I miss racks

[CEB]

Yeah. I never had the frame of reference to understand that. The first time I heard stories on KC of people taking subways or taxis to gigs I was like: No way, how the hell can people even do that?

[Stokely]

I see a lot of folks using laptops in conjunction with multiple modern boards and workstations. I always wonder....is the Montage/Kronos/Fantom/etc... really that limited that it couldn't foot the bill for a typical show? I would think for something like Mainstage, all that you'd REALLY need is a controller or 2. So, giggers with Laptop and Hardware rigs, help me out here.

 

I'm not one, but I'd have mainstage and hardware simply for redundancy (two keyboards). So if the laptop had issues, go with the hardware only and vice versa.

 

My buddy, who plays a tad "higher level" gigs than me, was bringing Kronos, a clonewheel...and a laptop specifically for a piano he liked better than the Kronos. I certainly am not picky enough to do something like that. Now, with my MODX organs I may well do it with an ipad using B3X (if gigging resumes and I don't get a Nord), because the difference in quality is so much more (IMO). Even with that said, there'd probably be only one person in attendance who would have any issue whatsoever with the MODX organs: me

[confidence]

The more I read this thread the more I'm convinced that there's a psych element to this love of the old rack-mount guys. Kind of like that fake tube in the Korg keyboard? You have this big hunk 'o metal with nice knobs, buttons and switches and somehow that gives one the warm & fuzzies and you're thinking it's "better." Maybe someone should mention the fact that inside that rack-mount, ones and zeroes are flying around the same way they are in any modern keyboard or computer. And yes, ADL, it sounds ridiculous to think d/a converter design hasn't improved in 30 years!

 

Of course, this is music we're talking about - not particle physics â and if the warm & fuzzies you get from that old hunk 'o metal contribute to your making the kind of music you like and are proud of, then yes it is better and I'm all for it!

 

That may well be so for some. I know it isn't for me because I actually started by gigging with a controller keyboard and rackmount PC, in the days before laptops were powerful enough and very few people used computers live. I never did the whole rackmount thing in the 80s and 90s when the the now-classic units were new. I came to them afterwards, once I sat down and figured it just wasn't a feasible use of my time to be spending it making sure my live PC worked properly, for the number and value of gigs I was doing. And I noticed the drop in quality when I made the switch, but at least it meant I could throw some stuff in the back of the car having not played it for two months, go to a gig, set up and it would just do exactly what it did before.

[Theo Verelst]

My self designed rack ( http://www.theover.org/Synth ) proved various point of advantageousness w.r.t. Pc standard software, like sub second startup time, 1 sample and fixed latency, low noise, one sample (!) delay parameter control, flash memory storage before the Ssd times (around 2005). Also the Dsp chip and board mounting was less transport sensitive because of a lack of large cooler mount that could break under acceleration and connectors (like ram and graphics card).

 

I run very extensive (Linux) Dsp with thousands of "plugins", which on a many thread powerful PC requires power, however I also proved small Fpga's can defeat that compute power in certain cases at a fraction of the cost and current, so it's not an open shut case when you consider a special chip machine drawing some noticeable amount of juice versus a modern PC which one will do the most actual audio processing, some pro hardware boards probably can not ru their built in software on PC hardware.

 

TV

[zeronyne]

The more I read this thread the more I'm convinced that there's a psych element to this love of the old rack-mount guys. Kind of like that fake tube in the Korg keyboard? You have this big hunk 'o metal with nice knobs, buttons and switches and somehow that gives one the warm & fuzzies and you're thinking it's "better." Maybe someone should mention the fact that inside that rack-mount, ones and zeroes are flying around the same way they are in any modern keyboard or computer. And yes, ADL, it sounds ridiculous to think d/a converter design hasn't improved in 30 years!

 

All valid points. But for me, it"s simply the uniformity of format making it easy to organize, especially in a studio. And yes, I have NI Komplete Ultimate, all the Eric Persing stuff, Reason, Arturia V, and dual ultra wide monitors. I just am not a huge fan of using a computer for all use cases. But all of these non standardized tabletop boxes, from the Behringer clones to the Volcas and the Roland boutiques just make a huge mess.

 

But I"m a realist (hence the full leap into software) and I"m slowly getting back into the rack format with 6 rows of Eurorack modules, which is ironic since most modular guys have different width cases and consider 19' (84hp) to be not wide enough to be practical. I will most likely sell off my Emu, Yamaha, Kawaii, and other modules, although I"ll probably keep my Waldorf rack pieces. Sigh...end of an era.

[AUSSIEKEYS]

The more I read this thread the more I'm convinced that there's a psych element to this love of the old rack-mount guys.

 

 

Thanks Reezekeys

 

Im an old rack-mount guy.......boy I feel the love already. Its in the psych

 

..or for the Aussies its the vibe (The Castle)

 

cheers from that old rack-mount guy Aussiekeys

[Reezekeys]

I hear you! I will never downplay what the right vibe can do for someone making music. I'm not exactly a stranger to rack-mounts either. I have an MKS20, TX802, Akai S900, Korg M3R, and a Peavey SP (with the sampling module). Also a Digitech DSP128, Yam MEP-4 midi processor, and a Roland SRV2000 reverb â a single space guy you could fry an egg on. None have seen a volt in many years. Are people paying any kind of money for these? I've always assumed the answer was no, so I haven't been motivated to try selling them.

[AUSSIEKEYS]

Racks dont seem to bring much in Australia but it depends on what it is. Obviously I dont know the rack scene in America. Theres not a lot of racks that fit the collectable side although some are that are racks of the early analogue synths that do bring good money.

 

Ive always liked racks since those early days but only for home use. I only ever used singular ones at gigs with a synth keyboard due to those early racks being so bulky.

 

My take was that i could own more synths at home in rack form space wise although i still had oodles of keyboards with them.

 

Currently im selling off my vintage keyboards basically to help keep us going / surviving and not have to downsize to live off the difference just yet but planning on keeping my modules and the less sort after keyboards I have.

 

Racks allow me to have a large pallete of hardware sounds in a less dominating space.

[allan_evett]

I'm a former phone-booth rack guy; somewhat embarrassingly so, in retrospect. From about 1988 to 2001 I was selling off keyboards, getting the rack versions, then buying different, new keyboards; wash, rinse, repeat. From the early 90s to 2008 the rack contained an Akai S-950, Korg EX-8000, M1r, O1-r/w, Emu Proteus 1 and 2, Roland MKS-70, MKS-80/MPG-80, XV-5080, Yamaha TX-802, TX-81Z, TX-1P, EX-5R plus Lexicon LPX modules. Had a Mackie rack mixer as well, can't remember the model number. Had sold almost everything off by 2010; the empty rack went to a sound company in northern Colorado. Still have the XV-5080 and TX-1P. Yes, programing a racked module was typically a pain in the behind, but a lot of times I just used the patches I'd created from the original keyboard. Miss the MKS-80 Super Jupiter module and MPG-80 programmer a lot; that kit was easy and fun to program, and I got lost for many hours more than a few times on it.

 

The last rack module I tried was a Muse Receptor Trio, in 2013. That one sealed my relationship with hardware modules. Great concept though - especially the 3rd generation version. Liked the GUI a lot; had a separate video monitor for that. The system worked well, especially compared to some of the previous models. But when Muse went out of business within a few years (and customer/tech support along with that), I sold that rig to a studio, picked up a new iMAC, then committed myself to using mostly software instruments for studio.

.

Part of me does miss hardware racks, but another part doesn't. Any module I'd consider now would either be a knobby tabletop, or a rack with an insane software-based editor/librarian; preferably both having that option. When I was in the process of considering a rack module in 2013, I looked at the Integra 7 as well as the Receptor Trio. Guessing that if I'd gone with the Integra it's likely I'd still have it.

[AUSSIEKEYS]

Any module I'd consider now would either be a knobby tabletop

 

Yes im not adverse now to tabletops as very few racks had programmers.

 

I just let go my JX8p and my JX10 but kept the programmer and storage cartridges as i always wanted an MKS70 instead of the keyboard version. But at this stage i doubt I'd be able to buy one unless i could effect a swap of gear.

 

I still have my MKS7 which is a juno106 box but i never was a fan of the juno 106 when i had one from new. So whether i should bother collecting even the early racks im not sure. Im making decision on my collection everyday. Obviously keeping the house is more important. But i find it harder to let go my racks than my keyboards.

[synthetic]

Yeah I have a Midimoog and it's pretty much impossible to really tweak it while I play. But at least I can set the mod wheel to open the filter and stuff like that. Also have a Super Jupiter with Programmer and I don't really touch it once I dial up the sound I want.

[zeronyne]

Had a Mackie rack mixer as well, can't remember the model number.

 

Alan, I think it was the LM3204...I think I sold it to you when I was at Gand (maybe not )