Rack Mounted Bass Rig

[SteveBassUK22]

I'm looking some help wiring up my new bass rack mounted system. i have a 6u rack with a power conditioner, a Korg Pitch-black Tuner, a DBX 266xs compressor and a Peavey Tour 450 head.

Does anyone know the correct way of wiring these up inline please?

 

[mesaplayer83]

I'm looking some help wiring up my new bass rack mounted system. i have a 6u rack with a power conditioner, a Korg Pitch-black Tuner, a DBX 266xs compressor and a Peavey Tour 450 head.

Does anyone know the correct way of wiring these up inline please?

If it were me, I'd run the tuner into the amp's tuner out, the comp into the effects loop, lose the power "conditioner", and rack it all into a 4U rack with a surge strip in the back...

 

[mesaplayer83]

Something like this:

I've done literally thousands of gigs with racked bass gear, never owned a power "conditioner", and never had an issue by not having one...

 

[SteveBassUK22]

Something like this:View attachment 3131407 View attachment 3131408 View attachment 3131409

I've done literally thousands of gigs with racked bass gear, never owned a power "conditioner", and never had an issue by not having one...

looks great mate. not that different to what mine will look like hopefully. The power conditioner is not the issue its how do you link them all up and in what order?

 

[SteveBassUK22]

If it were me, I'd run the tuner into the amp's tuner out, the comp into the effects loop, lose the power "conditioner", and rack it all into a 4U rack with a surge strip in the back...

Great thank you. i have just bought a new power conditioner so will still use as it will be powering a LED strip in the back to light the back of the rig for dark venues and it also has two LED's at the front to light up my rig as well as the surge protection but i think i know how to connect everything now. Cheers Fella

 

[40Hz]

If it were me, I'd run the tuner into the amp's tuner out, the comp into the effects loop, lose the power "conditioner", and rack it all into a 4U rack with a surge strip in the back...

This.

Although you could always keep the 6U since it's already paid for. Use the extra slots for future acquisitions or to leave a ventilation space directly above the amp (get a 2U perforated vent rack panel for around $20 to cover it) if the amp tends to run hot.

 

[mesaplayer83]

looks great mate. not that different to what mine will look like hopefully. The power conditioner is not the issue its how do you link them all up and in what order?

Well, do it just the way I described in my earlier post, and you'll be just fine...

 

[SteveBassUK22]

This.

Although you could always keep the 6U since it's already paid for. Use the extra slots for future acquisitions or to leave a ventilation space directly above the amp (get a 2U perforated vent rack panel for around $20 to cover it) if the amp tends to run hot.

yeah that was the idea. i will have 3 slots taken up by the tuner, compressor and power conditioner then a free slot to allow the air to move as my amp will take up another 2U's.

 

[BadExample]

Like @mesaplayer83 said, I'd go tuner out to the tuner and that would be the end of that path. No outputs from the tuner used.

Then put the DBX in the loop. Page 8 on the manual confirms this. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] Just pick one channel, amp effects send goes to DBX input, then the DBX output to amp effects return.

I'm not 100% positive on what type of cable you want. The effects loop is 1/4" mono unbalanced and the DBX are 1/4" balanced TRS. Specs for DBX say balanced/unbalanced. Hopefully someone can answer that for you. Otherwise, check DBX tech support. I think that's just a straight ring/tip 1/4" mono. Bal/unbal mixers input work that way, but best to confirm.

 

[bucephylus]

I would run the bass into the tuner, tuner into the amp, compressor in the effects loop. But, that's me.

I like the in-rack power strips, because I then only have one cord to hook up to power. But, I also prefer to keep my workin racks on the small side. So, here's where I've gotten to:

 

[40Hz]

yeah that was the idea. i will have 3 slots taken up by the tuner, compressor and power conditioner then a free slot to allow the air to move as my amp will take up another 2U's.

Yep. Makes the most sense to me.

I come out of IT where rackmount servers and network gear are the rule. Heat is a major concern in that scenario even when individual units are packing cooling fans and they're in a climate controlled environment. So we always walk a fine line between cramming as much gear into expensive racks as possible while still providing enough clearance to avoid thermal shutdowns or any unnecessarily shortening of the sevice life of equipment due to prolonged and excessive heat exposure. And sometimes the best way to do it is to sacrifice a few slots.

FWIW I have a 2U sized SWR SM-400 (no fan) that SWR said in the docs not to rack in less than 3U. I've got it in a 4U since with that amp the chassis serves as the heatsink and the top of the case can double as a mug warmer. The price difference between the 3U and 4U case wasn't worth worrying about. So I got the 4U "just in case."

 

[SteveBassUK22]

Like @mesaplayer83 said, I'd go tuner out to the tuner and that would be the end of that path. No outputs from the tuner used.

Then put the DBX in the loop. Page 8 on the manual confirms this. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] Just pick one channel, amp effects send goes to DBX input, then the DBX output to amp effects return.

I'm not 100% positive on what type of cable you want. The effects loop is 1/4" mono unbalanced and the DBX are 1/4" balanced TRS. Specs for DBX say balanced/unbalanced. Hopefully someone can answer that for you. Otherwise, check DBX tech support. I think that's just a straight ring/tip 1/4" mono. Bal/unbal mixers input work that way, but best to confirm.

Brilliant thank you very much.

 

[bucephylus]

Brilliant thank you very much.

There are +/- to that scheme. It is true that poor quality tuners can introduce connection issues & noise when in line. Tuner Out is a great feature on an amp, but needs to be in the right spot in the signal chain, and MOST preferably with a mute switch. That scheme is especially well executed on the Genz Benz amps. I don't know that Peavey amp so well, and can't comment. But, I will say that a high quality rack tuner should not be a noise/reliability issue and gives you that muted tuning capability upstream of the DI feed. FWIW.

 

[mesaplayer83]

Like @mesaplayer83 said, I'd go tuner out to the tuner and that would be the end of that path. No outputs from the tuner used.

Then put the DBX in the loop. Page 8 on the manual confirms this. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] Just pick one channel, amp effects send goes to DBX input, then the DBX output to amp effects return.

I'm not 100% positive on what type of cable you want. The effects loop is 1/4" mono unbalanced and the DBX are 1/4" balanced TRS. Specs for DBX say balanced/unbalanced. Hopefully someone can answer that for you. Otherwise, check DBX tech support. I think that's just a straight ring/tip 1/4" mono. Bal/unbal mixers input work that way, but best to confirm.

I have run a 266 into the effects loop of a 700rb-II with TS cables, and it worked well - the run is so short, it really doesn't need to be balanced, nor is there any way to do it with the amp's effects loop...

 

[bumperbass]

Definitely leave a rack space OPEN for the Tour 450. It's intake holes are on both sides of the amp. If you close up the rack, that amp will be sucking for air, and will die eventually.

 

[TeamScorpioRI]

If it were me, I'd run the tuner into the amp's tuner out, the comp into the effects loop, lose the power "conditioner", and rack it all into a 4U rack with a surge strip in the back...

This, but don't loose the power conditioner. They can usually protect your gear better than one of those surge strips.

 

[mesaplayer83]

This, but don't loose the power conditioner. They can usually protect your gear better than one of those surge strips.

How exactly do they do that?

 

[Kro]

This, but don't loose the power conditioner. They can usually protect your gear better than one of those surge strips.

Unless the power conditioner weighs more than your entire rack itself, that's debatable.

Besides, most better-designed equipment has fail-safes and noise reduction and what not already built into it.

 

[ArtechnikA]

I would run the bass into the tuner, tuner into the amp...

The PitchBlack is a bit of a tone suck, so if the amp has a Tuner Out I'd definitely use that rather than routing it inline.
The other thing you discover is that the PitchBlack 'Out To Amp' is on the back panel, so you have to somehow route the cable to the front, where amp input jacks typically live. Never understood this routing design decision by Korg...

 

[Kro]

The PitchBlack is a bit of a tone suck

Really? All of my older DTR Korg tuners have been reliable and transparent. I'd be curious to hook one of the pitchblacks up for testing to see what's actually going on.

Anyways, there are flat patch cables that are great for running cables from back to front between rack gear. I use these.

EBS Flat Patch Cables – The Ultimate Space Saver

FWIW I run through my tuner into my amp like so. I find the tuner out on my amp to be too convenient of an alt. instrument level output for many applications.



This is why assmebling a rig is such a personal decision, it all comes down to your required use-cases.