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Want to start building up a rack for eventual integration into my home PC driven setup*, and was wondering if anyone had a rack? I've got a rackmount compressor at the moment, and am looking to add an outboard EFX unit and a couple of sound modules (synths/drum machines etc) over the coming year.

I'm stuck as to what to look for in a rack. I only really want something that's good to hold like 4 pieces of kit at this time, have had a look on eBay and all the racks they have on there are way too big to fit into my room. Is there like a desktop stand stylee 19" rackmount unit that might be more available?


(* Am currently using FL as my DAW, so if anyone has any experience of integrating outboard hardware into this kind of setup, advice would be much appreciated)

my lil rack setup
honestly you can just buy some rails and build one yourself to your own needs if you're handy with some tools
that's a kk audio kd series eight spacer sitting on top of a skb tour oriented one i got for a steal 8 spacer

far as integrating it in depends on your interface setup and such
the actual hard routing is the pain (why i have a patchbay) in the software it's usually a piece of piss

No clue what to tell you about which one too buy, but as far as integrating it into FL, your going to need a GOOD interface and a well organized patch-bay... with a multi-out multi-in interface though, its easy, theres a black dropdown at the top of each mixer track where you assign its function within your soundcards audio drivers...

So say you wanna send the signal from massive out to your EFX... You link massive to a mixer track, set its dropdown to the output you wish to use, patch that output from your soundcard to the EFX, then take the output from the EFX, patch back to soundcard in, go to a new mixer track on FL, set its dropdown to the input you've selected. Slap an Edison on the end.

There mgiht be a better way to do this, but its how I'd go about it... so...

oh yea and organizational wise invest in some proper snakes instead of individual cables, it will save you headaches and rat nests in the long run

Basic A wrote: your going to need a GOOD interface and a well organized patch-bay...

Ok, what do you mean by interaface - would that be like a mixing desk?

audio interface/soundcard

deadly habit wrote:audio interface/soundcard

Ah, ok. Currently running this;

that looks more like a consumer grade like surround sound type deal
take a look at some audio production/recording interfaces with low latency asio options and multi-in and out

deadly habit wrote:that looks more like a consumer grade like surround sound type deal
take a look at some audio production/recording interfaces with low latency asio options and multi-in and out

Any particular brand names that are at the lower end of the price range and worth a Google?

Consider input + output for each signal chain you intend to run live at once without resampling or bussing multiple signals into a single input/out a single output... Signal has to get out of your pc and back in, regardless...

Also consider that you have to sum the input and output latency's of a soundcard to get the full delay youll experience working with outboard.

Focusrite btw, just saw your question as I submitted.

focusrite
presonus
depends on budget
god i feel like i'm back working at guitar center

Apologies, my first foray into working outside of the box so to speak, so excuse the barrage of questions



Something like the Saffire series seems to be within my budget (obv. the lower end models)

you're going to want at minimum 2 stereo outs and ins, the more ins and outs from the get go the merrier and less patching you'll have to do

Ikea Rast bedside table + rack strip and a few screws

macc wrote:Ikea Rast bedside table + rack strip and a few screws

No way, exactly the right size for 19" units?

macc wrote:Ikea Rast bedside table + rack strip and a few screws

why am i not surprised
i swear ikea makes shit with musicians in mind

And only £7.99, bargain. Looks like an early morning trip to Croydon is in order.

yeah

getting more gear for my rack(s)

just bagged the focusrite octopre MKII

I'll post up the new pics soon

going to get my tube leveling amplifier soon and my desktop racks will be full

then I have the 12 space under the desk with 9U open

here is a good place for inexpensive racks in the u.s.

http://www.cheapstudioracks.com/

I'm looking into getting some cheap hardware on ebay, there are a couple old analog compressors on ebay that go pretty cheap. I don't think ill be recording any of my hardware straight into my computer though. Maybe record stuff to tape, or a little 4 track i have first then puter inn.