A rack is cool, and depending on your needs is probably best. I don’t fly to gigs, my gear is always in my car, so I made this rig, which works really well for me. What I like about it is:
-I don’t need to find a table… the stand makes it self-supproting.
-It’s light, easy to carry with the handle, and fast. Pop the top off, connect a few cables and I’m done.
-I have instant access to the laptop. I use the laptop’s mousepad, but on those occassions where I’m using a mouse, like back at home when creating songs/patches, I clip a mousepad to the case.
I used a Plano 108021 handgun case, mounted with 4 bolts/nuts to a Quik-Lok LPH-001 stand. I mounted my Scarlett 2i4 under the laptop, and even mounted my wireless Guitar receiver underneath. I wouldn’t throw it in the back of a truck, but in the back of my car it’s fine, been using it over 1 year, works great.
To make it, I made a laptop “shelf” from plywood, and made some brackets to raise it up about 3". Closed cell and regular foam provide the cushioning on top of the shelf for the laptop. Under that shelf I put a Scarlett 2i4 (sandwiched in foam), the power supply for laptop, and there’s space to coil and store usb and power cables under there. Be sure to leave room for ventilation.
it is definitely not top heavy. It’s a solid as any stand can be, really… and the quiklok legs are plenty wide enough to make it really stable. Hope this helps.