Karaoke Forums

i need some advice on choosing a amp rack

I am quite happy with my EWI racks and cases. They are durable and look professional. They make a lot of different styles and sizes, so once you figure out what you want then compare to stuff you can buy locally, because shipping bulky rack cases is not cheap. http://www.audiopile.net/products/Cases ... page.shtml

I use the A14U http://www.audiopile.net/products/Cases ... heet.shtml racks because the foam padding should keep my gear safer when in the trailer. Also I like the height of the 14U model, which is comfortable for putting a mixing console on top if you like to stand up while you work, which I do.

I also have an R16U that is very similar in height and holds a little more stuff, but it does not have the foam padding. I might eventually replace it with a padded unit if I can sell this one to someone locally. Again, shipping big racks costs a lot. You are looking at $100+ for UPS ground on a package this big.

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ

need more info: what you intend to put into the rack along with your amp and the size of your amp.

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The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.

mixer, amp maybe crossover

Something like
http://www.zzounds.com/item--ODYFZ10

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

I agree with DannyG, we need a lot more info. Will this hold only amplifiers or does it have to hold effects units and a mixer too. If so what type of mixer and what other units. How many amps?

Here's my general thought. If you're getting a rack that's going to hold an amp, don't bother with the plastic gator racks. They just don't have the strength (no matter how hard they try to tell you they do) to hold heavy amplifiers. My recommendation is get the classic ATA style rack with plywood sides. If you're putting multiple amps in a rack, I'd recommend getting one with wheels, they get heavy fast and you don't want to be having to carry it everywhere in that case.

Roadrunner makes some really nice cases for reasonable prices. http://www.roadrunnercases.com/products ... t=proaudio

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

+1

I have one "plastic gator rack" with a slant-top for a mixer. The hardware is crap. It took me about two months to break some cheap piece. Now I just ... don't slant it. Sucks. I don't use it often enough to bother replacing it, but I will not be buying any more Gator products.

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ

Go SKB.

http://bing.search.sympatico.ca/?q=skb& ... Lang=en-CA

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You can be strange but not a stranger

Be careful with SKB. They have some really good stuff but they also have some cheap plastic crap like the Gator stuff. What's funny is they claim that cheap stuff is ATA rated. I don't know how, I've broken more of the butterfly latches on SKB cases than any other brand.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

its probably the region, but Ive had more and been happier with sonic cases than any other. my back does disagree.

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the voices arent real, but they have some good ideas

Just be careful whichever you choose... A few years back I wanted all my gear in a nice neat set up and bought a sturdy wooden case from ODDESEY.
I racked all my gear and it looked AWESOME.
I couldn't pick the dang thing up ....

Lesson -- If you have older heavy amps ..you may want to rack them separetly or at least SPLIT your rack keeping a case for your players, mixers etc. and one for your amps and other items you won't be ADJUSTING during your show.

Yeah I know this story well. When I put my first Karaoke rig together, it was all in a 10x12 space combo rack (10 space on top for mixer, 12 space vertical for rack equipment). It looked awesome, I had everything pre-patched so setup was a breeze. The only issue was it weighed in at 264 pounds when fully loaded (I actually had a buddy put it on an industrial shipping scale to see). Dead lifting that into the back of the mini-van was a real pain in the butt.

I've now got what was in one rack broken out into 3. All my wireless receivers are mounted in a 4U rack, my amp is in it's own 4U rack, and the digital console has it's own case. The heaviest case I have now is the console and it weighs in at 83 pounds, much nicer and really not a big deal to have to make one extra trip to the van on load in and load out. Of course the console replacing over half the equipment i had mounted in the rack helped too!!

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

If you have a mid-size SUV or larger to transport it, a good medium-sized rack is an SKB Mighty Gigrig.

I have one and it is fabulous. It is double-depth, meaning you can mount 6U on the front, and optionally 6U more on the back side.

It also has one of the largest top slant-racks in the business, at 14U, it will handle most of the larger mixers that others cannot hold, since they are usually 10U.

It rolls easily, and is virtually indestructible. You can put the top on with all your cords still plugged into the top of the mixer. It has a unique design so that when you take the top off, you can rearrange the pieces and it comes up to exactly table height for use.

I also purchased a "Gigwing" side table that is perfect to hold my laptop. The unit itself is ultralight, and you only need a stool to have your entire working space.

The only downside is that it is large compared to a table-top rack. However, it is guaranteed for life to the original owner, and SKB stands behind it's products.

The Mighty GigRig ran me about $500 and the GigWing was anothe $89 I believe.

I will never have to buy another rack.

Tony --for my latest gigs( all small venues) I ran a SMALLL SET UP --Yamaha EMX512 Powered Mixer ( 22lbs) and some liteweight Peavey PR15 those and a few stands and case for my wires I was all set .

does anyone know about mrsl racks?

Can't say I've ever used MRSL racks, however I found them on 123dj and they appear to be a fairly decent plywood/ATA style rack. Their latches appear to be the typical heavy duty style that should hold up over time. I think you'd be alright with their products.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

Take it from someone who has gone through probably 15-20 different rack case configurations over the years - DO NOT GO CHEAP!

Inexpensive rack cases are usually not only cheap, they are cheap! Buy something nice now that cost an extra $100-200 and it'll last forever.

Also, if you work in a smokey bar, DO NOT buy a carpeted rack!! Stinks up the car/house. You'll spend all that $$$ you saved in Frabreeze!!

Can't go wrong with Odyessey (flight cases) or Gator (best in lightweight cases), in my experience.

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C Mc
KJ, FL

I have the "Mini Gig Rig" version of yours. It holds everything but my amps, which are in a separate SKB 4U case. Love it.