Anyone going back to or still using a rack - even without a cab for DI/IEM?

[JamesGrant]

I am still rearranging things in the racks but am overall very happy with the results and options.
: )
View attachment 7409263

Things band mates say only once: ‘would you like a hand loading in?’

 

[baxter_x]

I am still rearranging things in the racks but am overall very happy with the results and options.
: )
View attachment 7409263

How did you rack the Mesa D800?

 

[DonaldR]

I always preferred a small rack, more convenient than a pedalboard + carrying bag/case for me. Everything is wired (25' XLR cable, 25' power cable, 15' midi cable, guitar wireless and 20' guitar cable as a backup) and protected against the elements. Nothing in my bass gigbag.

Right now I have an Avid Eleven Rack in a 2U SKB rack case. Small and light. A tiny Tech21 Mongoose midi foot controller in front of me and a switch to enable the tuner on the 11R (which are velcro'ed in the rack back cover for transport).

If I ever need a cab in the future, I will add a Crown XLS-1502 in a 4U SKB rack case (which I already have). Will be under 30lbs and will shake the place.

 

[DanAdams]

I have often toyed with this idea. My ideal bass sound is a DI'd bass through a nice studio front end. No amp sound. Live I only use a bass amp for onstage monitoring. I only send a clean DI'd bass signal to FOH.

Absolutely. from my experience in recording studios, an engineer never seems to say "plug into this preamp pedal made by a bass guitar company". it's usually DI into a good mic preamp.
Lots of channel strips have low pass. basic eq with one band of parametric and basic compression plus BONUS! you now also own a nice mic preamp to record a lot of stuff through.
Also, players here always seem to be flummoxed by ohm decisions. A PA amp bridges for monster watts at 8 ohms, often can run at two ohms, and are actually reliable, tested, and run everyday with more punishing frequencies and dynamics than just a bass guitar. A stereo amp mean you run a separate signal, or have distinct volume for two cabs, which some players would also find useful.

 

[savid]

I have an in progress 6U SKB rack that’s light enough to lug around for shows; intended as a dual purpose rig for home studio recording and live performance.

for now, it has a desktop synth mounted, space which will eventually be made available for: an 8 channel adat mic preamp, a 2 channel power amp, and a stereo/dual mono compressor.

the other 3U are occupied by an RME UFXII, a patch bay, and a mioXL midi interface. I’m aiming to be able to work with anyone’s gear to mix and record live performances, and to make sure it can all talk to each other through one box.

if I don’t want to take my pedalboard (nano max) and I’m already bringing my rack for the band/group/setup, totalmix fx on the rme has a built in compressor and eq; I can get a completely reasonable live tone plugging directly into one of the mic preamps.

 

[RattleSnack]

I joined a “silent stage” band 3 years ago. My first endeavor without a cab, changing to IEM’s. I had no gear to prep me so I just brought my 900W genz benz streamliner and ran the same bass rig as I always had…sans cab. Now 3 years later I have dumped EVERYTHING. My pedalboard, my DI, and have 1 pedal. An HX stomp. Its my everything. DI, Effects, etc. Were at a point where its simply not necessary to lug anything anymore. I mean HARD CASES aren't even used anymore.

if it makes you feel better or the sound quality is worth luggin a rack around, then hey….knock yerself out. But the reality is, you can get a fantastic tone AND every feature you need, likely in a single small box that’ll fit in the pocket of your gig bag. Took me three years to accept that, so I’ll always understand the opposing view.

Same here, I'm permanently on modern floor multieffect for amp-less and IEM setup. Soft gig-bag and small bag for cables and such.
As for rack equipment, there was a time when that was the only format for studio-grade equipment. Not anymore...

 

[pbass2]

Absolutely. from my experience in recording studios, an engineer never seems to say "plug into this preamp pedal made by a bass guitar company". it's usually DI into a good mic preamp.
Lots of channel strips have low pass. basic eq with one band of parametric and basic compression plus BONUS! you now also own a nice mic preamp to record a lot of stuff through.
Also, players here always seem to be flummoxed by ohm decisions. A PA amp bridges for monster watts at 8 ohms, often can run at two ohms, and are actually reliable, tested, and run everyday with more punishing frequencies and dynamics than just a bass guitar. A stereo amp mean you run a separate signal, or have distinct volume for two cabs, which some players would also find useful.

Exactly. When I do a session in a good studio with great front end man, I just want my bass' natural sound DI'd through that tasty stuff. And that's what the producer/engineer wants too. But that's my preferred sound, that classic approach. I've got several flavors of nice mic pre and channel strips in my home studio, heck, I could yank one out and find a cheap used PA amp and give it a whirl. That said, my current approach simulates it pretty well with bass>pre pedal>comp>JDI>FOH and it's just a mini pedalboard as opposed to a 2-space rack!

 

[RGerhart]

So I am debating dumping my little board and getting a head (Genzler Kinetix) to use as my pre/DI and rack it with a compressor and a wireless for my bass. Or maybe just leave it unracked and use my current Nano board with my Shure GLXD+ and maybe an Empress Compressor.

Am I nuts?

Nuts? Not at all. It's good to have options.

I'm a rack guy, personally, just because I feel like it eliminates a few annoying variables at every gig: (1) making sure I have everything packed for my amp; (2) making sure everything is packed and protected; and (3) keeping everything nice and organized.

I typically gig with my Aguilar DB680 preamp in a rack with a rack tuner and power conditioner, paired with a powered Accugroove Tri-112+, and I love the portability and tone. The 4U rack is only around 35 lbs with everything, so it's manageable.

 

[tom-g]

I don‘t get the notion why racks are heavy. They don‘t need to be. Just use light components, starting with the the rack itself.

 

[HeavyJazz]

I am still rearranging things in the racks but am overall very happy with the results and options.
: )
View attachment 7409263

Jazz player?..

 

[HeavyJazz]

I'm using vintage SKU rack cases to hold my big amp/preamp/rack gear, and I put foam underneath whatever gear is on the bottom for support and a bit of shock absorption. The SKUs are light enough that I don't have any trouble with transport.

OTOH, I have an SA200 in an ATA case, and this racked amp weighs a gajillion pounds and I may never gig with it again.

Loved building racks with the finest gear of the day when I was in my 20s. In my 30s, my back rebelled, so I just used it in the studio. In my 40s, my back hurt from just looking at it! So I converted 100% to Class-D.

 

[SteveC]

My "rack" is a Temple Audio board with all that you listed but a Tonehammer rather than a Genzler. It also has my AT IEM wireless transmitter. I could replace the TH with a Markbass Little Mark but never considered that. I would just be using it as a pre-amp to FOH. So why bother. I only use a full amp head when I'm outdoors there's no FOH support.

I much prefer carrying the pedal board in it's soft case than a rack. With the Temple modules, it's easy to setup/teardown like a rack.

Do you have a pic?

 

[SteveC]

Channel strip is something I considered way back in the day when we were still using racks and cabs.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Channel strip is something I considered way back in the day when we were still using racks and cabs.

Right! I was considering this for my rack.

 

[Pep]

I have several things in racks.
Gator Rack: QSC GX7 Power Amp, Peavey MAX Tube Preamp, Furman Power
Conditioner.

SKB Rack: Behringer X32 Rack Mixer, Furman Power Conditioner.

SKB Rack: Behringer S32 Digital Snake, Furman Power Conditioner.

SKB Rack: Behringer X18 Air X18 Mixer, Furman Power Conditioner.

SKB Rack: Sennheiser G4 IEM Receiver, Carvin EM900 IEM Receiver,
Furman Power Conditioner.

My Mesa 800D and TT800 are in Apache Molded cases but I’m considering mounting them both in a rack with a Furman Power Conditioner so that I have a backup readily available.

 

[prndltech]

Just listened to a Genzler Kinetix head and it sound great. And Genzler is coming out with something in a week or so.

the stomp is more flexible, smaller and lightweight (obviously).

I don’t ever want to go back to carrying around amps and rack gear. I like the quad cortex too… but something about the stomp keeps me coming back.

Glxd16+ , hx stomp, and whatever DI I want afterwards is a great combo for me. Usually between the khan vtdi or a neve rndi-m. Sometimes I run a clean channel with the khan then go into the stomp with the neve or a walrus canvas line isolator at the end.

 

[crazycloud]

I had a rack ages ago, but not sure I see the need now. A multiFX of some sort and a poweramp is enough if a speaker is used. Or the use of a powered speaker like the DXR15.
For a silent stage the MFX would do me, even if I was using guitar and bass in the same session.

 

[el murdoque]

So I am debating dumping my little board and getting a head (Genzler Kinetix) to use as my pre/DI and rack it with a compressor and a wireless for my bass. Or maybe just leave it unracked and use my current Nano board with my Shure GLXD+ and maybe an Empress Compressor.

Am I nuts?

It totally depends on what you're trying to achieve. If you want to go down a minimalism-route, or get some convenience, then I'd say yes, you're nuts if you debate a rack.

My approach looks like this.:


The third and fourth pedal from the left are completely optional.
I have an EQ with HPF, LPF and DI out on the left, followed by a Becos mini compressor, and all the way to the right, a tuner. This covers most of my needs, but since the EQ is sounding rather sterile and the platform already is a Pedaltrain Nano, I have the room for two small or one big pedal to put in for a little flavor. My PT Nano is an old one, those came with a bag that clips on to your gigbag (like the MONO Tick does).

I get tuning (which doubles as a mute), compression and essentially a channel strip, which I consider the bare essentials for small gigs where I run directly into the PA with no other means of amplification, and I get it in a form factor that fastens to my gig bag, leaving my hands free when I have it on my back.

In my humble opinion, a rack is great when you're on tour and have other people to rig up and tear down the stage.

 

[IanStephenson]

As I said in a similar thread a few days ago:

my rack has my wireless, a pre/fx, a DI and my IEM's in. No power amp. Even with just a wireless and an fx unit wit built in DI, you have to plug in a 4 way, and power from that to each other the units, and cable from wireless to the DI, and then from DI to the desk. Or you rack it an all of that arrives at the gig pre-wired.

Big heavy racks with old fashioned power amps in... no. Modern Kit kept safely in a box at the back of the stage, all pre-wired to just flip the lid off and start playing... every time!

 

[Pontiac Thrasher]

" you rack it an all of that arrives at the gig pre-wired."

Perfect!

I did this as the minimum, my wireless receiver is the Sennheiser bodypack style and can just be velcro mounted wherever. I may replace the Furman with the lightweight tuner, buuuuuuut I dunno, we have frequent power issues here in TN.

: )