Support

General

What are the system requirements for PatchCAD?

PatchCAD 3 and PatchCAD Viewer are available for macOS and Windows:

macOS Minimum Requirements

• macOS 10.13 High Sierra or above

Windows Minimum Requirements

• Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 and above
• 64bit Operating System

It is recommended to use a display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 or higher for comfortable use.

What paper do you recommend to print on?

From experience of building patchbay systems for clients, I strongly recommend printing on 100 gram or heavier paper so that the strip is strong enough to withstand being pushed or pulled through the designation strip and has the best longevity. Also, colour looks better defined and more vivid on heavier paper as it absorbs more ink.

What printer does PatchCAD support?

PatchCAD supports all printers! As long as it is installed and working under Microsoft Windows, PatchCAD will work out how to display your patchbay on the page and print it – even if it’s an envelope size page!

Can I run PatchCAD on a Mac?

YES! As of PatchCAD 3, PatchCAD is available for both Mac and Windows! Please check minimum requirements before purchase.

Licensing and Activation

How many computers can I install PatchCAD on?

You can install PatchCAD on 3 concurrent computers (machines). When PatchCAD is installed on a new computer (or Virtual Machine), you will be prompted to enter your license key for activation. If you would like to authorise another computer, simply log in to your account, navigate to Manage Activations and remove one of the existing activations, and active another machine instead.

I didn’t get my download link. Where can I download the installer?

When you order PatchCAD, you should receive an email with the activation key and a download link almost immediately. Please check your spam folder in case the email ended up there.

If for some reason you either haven’t received this email or you can’t see its content, you can always log in to your account and navigate to the Downloads section to download the installer.

My PatchCAD is already activated but I was asked to activate it again. Why?!

PatchCAD’s licensing system works by hashing together several key components of your computer into one long number that cannot be reversed into the source components that make it up. This long number is commonly called Machine ID. If one of the hardware components that are used to make up the Machine ID is changed, the Machine ID will no longer match the previous value so the software will think that this is a new installation of PatchCAD and will prompt for a new activation.

Simply log in to your account, navigate to Manage Activations and remove the existing activation for this computer. This way you will not lose any extra activations of the 3 allowed concurrent activations.

Note about Virtual Machine: When a virtual machine software like Parallels Desktop is updated, it emulates a new virtual serial number for some of the components used to generate a Machine ID. It is most likely you will be asked to activate PatchCAD when your virtual machine is updated. This is normal behaviour.

Patchbays

I created a custom patchbay that others could find useful. How do I share it?

Once you’ve created a custom patchbay, you can save it as a template in the Create Custom Template window. Once added to the templates list, go back to the Custom Template window where you can click on Share Template to upload the design to our server for approval. The design will be reviewed and added to the next update.