Re: Mobius in a rack unit

[Art Simon <simart@gmail.com>]

Just a heads up for any potential rack mount music PC builders. Newegg
has a server case on sale today for $59 free shipping.
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?nm_mc=AFC-TechBargains&cm_mmc=AFC-TechBargains-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16811147154
I'm thinking about it. . .

On Mon, Sep 13, 2010 at 5:12 PM, Sylvain Poitras
<sylvain.trombone@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks for the info, James.  I've been thinking about this for a while
> and this may give me the final push to finally get it done.
> Sylvain
>
> On Mon, Sep 13, 2010 at 10:52 AM, james fowler <twostroke@gmail.com> 
>wrote:
>> sure.  here goes:
>>
>> COMPUTER
>>
>> case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811165083
>> motherboard: 
>http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121357
>> processor: 
>http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041
>> ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134582
>> hd: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136098
>> cd drive: 
>http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827140042
>>
>> i bought a power supply locally...forgot to order at the time...but 
>some $50
>> unit from best buy works just fine.  search "power supply 500w" and 
>it'll
>> pull up what you need.
>>
>> that's it for the basic computer components.  all of that crap just 
>kinda
>> plugs together.  you might want a 3.5" drive for drivers/software that 
>come
>> only in that format...i got an external usb off craigslist and i used it
>> once just to load software.  you could always but an internal 
>multi-format
>> card reader/3.5" drive/sandwich press but i opted against as it seemed
>> superfluous.
>>
>> check out that hp monitor i mentioned: TFT5600.  it's 1u high and 
>slides in
>> and out...but you gotta get it with the sliding rack rails, which it is
>> normally sold with.  trackball kinda blows so i have a usb mouse 
>sitting on
>> some spare keyboard real estate.
>>
>> this all makes for a 4u setup, which will fit in this:
>> 
>http://www.skbcases.com/music/products/proddetail.php?f=sku_rack_space_units-4-80&id=125&o=&offset=1&c=80&s=80
>>
>> i'm sure there are others, but the server case is deep and you'll need a
>> rack case that will afford you the extra room.  plus, you can put your
>> interfaces in the rear as you'll have some spare room.
>>
>> INSTRUMENT/CONTROL INTERFACE
>>
>> my keyboard and percussion pad are both usb, which the motherboard 
>already
>> accommodates amply.  my foot controller is midi so i have an m-audio 
>2x2 usb
>> interface that works great for getting midi in and out of the computer.
>> midi output distribution (to various processors and hardware synths) is
>> handled by a midi solutions thru box.
>>
>> AUDIO INTERFACE
>>
>> here's where you can spend a lot or a little.  i initially spent a 
>little
>> and bought an m-audio delta 66 (4 i/o, spdif i/o) and it sounded pretty
>> crappy.  all my soft synths sounded thin and two-dimensional.  per 
>boysen
>> (from this list) suggested checking out rme.  here again, very 
>expensive new
>> but second hand is very affordable.  the converters are great...much 
>better
>> fidelity and now all my thin soft synths sound SO much better.  so my 
>advice
>> is to buy something worth buying.  you don't have to spend 3 grand on 
>the
>> baddest thing out there, but there are some high-end-of-the-mid-range 
>guys
>> out there that will do the job very well.  lynx, rme, etc...you'll need 
>to
>> look around and of course consider what's enough for your personal 
>needs.
>> as well, you can go pci, firewire or usb.  i prefer pci, but that's just
>> me.  i picked up an rme multiface for 200 bucks and couldn't be happier.
>>
>> SOFTWARE
>>
>> super-subjective, but just so you know:
>>
>> i have a non-registered (but legit) copy of xp.  service pack 3, i
>> think...anyhow, last major update i reckon.  works great.  seems most
>> everything is written with xp in mind.  i mean EVERYBODY supports it.  
>i run
>> mobius (among other things) inside plogue bidule.  it's a modular 
>graphic
>> host that actually has a lot under the hood if you need it.  but on the
>> surface you just click and drag virtual cables (audio, midi, etc.) from
>> inputs to outputs and that's it.  can be very quick and easy if you're 
>just
>> hustling trying new shit.  i love it.
>>
>> MISCELLANY
>>
>> i have a few old analog synths.  one cool perk is that people have 
>written
>> software editors for them.  so...it's sort of the best of both worlds:
>> analog fidelity and digital/graphical manipulation.  i also have a usb
>> wireless card...good for downloading software.  in hindsight, i would 
>have
>> gone with an internal wireless carb but no big deal.
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Sep 12, 2010 at 4:12 PM, Sylvain Poitras
>> <sylvain.trombone@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hey James,
>>> Can you give us your parts list for that rack pc?
>>> Sylvain
>>>
>>> On Sun, Sep 12, 2010 at 10:29 AM, james fowler <twostroke@gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>> > i built my own rackmount pc.  cost me about 700 bucks and everything
>>> > came
>>> > from newegg.com  it's 3u high and skb makes a deep shock rack that 
>will
>>> > accommodate server cases.  for the money it's far more powerful than
>>> > anything you could buy off the shelf.  plenty of memory, ram, 
>processor
>>> > is
>>> > plenty fast, etc.  and i'm not a computer-y person, so don't be
>>> > dissuaded if
>>> > you feel that you lack the requisite know-how.  it's pretty much
>>> > bone-simple.
>>> >
>>> > touch screens are dope and all but hp makes a slide-out 
>keyboard/monitor
>>> > combo that works great.  i'm typing on it right now, actually.  
>google
>>> > "TFT5600" and see what comes up.  i paid 30 bucks for mine on
>>> > ebay...apparently they're absurdly expensive new and absurdly cheap 
>when
>>> > bought used.  i use bidule and on anything but the simplest of 
>presets
>>> > i'm
>>> > needing all the screen i can get.  a tiny touch screen would be
>>> > infuriating.
>>> >
>>> > only things left are a good pci audio interface and midi i/o and 
>you're
>>> > all
>>> > set.
>>> >
>>> > if anybody is seriously considering something similar, feel free to
>>> > email me
>>> > off (or on, i suppose) for gory details.
>>> >
>>> > - jim
>>> >
>>> > On Sun, Sep 12, 2010 at 10:39 AM, Art Simon <simart@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> >>
>>> >> I've toyed with the idea of building a rack mount music computer. I
>>> >> especially like the idea of built-in touchscreen, so you wouldn't 
>need
>>> >> to
>>> >> have a keyboard and monitor on stage. Here's an example:
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> 
>http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811321006&Tpk=RPC-919T
>>> >>
>>> >> What's kept me from doing it is that most of the rack mount server
>>> >> cases
>>> >> are too deep for the typical musicians 19" flight case, and while it
>>> >> would
>>> >> be portable, it would be awkward and heavy to carry. Also, the costs
>>> >> start
>>> >> to add up. A laptop seems much more cost effective, unless you 
>already
>>> >> have
>>> >> a good desktop and just want to transfer it to a new case. The
>>> >> alienware
>>> >> M11x is slightly larger than a netbook and costs under $1000. It 
>could
>>> >> make
>>> >> a very portable and unobtrusive music laptop.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> 
>http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/notebooks/alienware-m11x/pd.aspx?refid=alienware-m11x&cs=19&s=dhs
>>> >>
>>> >> On Sun, Sep 12, 2010 at 12:58 AM, G <gigs@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
>>> >>>
>>> >>> To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com
>>> >>> Subject: Re: Mobius in a rack unit
>>> >>> From: Rainer Straschill <moinsound@googlemail.com>
>>> >>> Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2010 23:10:53 +0200
>>> >>> >
>>> >>> >Jeff Larson said (with regard to the Altium NanoBoard):
>>> >>> >> I've looked at things like this before, the problem with them 
>for
>>> >>> >> me
>>> >>> >> boils down to the operating system.  Besides the big things like
>>> >>> >> how
>>> >>> >> you interface with MIDI, audio, and display devices, Mobius was
>>> >>> >> also
>>> >>> >> designed with certain OS assumptions like virtual memory and a 
>file
>>> >>> >> system.
>>> >>> 8<
>>> >>> >> At the moment I barely have enough time to keep the Windows and 
>Mac
>>> >>> >> versions going so I doubt this will ever happen.
>>> >>> >>
>>> >>> 8<
>>> >>> >I just had this idea because a) this hardware has everything you'd
>>> >>> > need,
>>> >>> >b) the "you can't fit Möbius into a rack unit" topic had come up 
>just
>>> >>> >recently and c) the fact that I assume that something like Möbius
>>> >>> > (due
>>> >>> >to its eight parallel engines and a state-machine-oriented logic)
>>> >>> > really
>>> >>> >lends itself to be implemented on a FPGA.
>>> >>> >
>>> >>> >But there was a reason I neded my originall message with a
>>> >>> >smileyface...I perfectly understand that you don't want to get 
>into
>>> >>> > yet
>>> >>> >another version to support.
>>> >>> >
>>> >>> >Yours,
>>> >>> >
>>> >>> >          Rainer
>>> >>>
>>> >>> Hi
>>> >>> Since deciding to go the rack route, fitting a laptop or pc into a
>>> >>> rack
>>> >>> is something I'm pondering.  I missed the earlier thread.
>>> >>> In IT server rooms, generally multiple servers are housed in 19"
>>> >>> racks.
>>> >>> I'm thinking about getting such a rack PC case installing an 
>adequate
>>> >>> computer into it.  I've yet to look into the 
>keyboard/mouse/monitor.
>>> >>> -- G.
>>> >>>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> --
>>> >> Art Simon
>>> >> simart@gmail.com
>>> >> myspace [dot] com/artsimon
>>> >
>>> >
>>>
>>
>>
>
>



-- 
Art Simon
simart@gmail.com
myspace [dot] com/artsimon