can even allow yourself to pull them away from the wall a bit to allow access to the rear without "crawling". Again wires in front, it just looks messy, hangs over processor displays etc...I've done it both ways and half n half, and I like the cable mess at the back... You should patch it once and be done with it until the end of the gig.
 
Re: Amp rack patch panel - front or rear & why

Patch panels at the bottom in the front. I always hated not being able to push the racks up against a wall/stage/etc. and still have access to the panel. Hated it more when I stagehanded shows for national companies and saw how easy it was to place and hookup their racks, and how quickly and cleanly they packed after the show.
 
6 one way, 1/2 dozen the other. As long as it is not both!

I prefer the back, but I mainly do corporate RnR and monitors, where seeing the nest of cabling, or tripping over the cabling isn't a great idea.
 
Re: Amp rack patch panel - front or rear & why

When I built my amp rack 3 years ago, I put it in the Front at the Bottom of the rack. Thats how I saw all the other racks built. I need to expand on I/O now, but I think I can keep it all on the front.

I built an FX/FOH rack an I put all the connectors in the rear.
 
Re: Amp rack patch panel - front or rear & why

i/o on the front, ventilation on the back. Much cleaner looking.


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Evan
 
Re: Amp rack patch panel - front or rear & why

I second what Evan said. I made my panels myself, and have everything on the front, and the entire rear of the rack is a giant mesh vent, allowing me to place them about 2 inches from any wall giving great airflow. Since each rack harness was soldered and wired by me, and I am aware & confident in my capabilities, I have no cause for concern of "rear rack failures."

Each rack is 11 spaces- 1U vent on top, 8U of amps, then up to 2U for the connectors. My monitor rack connectors are a bit close for comfort, but I have learned to manage quite well.....


IMG_1418.jpgIMG_1419.jpg
 
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Re: Amp rack patch panel - front or rear & why

I just moved my patch panels from the rear to the bottom front because:
1. The aforementioned ease of parking the rack against the wall.
2. When something goes wrong, it's a lot easier to get into the back to troubleshoot without a patch panel in the way.
 
Re: Amp rack patch panel - front or rear & why

Back. Keeps the fronts nice and clean. When looking at the back, I have all the inputs on the left, and all the outputs on the right I can plug everything in by feel.
 
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Re: Amp rack patch panel - front or rear & why

So it is really simple then:

Riggers and techs prefer patch panels in the front.

Posers prefer patch panels in the back. ;)~;-)~:wink:
 
Re: Amp rack patch panel - front or rear & why

Per Søvik said:
So it is really simple then:

Riggers and techs prefer patch panels in the front.

Posers prefer patch panels in the back. ;)~;-)~:wink:
Click to expand...

I've long suffered from long set up/strike times, and I don't care how much "cleaner" they look: the I/O goes on the bottom of the front, dammit! Not to mention that you're most likely going to have the lights facing somewhere besides the amp racks, and no average audience member should be able to notice in the long run. Not to mention that having to go between the back and front for different things makes your life that much more difficult.
 
Re: Amp rack patch panel - front or rear & why

My amps are all racked into groups of one or two, since I load and unload them myself. Small one man operation here.


Poseur?


Maybe.


I'm in a little town of 10,000. My small audio side company isn't going to replace my job as a tradesman in Alberta anytime soon. But it pays for itself and I'm running and expanding slowly with zero debt to service.


But that's why I'm posting in Jr. Varsity, instead of Varsity.
 
Re: Amp rack patch panel - front or rear & why

Rob Gow said:
My amps are all racked into groups of one or two, since I load and unload them myself. Small one man operation here.


Poseur?


Maybe.


I'm in a little town of 10,000. My small audio side company isn't going to replace my job as a tradesman in Alberta anytime soon. But it pays for itself and I'm running and expanding slowly with zero debt to service.


But that's why I'm posting in Jr. Varsity, instead of Varsity.
Click to expand...

I'd rather handle more pieces that try to handle fewer but heavier pieces when I work by myself, too.

For Matt-

In my van-rig days, I think I had 3 amps per rack and all the i/o was on the back (a little XLR panel for inputs and access to the banana jacks on the amps). For the kinds of gigs I did back then I don't think front/back would have made any difference.

These days things are very different, but the circumstances of how and where we gig have the greatest influence on these kinds of practical matters. At most of our shows our PA amp racks typically go under the stage (outdoors or indoors in arenas) or as far offstage (theaters) as we can go. Having the i/o and power on the front means we can push the racks right up against the X-braces or against a wall and have full access to all typical patching and amp functions. Our monitor racks have power & i/o on the back so the cables don't get in the mixerperson's way, and seldom do these racks get placed in ways that are not free standing.

But I think you should do what makes the most sense for the way you have to set up your gear most often, and find a patching scheme or connector layout that works for YOU. If you do something because there is a perceived standard but it's a royal pain in the ass, that method isn't benefiting you.
 
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