Create a patch bay chart to consult during performance. A patch bay chart is a simple diagram of your setup in which the different MIDI instruments and their associated patch bay channels are clearly laid out. There is no standard way to create a patch bay chart – many musicians simply draw one on a sheet of paper.
Connect your MIDI master device to the patch bay’s “MIDI In” port. Patch bays vary, but the “MIDI In” port will generally be on the front of the device, accompanied by a mechanism for switching between different patch bay channels. The switching mechanism will be a knob or individual buttons associated with each channel.
Connect your MIDI slave devices – all of the sythesizers, samplers and other modules to be controlled – to the “MIDI Out” ports on the patch bay. Consult the patchbay chart to ensure that each instrument is plugged into the port you expect it to be during performance. If possible, arrange the devices around you in the same way you arrange them during rehearsal. Not all performance venues will allow for this.
Turn all devices on and set their respective performance parameters to prepare for your first cue. This will involve setting synthesizer patches, sampler settings, MIDI channel ins and outs and related parameters.
Use the patch bay’s mechanism for switching channels to switch between slave devices during performance. Ideally, you will be intimately familiar with your patch bay’s channel assignments and able to switch accurately between devices on cue without stopping to think. If necessary, consult the patch bay chart you created prior to performance.