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post your racks...
- Thread starter boglej2
- Start date
Any more explanation of how much that costs/what does it do (in depth I mean)/how does it do it?
Too cool nonetheless.
Too cool nonetheless.
If you're asking me...It just blows. I had a rack space open & I noticed it was a little warm inside the rack so I made a fan rig to fit in there. It probably is doing relatively little 'cuz it may not have needed it, but it was a cool project so I justified it. As far as the cost goes, since it was all custom machine work it's kinda' hard to say, but it wasn't cheap if I'd have had to pay.
Why though?
That's my question to all of you. In most applications you're going to be DI'd at the beginning of your signal chain. Maybe after the pedals if you have any... but I know sound men are going to see your rack and cringe. I really don't want to get into a flame war, but most rack gear is over the top and unnecessary. I can understand a power conditioner and a tuner (even though I know of much better tuners that aren't rack mount) but once you're stacking multiple effects processors in there... why? I feel the more you put in the further away you're deviating from pure and simple bass. Maybe it works for your applications but I've gone through all of it and decided that simplest was best. Care to explain your reasonings? (Not trying to come across mean at all, just curious)
That's my question to all of you. In most applications you're going to be DI'd at the beginning of your signal chain. Maybe after the pedals if you have any... but I know sound men are going to see your rack and cringe. I really don't want to get into a flame war, but most rack gear is over the top and unnecessary. I can understand a power conditioner and a tuner (even though I know of much better tuners that aren't rack mount) but once you're stacking multiple effects processors in there... why? I feel the more you put in the further away you're deviating from pure and simple bass. Maybe it works for your applications but I've gone through all of it and decided that simplest was best. Care to explain your reasonings? (Not trying to come across mean at all, just curious)
A lot of people don't have a bunch of stuff. Think about it: a two-space head, tuner, power conditioner is four spaces right there. Now, if you're using a two space poweramp and two space preamp, all of a sudden you're at six spaces with no effects at all. Add something simple like a compressor, and you're way beyond what most people use. Further, some effects sound much better in an effects loop, rather than in the input chain, which makes more sense in a rack than on the floor.
For me, I just wanted a tuner, and to protect my head. No effects at all, though I may add compression at some point. I don;t think sound guys cringe at the sight of my rack:
But yeah, I guess what I'm saying is that a rack doesn't necessarily mean a NASA workstation of effects and pre's.
There's plenty of times where I've been in a situation where I have to rely on my rig to be heard. Like in my church, I never get put into the mix. The sound man refuses to put me in because he says the house speakers don't put out that low of a frequency, which is wrong, but I have a big enough rig to be heard and I have all the tools in my rack to clean and clear up my tone so it can be heard clearly in the mix and not all muddy and boomy like I used to get with just an amp and cabs.
In the times where I do go into the mains I still use my rig as my own personal monitor. I use the XLR out in my GK to plug into their line so my rack effects never get mixed through there, just through my cabs.
we use (from left to right) a flight case that holds 2 guitar heads and has a 6 space rack [power conditioner, tuner, wireless, drawer] a 412 ontop of a 212, another 412 ontop of a 212, an 8x10, 12 bass rack [landmark 600, SVT 4-pro, tuner, wireless, rack drawer, conditioner], the drums, another 8x10, a 412 ontop of a 212, another 412 ontop of a 212, and another flight case with 2 guitar heads and 6 racks spaces [powerconditioner, tuner, wireless, and some pedals]
so we have a total of 8 guitar cabs, two 8x10s... most sound guys mic the drums, and leave a mic for the vocals. if we are playing a 1000+ cap room we will mic everything up, otherwise we just turn up. we are a hardcore band, and we play a lot of hall shows that are only like 500kids. so, "go big or go home?"
For those of you who think (maybe rightly so) that racks are just an excuse to have stuff, is this simple enough for you? For my needs, less has always been more. 
M. M.
M. M.
In my case, my head is rack mounted, and so is my wireless receiver - so with that in mind, my setting up is much more simple with a rack mounted tuner... I just set my 4 slot rack on my cab(s), plug in speaker cable(s), and add power - and I'm ready to rock... I personally don't believe in the use of power "conditioners" - but can see the wisdom in an amp, tuner, and wireless receiver all in one very manageable package...
As for:
"and a tuner (even though I know of much better tuners that aren't rack mount)"
I have a DTR-2000 in my rack, and a Peterson Strobostomp for a pedal-type(arguably one of the best of it's kind) - and although the Peterson is more accurate, the DTR-2000 is plenty accurate for any gigs I play, and is just plain more convenient to use than the Peterson - besides already being plugged in, if I have a wireless failure, I can plug into the front input of the DTR-2000, and be right back in the game in a few seconds...
I don't use effects, and do use a pre-EQ DI - so that part of your post is agreeable to me, though...
- georgestrings
Because with simple bass, I'm simply not able to get the sound I want
My 400 alone sounds outstanding, the tuner is a must, the Sonic Maximizer is a very useful tool for any tube amp IMO, and my dbx makes a handy noise gate (I seldom use the compressor). All these guys together in a rack therefore require a Furman to hook into.... so there's my rack.
6-space Rack ( 1 1/2 slots currently open )
BBE Bmax-T
Boss VF-1
Stewart World 1.6 Power Amp
Furman Power Conditioner/Strip
Avatar b210 4 ohm
Avatar b212 4 ohm
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I've yet to have any soundman have a problem or issue with grabbing the DI out of my Bmax-T. If fact, when they come to me with a DI box for a line to the house system I just tell them that I'll give them the DI out of my Bmax which will change soundwise as my sound changes song to song.
No one's bitched or refused to take it. And almost always comments on the good sound.
.
BBE Bmax-T
Boss VF-1
Stewart World 1.6 Power Amp
Furman Power Conditioner/Strip
Avatar b210 4 ohm
Avatar b212 4 ohm
Invalid Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed
I've yet to have any soundman have a problem or issue with grabbing the DI out of my Bmax-T. If fact, when they come to me with a DI box for a line to the house system I just tell them that I'll give them the DI out of my Bmax which will change soundwise as my sound changes song to song.
No one's bitched or refused to take it. And almost always comments on the good sound.
.
I use every piece of gear in my rack with no tone loss, and usually only need 1 DI and 1 mic, on my cab, to get the best tone to front house.
I run multiple instruments at the same time, so that's what I have multiple preamps, and the mixer. Only one effects unit, and one compressor. A MIDI converter and a sound module for MIDI bass. Then tuner, power strip, and my power amp. So nothing is overkill, or extra, or for show...believe me if I could take some weight out of that rack I would.
If I were playing one bass, I might have one signal chain to deal with. So I think its all different needs of the player that determines whether they need a rack or not.
