If you have read this thread: http://genoqs.net/index.php?option=com_joomlaboard&Itemid=50&func=view&id=866&catid=2
– you will know that many of us rely on hardware midi patchbays. I will not say that it is mandatory (also I don´t know in detail what you will try to accomplish) but by reading your questions, I get the feeling that you may be a candidate for getting one.
Remember that most people are moving (or have moved) away from midi, so a s/h midi patchbay should be dirtcheap. My friends Ensonic KMX-16 had been collecting dust for years, but now it has made a strong unexpected comeback in my studio!