studio/rackmount equipment

[vendettav]

Hey everyone, wishing you happy new year!

Here's the question has anyone build rackmount or jus studio stuff? share your photos!

Also I am interested in may be building a mic pre or a compressor for vocals (with a VU meter I guess). Think something along the lines of LA3A or something
but still to keep it easy

Is this easy to do or something? any good schems?

[greaser_au]

I have been thinking about this for a mixer/preamp.  I have a couple of old single height vero racks, and the 100x160mm protoboards are readily available from Asia on -bay. The only hassle is needing to make my own front panels - seriously need to recover my high-school hacksaw skillz!!!

david

[digi2t]

This is the only piece of rack gear I've built to date;



It's a stereo A/B/C/Y MIDI switcher. I had an old digital delay that was dead, so I recycled the casing. I used a MIDI relay board from Highly Liquid. I could take any stereo signal from three different sources, or split any two of the three to a Y out (one left, one right). My fav was a maxed out Big Muff on one side, with a synth bass patch from my GR-50 on the other. With my QSC1450, and two 300 watt 2x12 cabs, I could really shake the dust off the rafters.

The rack evolved over time, and I don't use it any more. I have three 360 Systems AM-16 Matrix units that handle all the switching now. 

[vendettav]

^ Nice rack!

how do you like your DOD EQ? I got a 231qxlr DOD EQ (I guess the 31 band stereo version of yours) and I kinda like it so far


also is it possible to DIY a maximizer?

[Jazznoise]

Recently modified an old Shure M268 to seperate the outputs. I've wanted to try the Joe Cheap compressor but I haven't found any clips to make it worthwhile. EM124 would be nice too...

diyaudio.com is full of this stuff, incidentaly!

[digi2t]

^ Nice rack!

how do you like your DOD EQ? I got a 231qxlr DOD EQ (I guess the 31 band stereo version of yours) and I kinda like it so far


also is it possible to DIY a maximizer?

Thanks. Like mentioned before, the "rack" has evolved greatly over time. The pic above is quite old. I'm not using the DOD anymore, that's been upgraded to a RANE MPE-14 MIDI stereo EQ. I don't know if a DIY Maximizer is possible, but at the price of a used one, I wouldn't really bust my head over it. They're not that expensive, and the BBE is hard to beat. Switching back and forth with the bypass switch, the tone difference is just phenomenal. This is my rack in it's present state (minus one AM-16 unit, and the MIDI router, which are out because I'm rerouting my patching right now);



Not shown is the pedalboard, which is my MIDI foot controllers, other multi effects units (GNX3, Adrenalinn II, RP2000, and a couple of other usual suspects), and wahs that I tend to stomp on regularly. The two entities are joined together via snake cable, and the works is controled via MIDI, through the AM-16's. The AM-16's have buffers on both inputs and outputs, so tone sucking isn't a problem. Also, since they are 16 x 16 matrix, my signal chain can be whatever I wish it to be, in any order I program it, in stereo or split. If ever there was a piece of gear that I could clone, this would be it. I mean, I probably could, except that they are getting very scarce now, so I don't feel like messing with them. Everything gets pumped through the EQ, and Maximizer, before hitting the amp.

If there's a tone or sound you need... it's in here. Somewhere.

[vendettav]

that's cool stuff! seriously! I actually like the idea of going used. I'll deifnitely grab me a BBE maximizer someday... SOME day when I have money to buy stuff from abroad again!

[greaser_au]

I forgot, 'shanaey' / 'pixel print ltd' in Canada also sell the 100x160mmm  prototyping boards for vero/eurocard racks. Postage to down under from there is the killer for me 

david

[petey twofinger]

hey dino , what synth bass patch on the gr-50 ?

i liked that deep fretless , rock bass wasnt bad with the velocity switch , and i think the scott summers patches had a nice bass too .

[digi2t]

hey dino , what synth bass patch on the gr-50 ?

i liked that deep fretless , rock bass wasnt bad with the velocity switch , and i think the scott summers patches had a nice bass too .

Yup, deep fretless is the one I use. In stereo, if you run it on one channel, and a maxed out muff on the other, the result is great. Especially if you're pushing a lot of air, it's a real hair dryer.

[jazbo8]

I have been thinking about this for a mixer/preamp.  I have a couple of old single height vero racks, and the 100x160mm protoboards are readily available from Asia on -bay. The only hassle is needing to make my own front panels - seriously need to recover my high-school hacksaw skillz!!!

david

A bit confused, may be you have a picture of what it looks like? Are you mounting the board flat or straight up? How does it fit in the 1U Vero rack?

Thanks,
Jaz

[greaser_au]

I have been thinking about this for a mixer/preamp.  I have a couple of old single height vero racks, and the 100x160mm protoboards are readily available from Asia on -bay. The only hassle is needing to make my own front panels - seriously need to recover my high-school hacksaw skillz!!!

david

A bit confused, may be you have a picture of what it looks like? Are you mounting the board flat or straight up? How does it fit in the 1U Vero rack?

Thanks,
Jaz

sorry, I wasn't clear...   vero/eurocard racks are single height (3RU)  and double height (6RU). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurocard_(printed_circuit_board)

david

[jazbo8]

I think I got it now, so use 3U rack with the 100mmx160mm vero protoboards.


Jaz

[greaser_au]

I think I got it now, so use 3U rack with the 100mmx160mm vero protoboards.


Jaz

that's the thing! I saved two of these rack frames (with the dedicated cards from it's last use)  from the dumpster at work a few years ago.

david

[jazbo8]

The price is right! These racks are usually pretty expensive, so I am thinking of a cheapo version using eurorack rails mounted into wood box, but you are right - getting the front panels to look good is a big challenge (unless you want to spend some $ to have them made or get pre-made panel).