I want to get a rack case for when I do location recording (probably 4U) and have come across a whole range of prices on dv247. What would people recommend? Also, is it sufficient to fix a four-way plug splitter in the back, or is it necessary to buy something more special? (I've heard people talk about switch-mode PSU and 'filtered' power but don't know what this means!)

Exactly what I did a couple of years back.

I went for Gator cases, since a friend put a lot of research time into the different makes (later confirmed by my own searching) and found that they were best. Plus they're very good at being stacked together, which helps with future expansion, and unlike my other flight case, the screw holes line up, so installing the gear into the case was easy as.

As for power, it may be better to have a dedicated, rack mounted power supply. However, I just bought myself a 6-plug surge protected (the full works) extension, so the gear is protected from electrical gremlins but it didn't cost £100 and up, only £30. Someone else will probably come along and tell you that we both need a rack mounted power distribution unit though.

If you know you're going to keep to 4U in the future, then you could do worse than the soft-covered cases which can be used with a shoulder strap and have a velcro pouch to keep sessions notes and gadgets like cable testers in. They're not quite as robust as some, and if you want to expand and stack they're not so good, but they're fine if you're careful and damnably convenient for a lightweight portable rig. Eg something like this.

Quote mjfe2:

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I want to get a rack case for when I do location recording (probably 4U) and have come across a whole range of prices on dv247. What would people recommend?

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Depends entirely on what you plan to carry, how it will get used and so on. I've been using lightweight plastic EMS cases from Canford for years without any trouble at all.

http://www.canford.co.uk/ProductResources/ig/2418.pdf

They stack well, are remarkably robust, add little additional weight to the equipment, and do the job very well... provided you handle them with some care. They wouldn't stand up to a good roady kicking, or being chicked off the back of the van!

If you want more robust, then there are the traditional plywood cases of varying durability all the way up to the shock-isolated case-within-a-case types.

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Also, is it sufficient to fix a four-way plug splitter in the back, or is it necessary to buy something more special? (I've heard people talk about switch-mode PSU and 'filtered' power but don't know what this means!)

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A switched-mode power supply is just a type of power supply that (usually) accepts a wie range of input voltages and outputs a range of DC voltages. Normally found inside equipment or in line-lump power supplies and not even slightly relevant to your requirements.

You can go for a rack power supply unit if you want, but it takes up rack space for no real purpose. You could fit an ordinary mains plug board, or an RFI filtered board -- but I've never found the need for, or benefit of, filtered types.

But in small flightcases where you are unlikely to have more than two or three items of equipment, I find a neater solution is to use a Y-spit IEC mains cable so that the flight case has a single mains lead, but that splits to feed two or three items directly.

http://www.canford.co.uk/ProductResources/ig/5443.pdf

These leads are very robust, cheap, and easy to replace with standard IEC leads if they are damaged or you need to move the equipment out of the rack in a hurry. They take up much less space than installed plug boards or rack power units too, and make accessing the rear of equipment a little bit easier and neater!

hugh

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Technical Editor, Sound On Sound

Quote Matt Houghton:

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If you know you're going to keep to 4U in the future, then you could do worse than the soft-covered cases which can be used with a shoulder strap and have a velcro pouch to keep sessions notes and gadgets like cable testers in. They're not quite as robust as some, and if you want to expand and stack they're not so good, but they're fine if you're careful and damnably convenient for a lightweight portable rig. Eg something like this.

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Yup! I have a few of these - Rockbags and Thomanns own brand - Millennium??? Exactly as Matt describes.

... and picking up the earlier point about mains... if you're in the UK you don't need anything fancy to 'protect' the gear. I use a simple socket-tester to check that the wall-sockets in venues are wired as they should be and an everyday RCF for added safety.

RCF? I presume you mean a 'residual current device' (RCD) or a 'residual current breaker' (RCB). Not heard them described as RCFs before.

hugh

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Technical Editor, Sound On Sound

Quote Hugh Robjohns:

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RCF? I presume you mean a 'residual current device' (RCD) or a 'residual current breaker' (RCB). Not heard them described as RCFs before.

hugh

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Ha, that's one of my predictive text automangles. Others are if/he and good/home. You'd be surprised how much trouble they can get you in.

Any road up...

I find plastic wall plugs (or slugs) designed for plasterboard cut slightly short fit nicely into the back of most 4/6 way plug boards so you can then fix them into the case with some short, fat wood screws. This works particularly well for Rockbag zippy flaps.

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Ohm's Law states, "Your PA isn't as powerful as you think it is".

Personally I've just stuck a regular 4-way or 6-way strip in the back of my racks, stuck to the inside of the rack with double-sided sticky pads. Cheap, and gets the job done.

I've never been able to make them stick for long. I tried every sticky pad and Velcro strip b&q had to offer. Maybe I'm just a bit enthusiastic unplugging stuff.

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Ohm's Law states, "Your PA isn't as powerful as you think it is".

Quote Hugh Robjohns:

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RCF? I presume you mean a 'residual current device' (RCD) or a 'residual current breaker' (RCB). Not heard them described as RCFs before.

hugh

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el typo! Perhaps I was thinking of a well-known brand of speaker at the time!

I picked up a whole bunch of rack mounted MDUs that were being cleared out.. nice filtered mains and 12 individually fused outputs..
you can find them for about £30 on Ebay as IT Centres all use Dual-fed units now and these often get chucked out




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MBP 17", PC 100(Nubus Protools) Motu 896, X-Station, Logic9, Reason6, Korg legacy, ACE, Alchemy, Emax II, E-Synth, Evolver MEK, Waldorf Pulse and Blofeld, AS Telemark, AS Leipzig-S

Flightcase Warehouse do some plastic cases by a company called Boschma. They're a bit more robust than the usual SKB/Gators and they're very affordable. I have a 6u, 4u, 3u and 2u and I really like them. They stack and they're simple and light. As long as you're not letting other people chuck them around they offer very good protection. I'd buy more.

J

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www.jackruston.com

They look pretty good, a bit like the Orange County SKBs.

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Ohm's Law states, "Your PA isn't as powerful as you think it is".

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Maybe I'm just a bit enthusiastic unplugging stuff.

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Maybe that's the key. The only thing that gets plugged/unplugged on mine is the trailing end of the lead, to keep it from rattling around. Everything else stays plugged.

I think the ones I used are Sellotape Sticky Fixers. Seem to be doing the job for the moment. Velcro definitely didn't work out for me though - the velcro was fine, but the glue backing was crap.

Thanks guys. Looks to me like most of these options would be sufficient seeing as I'm going to be unloading my own equipment. I quite liked the look of this Gator case, because it has wheels: http://www.dv247.com/studio-equipment/gator-grr-4l-polyethylene-roller-rac k-4u-space--7105

But then SKB seem to be priced a bit higher and boast 'worldwide' acclaim for their durability. I'll give it some more thought....

Final question -- is it worth getting a surge protector rather than just a plug splitter? Are these just for the thunder storms, or are they also useful in, say, old churches where the electricity may be a bit touch and go?!

I've got some Rhino cases, case within a case type with foam in between the two cases. Great racks but you really don't want to lug them about without a dolly or wheels.

I started purchasing SKB cases to take on tour instead where I lug it in and out of hotels and venues all the time. Not a singe issue yet. Cases are very strong and durable and I feel confident the equipment is safe inside. Plus they stack amazingly well and weigh nothing compared to 'conventional' flight cases.
Only con on these is that the screws are an alternate size and they don't use the normal cage nuts. But they give you a full set with the case and you can always order more...

On the power topic: where space allows I use shucko and/ or UK 13 plug boards. When space is limited, opt for the 13-IEC split...

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Control room to be finished summer '12