Any rack gear nerds?

Jack_

I know this isn't gearslutz or whatever, but was curious if any forum members had racks or rack gear in their studios/rigs. I love seeing old looking rack gear and the like. Probably being made extinct by Axe FX etc, but still infinitely cool if not ungainly.

I also see a few people and companies getting hold of old looking audio gear and using it to repackage new things in.

blobb

I use an Ibanez UE400 & AD202 regularly. Also get much use from a  Korg rack tuner.

I have some other rack stuff that doesn't get much use: couple of reverbs and a half rack delay. I also use rack synths which have audio in for routing guitar via the filters.

octatonic

I have some experience in these matters:

The Behemoth:

Mini-hemoth:

Now I use an Axe FX 2 into a power amp.

Who can be arsed lugging around that shit ^^^^?

Jack_

octatonic said:

I have some experience in these matters:

The Behemoth:

Now I use an Axe FX 2 into a power amp.

Who can be arsed lugging around that shit ^^^^?

Sweet, run down of what's in the behemoth? 

octatonic

Top to bottom:

Mesa Racktifier Rev G- modded for series loop 

Lexicon MPXG2

Voodoo lab GCX modded for stereo loops

Line 6 Echo Pro

Custom made 'distorto' box- Muff, TS9 and a mystery pedal in a rack

Korg Tuner

Lexicon Vortex

TC Electronic M300

DBX compressor

XIX compressor

Rocktron Intellifex

Roland Mixer for parallel FX in the series Mesa loop.

It was a bit OTT- that was really only used in the studio.

I reduced it to something I could lift pretty quickly.

blobb

Heartfeltdawn

^^

Supernova Lovely!

Clarky

my racks tend to be small

power conditioner, preamp / multi-fx, poweramp

the current preamp / multi-fx: Axe-FX II

the cuurent poweramp: Matrix GT1000FX

previous kit: Roland GP-16, Digitech 2120 [which I still use today in the studio], Roland VG-99, Marshall 8008 Valvestate poweramp

Nerine

The only rack gear I have for mixing is:

Avid HD i/o
Which feeds my Phoenix Audio Nicerizer 16, which hits my SSL bus compressor. I also have a Dangerous Music D Box for monitor control.

But that's pretty much it. Because you really don't need a lot else nowadays.

Good room treatment and monitoring is FAR more important.

lasermonkey

Yes.

I used to have three 22U rack units, but sold a whole load of stuff that wasn't getting much use after I went (mixing) deskless.

At the moment I have two 16U's worth, even though they're actually in two of the aforementioned 22U racks. The stuff that's in there is:

Alesis Microgate

Alesis Microlimiter

Alesis Microverb II

Alesis Quadraverb GT

Alesis Quadraverb +

ART Dual Levelar  2-channel valve compressor/limiter

Behringer Bass V-Amp Pro. 

Boss RBF-10 Flanger

Boss SE 50 multi fx

Boss SE 70 multi fx 

Boss SE 70 multi fx (yeah, two. I like them that much!)

Cheetah MS6 analogue, mutitimbral synth module

Deltalab DL4 digital delay

Deltalab DL4 digital delay (I bought a pair, not working, and fixed them)

DIY 2-1176 FET compressor

DIY Gyratec G9 dual channel valve line/mic preamp

DIY SSL Mixbuss compressor

Emu Proteus 2000 synth module

Fostex D160 16 track HD recorder

Golden Age Project PRE-73 mic/line preamp

Lexicon Alex digital reverb

Lexicon LXP-1 digital reverb (ex-Budgie from the Banshees)

Lexicon Reflex digital reverb

MoTU 828 Mk III audio interface

MXR Dual 15 Band EQ

Roland DEP-5 multi fx

Roland SRV-330 Space Reverb

TL Audio C5021 2-channel valve compressor

Ursa Major Stargate 323 digital reverb

I mostly do spacey guitar music and what people tend to call ambient/downtempo electronic stuff. My favourite delays and reverbs tend to come from older bits of kit, which I haven't managed to completely replicate with plugins. The Stargate is, according to Sean from Valhalla, almost impossible to replicate. That's a huge shame, as it's my favourite reverb for guitar and keys. I'm also a big fan of the DEP-5s digital delay, along with the old Deltalab delays, which use Delta-Sigma conversion. It's a different sound which I'm rather fond of.

Much of what I have/had was bought broken for cheap, then repaired by me. Sometimes I got really lucky. The second SE 70 was ex-Mixmaster Morris, was completely covered in holographic sticky plastic and rattled when shaken. That's because the internal battery had died,and the replacement was never fitted: it was loose inside! 20 minutes later and it was working. The cost? £6! It did take rather longer to remove the sticky-backed plastic though.

The pair of Deltalab delays was got for £23. One was an easy fix. Vintage gear, especially from the late 70s/early 80s will often have any Tantalum capacitors go short-circuit. One of the PSU rails wasn't working and that was just a faulty tant. The other was much more difficult, especially with no schematic to work with.

The DEP-5 was £22 and had nothing wrong with it whatsoever.

The Alex was £10. It was described as making funny noises and I was expecting it to be the usually faulty DRAM problem. As it turns out, it was another, less common problem. Upon first power-up, it would lock up. All you need to do is the classic turn it off and on again.

Incidentally, if anyone has a faulty Lexicon Alex/Reflex etc which makes a cyclical "breathing" noise, it's one or more faulty DRAM chips and I have a stash of these from when I repaired my Reflex which went tango-uniform.

anyway, I don't have any current pics, but here's a pic of the three racks together:

Clarky

lasermonkey said:

Yes.

I used to have three 22U rack units, but sold a whole load of stuff that wasn't getting much use after I went (mixing) deskless.

At the moment I have two 16U's worth, even though they're actually in two of the aforementioned 22U racks. The stuff that's in there is:

Alesis Microgate

Alesis Microlimiter

Alesis Microverb II

Alesis Quadraverb GT

Alesis Quadraverb +

ART Dual Levelar  2-channel valve compressor/limiter

Behringer Bass V-Amp Pro. 

Boss RBF-10 Flanger

Boss SE 50 multi fx

Boss SE 70 multi fx 

Boss SE 70 multi fx (yeah, two. I like them that much!)

Cheetah MS6 analogue, mutitimbral synth module

Deltalab DL4 digital delay

Deltalab DL4 digital delay (I bought a pair, not working, and fixed them)

DIY 2-1176 FET compressor

DIY Gyratec G9 dual channel valve line/mic preamp

DIY SSL Mixbuss compressor

Emu Proteus 2000 synth module

Fostex D160 16 track HD recorder

Golden Age Project PRE-73 mic/line preamp

Lexicon Alex digital reverb

Lexicon LXP-1 digital reverb (ex-Budgie from the Banshees)

Lexicon Reflex digital reverb

MoTU 828 Mk III audio interface

MXR Dual 15 Band EQ

Roland DEP-5 multi fx

Roland SRV-330 Space Reverb

TL Audio C5021 2-channel valve compressor

Ursa Major Stargate 323 digital reverb

I mostly do spacey guitar music and what people tend to call ambient/downtempo electronic stuff. My favourite delays and reverbs tend to come from older bits of kit, which I haven't managed to completely replicate with plugins. The Stargate is, according to Sean from Valhalla, almost impossible to replicate. That's a huge shame, as it's my favourite reverb for guitar and keys. I'm also a big fan of the DEP-5s digital delay, along with the old Deltalab delays, which use Delta-Sigma conversion. It's a different sound which I'm rather fond of.

Much of what I have/had was bought broken for cheap, then repaired by me. Sometimes I got really lucky. The second SE 70 was ex-Mixmaster Morris, was completely covered in holographic sticky plastic and rattled when shaken. That's because the internal battery had died,and the replacement was never fitted: it was loose inside! 20 minutes later and it was working. The cost? £6! It did take rather longer to remove the sticky-backed plastic though.

The pair of Deltalab delays was got for £23. One was an easy fix. Vintage gear, especially from the late 70s/early 80s will often have any Tantalum capacitors go short-circuit. One of the PSU rails wasn't working and that was just a faulty tant. The other was much more difficult, especially with no schematic to work with.

The DEP-5 was £22 and had nothing wrong with it whatsoever.

The Alex was £10. It was described as making funny noises and I was expecting it to be the usually faulty DRAM problem. As it turns out, it was another, less common problem. Upon first power-up, it would lock up. All you need to do is the classic turn it off and on again.

Incidentally, if anyone has a faulty Lexicon Alex/Reflex etc which makes a cyclical "breathing" noise, it's one or more faulty DRAM chips and I have a stash of these from when I repaired my Reflex which went tango-uniform.

anyway, I don't have any current pics, but here's a pic of the three racks together:

I bet when it's all powered up and the room is dark it looks propper flight deck sort of cool...

note to self... need more flashing lights and stuff in the studio, especially if they don't actually do anything..

Gadget

Here's one of my old racks...



What I have now is in my studio desk: TC 2290, TC Reverb 4000, Axe Fx II XL, TC 1210, Palmer PGA-04 and Korg A3 (plus a TC SK48 interface and Furman regulator).

dilbert

Looking at the above I have come all over  X_X

After years of collecting the odd unit here and there, I have just managed to compile my first rack, consisting of:

Behringer Rack Tuner

Digitech GSP 1101 

Marshall 8008 power amp.

BBE 8421 Sonic Maximiser  

Behringer 1010 FCB controller.

1 x 12 Laney Cab.

Waiting in the wings is a Peavey TG Raxx pre amp to go in the loop of the GSP for some toob type shenanigans . When I finally establish exactly how that works ............ any help appreciated, of course  [-O<

Elx

Elx

Elx

The flowers are my wife's idea and will be removed soon