Studio furniture and racks

[pucho812]

Seeking advice here/sparking a discussion.
Any good rack company recommendations?
I need a way to make things more portable for my rack of preamps.
Currently the rack is 21u, made of metal and doesn’t fit in my vehicle. I would prefer to not take units out of it when going to other locations.

Was thinking I could split it up into 2x 12u road cases. I would then drill a hole in the bottom of the top case and a hole in the top of the bottom case that way I could keep all the wiring in tact and just disconnect things when the racks travel.

 

[ruffrecords]

I am pretty sure you are in the US of A but it is not clear from your profile - and if you want advice about (local) suppliers it always a good idea to say where you are located.

I have used a couple here in the UK but no idea who is good on your side of the pond.

Cheers

Ian

 

[pucho812]

I am pretty sure you are in the US of A but it is not clear from your profile - and if you want advice about (local) suppliers it always a good idea to say where you are located.

I have used a couple here in the UK but no idea who is good on your side of the pond.

Cheers

Ian

I am in lost Angeles. Across the pond in the u.s. good sir.
who have you used in the u.k.?

 

[ruffrecords]

I am in lost Angeles. Across the pond in the u.s. good sir.
who have you used in the u.k.?

The first one I used was:

Music Studio Desks | StudioRacks

many years ago. I got them to make me a desk to house my AKAI DPS24 with racks either side.

The second one built the custom woodwork for the tube mixer shown on the home page of my website:

Custom Tube Consoles

I cannot rememeber their name of the top of my head but I will look it up and post it. They were great; they gave me loads of options for wood type and finish.

Cheers

Ian

Edit: I have never been to LA but I am familiar with some parts of it from recently watching the Lincoln Lawyer on TV

 

[pucho812]

Thank you Ian.
If you ever make your way west across the pond, I will gladly be a most gracious host.
Ask member madswitcher about the rodeo girls.

 

[dmp]

I have done similar with SKB plastic rack cases. I would put a patchbay in each rack versus "drill a hole in the bottom of the top case and a hole in the top of the bottom case that way I could keep all the wiring in tact and just disconnect things when the racks travel."
Then have a cable to connect them together.
Or a db25 on the front for each set of 8 channels in a 1U panel.
But whatever works quickly and robustly for you. Preferences vary.

 

[ruffrecords]

Thank you Ian.
If you ever make your way west across the pond, I will gladly be a most gracious host.
Ask member madswitcher about the rodeo girls.

Many thanks for the kind offer.

If I had a bucket list I know what would be at the top of it. My father commanded a tank, a Comet, in WW2 - there's a video of it on YouTube crossing the Weser. Thanks to Barry, the son of my Dad's radio operator, it turns out that it is the only surviving Comet from WW2 that actually saw action and it has now been restored and is on display in the American Heritage Museum, Hudson MA. I would dearly love to place my hands on the metal that my father touched all those years ago. Here is the plague that accompanies the exhibit:


And here is his tank;

 

[Rob Flinn]

I use skb cases for my portable gear. I like that they're light & a bit springy which hopefully shock mounts the gear a bit. I have one 4u with a hard disk recorder, one 6u with 28 mic amps (8 Neve, 8 API, 4 SSL9k, & 8 Thats i.c based) & another 6u with a Roland line mixer. I have the cabling coiled up in the back of the line mixer & mic amp cases for transport, so I just have to hook a few Dsubs up to the recorder & a multicore (snake) to the mic amps.

 

[Whoops]

If you lived in this side of the Pond you could just order from Thomann, they have a very good selection and a lot of variety.

But you can also check it out in order to maybe get some ideas and then search locally for a similar product, check it out:

https://www.thomann.de/gb/racks_studio_racks.html?ls=100&gk=STZURA&cme=false

 

[pucho812]

I have done similar with SKB plastic rack cases. I would put a patchbay in each rack versus "drill a hole in the bottom of the top case and a hole in the top of the bottom case that way I could keep all the wiring in tact and just disconnect things when the racks travel."
Then have a cable to connect them together.
Or a db25 on the front for each set of 8 channels in a 1U panel.
But whatever works quickly and robustly for you. Preferences vary.

Well as it is currently, the idea is replacing a tall rack and using 2 smaller racks instead. As the tall rack is wired down to elco’s for in and out. Keeping that wiring is the singular reason to have the holes for pass through between the two racks.
Maybe I am over thinking this?

 

[PermO]

Why drill holes in racks ?

Just mount a 1HE blindpanel in each rack with a DB style multiconnector or something more fancy.

 

[pucho812]

Why drill holes in racks ?

Just mount a 1HE blindpanel in each rack with a DB style multiconnector or something more fancy.

To me it’s the shortest distance between 2 points. One cable from elco to xlr for the rack. Not having to wire extra inbetween.
But it does propose the idea of just more elco’s or redoing the racks to be db25

 

[MidnightArrakis]

Seeking advice here/sparking a discussion.
Any good rack company recommendations?
I need a way to make things more portable for my rack of preamps.
Currently the rack is 21u, made of metal and doesn’t fit in my vehicle. I would prefer to not take units out of it when going to other locations.

Was thinking I could split it up into 2x 12u road cases. I would then drill a hole in the bottom of the top case and a hole in the top of the bottom case that way I could keep all the wiring in tact and just disconnect things when the racks travel.

[I need a way to make things more portable for my rack of preamps] -- You don't mention what it is specifically that you are doing with your equipment and racks, so it then becomes a bit difficult to make any truly useful recommendations and/or suggestions for you. But, in any case.....I operate a local 24-Track "On-Location" recording service and I have all of my microphone preamps, their power-supplies and my digital hard-disk recorder all comfortably fit within two (2) 6U GATOR Cases. And, both of these cases are easy to carry, since they also have retractable handles and wheels, as well as that they both easily fit in the backseat of my small car. > NO DRILLING REQUIRED!!! <

I have placed my three (3) PreSonus "Digi-Max" 8-Channel mic-preamps and their power-supplies within one of the 6U GATOR Cases and my MACKIE "SDR 24/96" 24-Track hard-disk recorder, along with a TC Electronic 1U signal-processor into the other 6U GATOR Case. And, there's still plenty of room leftover!!!

When I arrive at a recording session site, I usually place the MACKIE case in front of me first and then I place the PreSonus mic-preamp case on top of it, so the controls are there at eye-level with me. The wiring is really simple, as all that I need is an ADAT/TosLink fiber-optic cable placed between each mic-preamp to an associated connector on the MACKIE. Then, all that I need is to place a short BNC coax-cable from the first mic-preamp to a BNC-connector on the MACKIE for the "Word-Clock" syncing function. From there, it is only a matter to run all of my mic-cables from the stage to the inputs of my mic-preamps and I'm "Good To Go" to start recording!!! > NO DRILLING REQUIRED!!! < All of the wiring takes place -- BEHIND -- the racks and only consists of 3 - fiber-optic cables, 1 - BNC coax cable and 1 - AC power-cable. NO BIG DEAL!!!

[Any good rack company recommendations?] -- I personally use these GATOR Cases:

https://gatorco.com/shop-by-category/racks/
All of the mic-stands fit within 3 heavy-duty mic-stand bags and then I place all of my mic-cables into a fourth mic-stand bag, all of which are also very easy to carry!!! In addition, since these mic-stand bags are all -- long and narrow -- in their structure, they all easily fit on the floorboard of my backseat. In other words.....I can place an entire -- 24-Track "On-Location" -- recording operation in the backseat of my car!!!

Oh, well.....that's my 2-cents worth (which has now become of less of its value due to "Biden-omics")!!!

/

 

[pucho812]

[I need a way to make things more portable for my rack of preamps] -- You don't mention what it is specifically that you are doing with your equipment and racks, so it then becomes a bit difficult to make any truly useful recommendations and/or suggestions for you. But, in any case.....I operate a local 24-Track "On-Location" recording service and I have all of my microphone preamps, their power-supplies and my digital hard-disk recorder all comfortably fit within two (2) 6U GATOR Cases. And, both of these cases are easy to carry, since they also have retractable handles and wheels, as well as that they both easily fit in the backseat of my small car. > NO DRILLING REQUIRED!!! <

I have placed my three (3) PreSonus "Digi-Max" 8-Channel mic-preamps and their power-supplies within one of the 6U GATOR Cases and my MACKIE "SDR 24/96" 24-Track hard-disk recorder, along with a TC Electronic 1U signal-processor into the other 6U GATOR Case. And, there's still plenty of room leftover!!!

When I arrive at a recording session site, I usually place the MACKIE case in front of me first and then I place the PreSonus mic-preamp case on top of it, so the controls are there at eye-level with me. The wiring is really simple, as all that I need is an ADAT/TosLink fiber-optic cable placed between each mic-preamp to an associated connector on the MACKIE. Then, all that I need is to place a short BNC coax-cable from the first mic-preamp to a BNC-connector on the MACKIE for the "Word-Clock" syncing function. From there, it is only a matter to run all of my mic-cables from the stage to the inputs of my mic-preamps and I'm "Good To Go" to start recording!!! > NO DRILLING REQUIRED!!! < All of the wiring takes place -- BEHIND -- the racks and only consists of 3 - fiber-optic cables, 1 - BNC coax cable and 1 - AC power-cable. NO BIG DEAL!!!

[Any good rack company recommendations?] -- I personally use these GATOR Cases:

https://gatorco.com/shop-by-category/racks/
All of the mic-stands fit within 3 heavy-duty mic-stand bags and then I place all of my mic-cables into a fourth mic-stand bag, all of which are also very easy to carry!!! In addition, since these mic-stand bags are all -- long and narrow -- in their structure, they all easily fit on the floorboard of my backseat. In other words.....I can place an entire -- 24-Track "On-Location" -- recording operation in the backseat of my car!!!

Oh, well.....that's my 2-cents worth (which has now become of less of its value due to "Biden-omics")!!!

/

Jokes aside. My preamps currently take up 21u of space. Most are 2ru tall at 3 channels each. They live in a 21 u rack.
I keep thinking to have them in 2 x 12ru racks and keep the original wiring. This would require A pass through between the two racks so I can have the lids on, or would require I take up more space by having to store lids and have the wiring over the rear.

 

[Ike Zimbel]

If you find yourself in need of 56-pin EDAC connectors, I'm sitting on a pile of them in very good condition. I can also probably supply the 2-U pre-punched panels and frames to mount them.

 

[kags]

I used to wire a lot of racks for engineers that traveled between studios. I used ELCO or MASS connectors on the sides of the cases to connect the racks to the patch bay. The racks came with a TT bay with a speaker stand, so that the studio could place the visiting patchbay(s) near their bays and crosspatch with their TT bays. This allowed the racks to be closed up at night but the audio connections would stay in place. Live sound racks also used panel mount connectors on the sides or cover panels of racks for input boxes and mults and such...

 

[pucho812]

If you find yourself in need of 56-pin EDAC connectors, I'm sitting on a pile of them in very good condition. I can also probably supply the 2-U pre-punched panels and frames to mount them.

Thank you but I am covered. I have a mountain of 90 pin edacs in the shop.

 

[kags]

Thank you but I am covered. I have a mountain of 90 pin edacs in the shop.

I might have some 90-pin elco to D-sub (1 elco to 3 Dsub) pigtails, if you need them. They are local in LA.

 

[pucho812]

I might have some 90-pin elco to D-sub (1 elco to 3 Dsub) pigtails, if you need them. They are local in LA.

No thank you

 

[MidnightArrakis]

Jokes aside. My preamps currently take up 21u of space. Most are 2ru tall at 3 channels each. They live in a 21 u rack.
I keep thinking to have them in 2 x 12ru racks and keep the original wiring. This would require A pass through between the two racks so I can have the lids on, or would require I take up more space by having to store lids and have the wiring over the rear.

[My preamps currently take up 21u of space] -- I would think you may want to consider using some different mic-preamps!!!

[Most are 2ru tall at 3 channels each] -- My mic-preamps are 1U high and contain 8-channels each!!! By the way.....are these all -- vacuum-tube -- mic-preamps??? Why are they so big with so little electronics in them? Are they custom-built? Or, do they have a "brand-name" to them?

BUT!!!.....to each their own!!!

/