Editing Mixing console (section)

===Hardware routing and patching===
For convenience, some mixing consoles include inserts or a [[patch bay]] or patch panel.  Patch bays are more common in recording mixers than live sound mixers. In live sound, the cables from the onstage microphones and instrument outputs are not typically plugged directly into the mixer, because this would require a large number of individual cables to go from the stage to the mixer. Instead, the onstage mic and instrument cables are typically plugged into the stage box of a [[snake (audio)|snake]] cable which runs from the stage to the mixer. The snake is then plugged into the mixer.