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Re: laptop setup - which rack to use



Hi Rainer,

Here's a different view. Have you considered not to go with a rack  
but with a Peli Case? The model used by me and Jeff Kaiser takes a  
lot of gear in one safe box. A picture here: http:// 
www.peliproducts.co.uk/CaseProducts/images/1650.jpg. Web link: http:// 
www.peliproducts.co.uk/cases.htm

With modern laptop based performance rigs there really isn't many  
cables to connect to get your system up and running. I don't see that  
a rack is optimal for that, because the idea with a rack is that you  
should have everything patched up and ready to go - like on a normal  
tour. But fact is only normal artists go on normal tours (with  
transportation taken care of, tour leader etc). For people like us  
other aspects also weight in: You may go low budget with aircraft to  
a gig and need to take out some devices for your cabin luggage, to  
prevent damage or to match over weight or security regulations, that  
tend to differ between airlines and countries. You may also need to  
lock up your your precious gear safely after a gig with no backstage  
area and no provided safe gear deposit area provided by "the  
man" (maybe there is no "man" on those typical underground gigs, just  
a chaotic situation of busy people from whom you cant tell in the  
darkness who is working for the venue, who is drunk and looking for  
his girlfriend, who is next performer desperately hunting for a  
missing cable or who is a thief looking for something small and  
valuable to bring out under the coat). I find the Peli Case very  
practical: snap a locker on it after the gig and go for the bar,  
match air travel regulations on a shoestring, sit on it while waiting  
during travel, heck - we even had dinner on mine; using it as a table  
while sitting on the floor at Rome airport ;:-)

When you buy a Peli Case you get it filled up with soft foam inside.  
This temporary foam is pre-perforated in small cubes that you can  
easily rip out to create larger blocks to fit in equipment. That way  
you can work out a design hands-on and when you are satisfied you  
order (or build by yourself if your are poor and handy) the final  
inside design in a harder foam that will last for decades. I guess  
you can also have many alternative interior design foam blocks to use  
the case with different content on different trips.

I used to have this rack for touring some years ago http:// 
www.looproom.com/bilder/looping_rack.gif. I still have many outboard  
gear devices that I use for studio recordings, if I can afford the  
time to patch them up for a particular sound. The old stuff I keep  
are typically analog gadgets that are either not available as  
software or have a unique, intuitive although non-compatible  
interface for being used by the musician.

One cool thing with the Peli Case: When you come strolling down the  
pavement with the box on wheels, using the telescope handle, no one  
can tell that you are a musician. You could as well be a NASA  
Chemist, a Scuba Diver or an Alien Terminator.

Greetings from Sweden

Per Boysen
www.boysen.se (Swedish)
www.looproom.com (international)
http://tinyurl.com/fauvm (podcast)
http://www.myspace.com/looproom