Setting up things for "Ease Of Use"

Totally agree on that! Especially in a project/writing studio which is what I've had until my current setup. One mains switch, boot the computer and go. Not quite as easy to achieve in bigger studios but just as desirable imo. One thing I did recently in my fairly complex setup was getting the TK Tranciever, to be able to easily use fx pedals in a mix. Things like that. To keep creativity up and hazzle down.

Absolutely John! Add patch bays, additional racks, sometimes an extra computer (although this comes with it's own complications...), additional racks for organization, etc.. The simpler and more straight ahead your studio is, the more likely you are to surround and capture that creative muse...

I'm actually two steps ahead Tony. :-)  After having TT bays with hardwired soldered rear connections on the rear, I jumped ship.  A couple of years ago I terminated ALL my racks with Female 90 pin Elco's on the back and redid all my bays, wiring, interconnects, etc.. Now the TT bays also have 90 pin Female Elco's on the back and I got a bunch (and I DO mean a bunch) of Male to Male 90 Pin Elco interconnects of various lengths from 8' to 50' wired with 24 pair Mogami. Four cables terminate on the rear of each TT bay. Luckily my studio and wiring philosophy was based on the law of 24's. i.e.: 48 input console, 12 stereo aux returns, 24i/o conversion, 2" 24 track, etc., etc. = so the 90 pin (use 72 positions) Elco's and 24 pair Mogami just made perfect sense for me. Two guys can break down the studio, rearrange racks, completely reconfigure all the gear, etc. - the whole thing - in a matter of a couple of hours. One of the best decisions I ever made. Makes "ease of use" have new meaning for me.  It was a lot of work, and a lot of $$, but I scavenged my old bays and wiring and sold it, so other than a couple of months of labor on my part, the cost wasn't too bad.  (Maybe 8k or so)

BTW, I came to the conclusion that I needed to do this when I was trying to fix a broken soldier point on the rear of a TT bay and reroute a rack and was up to my knees (literally) in tangled up snake cables so bad I could barely crawl out.... heh heh

I am using a cheap 1/4 patchbay...Not sure there's anything wrong with it...you think?

Like Eric mentioned, it's the reliability that's the issue with cheap 1/4 bays. Generally, a decent TT bay will last you a full lifetime....or two. And used, they are a bargain. Sometimes cheaper than a new 1/4 bay. Commissioning them is significantly more labor intensive though if you're using the solder on lug versions.  The elco or DB25 terminated ones are generally much higher priced.

Picked up another ADC with solder lugs for $20 last week!
Elco bays can be had on EBay for $60 BUT you have to be careful QC it, check normals!

One of the bigger shocks I ever had was discovering a cheap 1/4" patch bay I'd installed as a temporary measure turned out to be really reliable for a decade. Whatever you do, always get nickel-plated jacks and cords.

Actually, they (1/4") can differ a quite a bit in quality from manufacturer to manufacturer and model to model. There were even cheaper than neutrik models, that were actually better in quality. Some are good for a long time, others were unusable after less than 2 yrs...also depends much on how clever the setup is, how you normal, how often you actually do plug in and out...
Argument for solder lug patchbays: less plugs and jacks, less hassle.

The Neutrik like 99% are made in the Rean factory Now owned by Neutrik!

+1000 for the rycote.

I would also say that barely over a handful (7) of my mics have those bands anyway. Many of my mounts are Royers and the like that are expensive but rarely have problems. I am slowly replacing cheaper stands as they go bad with Triad Orbit stands. They will last my lifetime. I have also restored a few of the vintage Atlas stands from the 1950's that are very heavy duty and just wearing parts out now. One more and I will have finished restoring the (4) that I bought in an estate sale.

www.royerlabs.com/sling-shock.html

www.triad-orbit.com/

R

The ones that worked out well had a 1/4 inch TRS jack on each side. For the life of me I can't remember the manufacturer.