Recording - August 2018 - 60

Bittree

PS16DB25QX
By Paul Vnuk Jr.
Bittree has been building some of the highest-quality audio
and video patch bays in the industry since 1978. Back in
our 2017 December issue, we took a look at the PS4825F
patch bay, which was one of those "why didn't someone think
of this before?" products. It is a 48-point TT (Tiny Telephone)
patchbay made to sit on your desktop rather than being rackmounted. This allows for easy patching of desktop preamps
and processors, especially those of the 500 Series persuasion,
although it can be rackmounted as well with additionally
purchased rack ears. Another great feature of the PS4825F is
that its rear connections are DB25 D-Sub connectors, eliminating
cable spaghetti in favor of neatly organized snakes to your
recording gear.
This month we are looking at another product in Bittree's
Pro Studio series. It's the PS16DB25QX-yes, I know, Bittree's
names just roll right off the tongue!

So what is it?

The PS16DB25QX is a single-space 19" rackmount unit
that is technically a passthrough rather than a patchbay. It
is a 16-slot bay that makes use of a pair of 8-channel TASCAM spec DB25 D-Sub connectors on its rear panel. The
front is available in one of four different factory prepared
configurations: 16 Female XLR, 16 Male XLR, 8 of each, or
16 female 1/4" TRS jacks. Note that for the 1/4" version these
are not your typical dual-row, over-under 1/4" ins like those
from companies such as Neutrik, Hosa, or Behringer; this
is a single parallel row of large-scale locking 1/4" sockets.
Bittree also lets you custom-configure your own choice of
front-panel connectors.

RECORDING August 2018

On the technical side, the PS16DB25QX is made from
powdercoated aluminum and uses digital spec wiring on the
inside. All signal paths are isolated from the chassis. It is built
like a tank and all of the jacks are snug and tight. The unit also
includes a small single-space rail with a pullout naming strip
above each of the inputs.

In use

I received the 16-female XLR version for review, which I
installed on the bottom level of my equipment rack and connected
to the microphone input row of another DB25 TT patchbay already
installed elsewhere in my room. This set up took mere minutes, and
allows me to plug in my mic cables to the PS16DB25QX, which is
now routed to the inputs of my various microphone preamps. I can
choose mics and repatch at will.
Previously I had extra-long DB25 snakes connected to the
preamp inputs, and I would have to unfurl them for use in
my space. This new setup is already much neater and
less cluttered, with less chance for snakes to get tripped over
or otherwise damaged. The other advantage of the PS16DB25QX, even if you have no other patch panels, is that you
no longer need to crawl behind your racks to connect, swap,
or change mic cables.
You can let your imagination run wild with this passthrough;
any time you have a bunch of gear in a rack in one place, and
a bunch of gear that gets changed out frequently in another,
it organizes the connections neatly and cleanly to save wear
and tear on cables and keep you moving fast. I used female
XLRs to run mics to preamps, but you could use male XLRs
to run mic signals into rack signal processors, and the 1/ 4"
TRS points work for both balanced and unbalanced signals,
making them suitable for both line-level balanced gear and
unbalanced instruments like guitars or synthesizers.
If you are looking for a simple, convenient way to get
your microphones, line inputs, or even instrument connections
connected into or out of your microphone preamps,
interfaces, and effects without climbing behind your racks,
the PS16DB25QX is a perfect solution. And the name is
really sexy, too.

$365; www.bittree.com

http://www.bittree.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - August 2018