Nice rig, @Ed88fingers! Could you tell us a bit more about that rack PC, i.e. motherboard make/model? Did you buy the case separately? Any problems with it at all?
Neil
Thx Neil! I’m sorry I can go into great detail due to the possible release of this unit to the public and a debut at Winter NAMM 2019…
But I can say that I’ve been running ithe unit hard since October and itt has been the most stable platform I’ve used ! I had an endorsement with Muse Research but the company stopped production of their Receptor line. Also C3 works very well with a 8 core/16 thread and 32 G’s of ram. No over clocking so overheating has not been an issue…
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Here is one case I was going to use, and there are many more if you google this spec . Try look for a case with the best ventilation . It’s not that much difference from building a desktop. This was my first 1U space build, with some research and idea of what you want to accomplish, you can . I would recommend the new. AMD Ryzen 8 core chipset. I would pass on Intel processors because of higher TDP (heat) rating which my require more ellaborate water cooling thus encreasing the size considerably. Unless you need Thuderbolt i would pass all together on an Intel build…
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As promised, here are some shots the cantabile rig in action. The first two are close ups of the setup for tomorrow (we just finished soundcheck) at Noborito Ekklesia in Kawasaki.
And this last ones are the entire stage rig (you can see the laptop/sound card sitting on a table, just near the black acoustic guitar). My wife is the one using the cantabile rig - my bass rig in the Line 6 Helix in the foreground, with our various setlists taped on.
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I too switched from Receptor to a purpose-built rackable PC. At the time I gave up on Receptor, a well-equipped laptop was still pretty expensive (even with my hp employee discount).
I selected a 1u case, a low power AMD cpu, ASUS mobo, 16gb mem, and Samsung SSDs. I could not get enough air through the case without really noisy fans. I switched to a 2u case and huge cpu fan, but still pretty warm. My band was playing outside a couple of weeks ago (nearly 100F here in Austin) and I couldn’t keep it cool enough.
I looked for an aluminum case for better heat transfer charistics (and lighter, but that’s another story). Wound up dropping US$1000 for a laptop.
Hey Brian, what was the TDP of your cpu? How many cores were you running? I found a 1U case with 6 40mm fans on a controller board. Im running 32G and seems to be staying below 100 degrees, which is the minimum temp the aux fans come on. Its going to be 95+ degrees with humidity and im going to take it out and see how it works out. Normally i bring a fan for outside gigs above 90…
Here is the latest evolution of my Cantabile rig oriented mostly for playing VB3.
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I replaced an On-Stage X stand with an On-Stage table unit because the second keyboard and laptop holder made the X stand unstable. I modified their 2nd tier kit so the tube is just above the lower “manual”. If anyone wants to see that mod I can post photos. It involved moving the gear lower on the riser and then cutting the vertical tube so the keyboard can sit above it. It’s rock solid now.
Here is photo from behind:
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Sorry for the delay. I had to go lookup what chip I used
AMD Athlon II X4 740 3.2 GHz Processor AD740XOKHJBOX
65W, 4 core (actually 2 core with 2 virtualized), I used the same chip and mobo for several builds and the pair has worked well. On the original 1U, I did some case mods (drilled holes in the top to allow the CPU fan to breath. I upgraded the 4 mini fans with faster spinning fans to try to move more air. The 2u case worked pretty well. The main reason for 2u was to put a giant tall fan on the CPU. It worked pretty well. I often aimed a small desktop fan into the back of the rack. But, outside it really got hot and I couldn’t keep it cool.
Before Cantabile (I think I was using Forte) I had a wedding gig outside at Lake Medina just west of San Antonio. My laptop overheated and suddenly everything sounded like Jon Lord, but not in a good way. I got one of the staff to bring me some ice and a couple of trays and “Mcgyvered” a heat exchanger!
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I like that setup. I keep my keyboards tight like yours. I hate space between registers. That may be because I am short. I am going to look into that stand.
I’ll take some photos about how I cut down the 2nd Tier (KSA7500) and post them here. I also cut down the laptop holder so I could use a quick release and not have it 5 inches higher.
I bought the stand. And I can see that you can lower the second tier with some modification.
Here’s a photo of the just the lower “manual” on the stand with the cut down 2nd Tier units attached:
I used a mallet to knock the “gears” off after removing the threaded rod/knob:
They are just pressure fitted. Tap it on one side a few times - then the other - it will pop off.
Here is are all the parts separated:
I wrapped masking tape around the upright tube where I wanted to cut it to make sure my hacksaw cut was square. I also cut the back extension of the horizontal round tube so when I put the mike attachment on it would be right up against the back of the upper keyboard. The laptop holder is screwed onto the mike holder.
I used a friend’s drill press to drill the new holes you see where the threaded rod/knob goes through.
One last comment - unfortunately the gears don’t position the horizontal tube at a 90 degree angle to the upright. I chose the slight angle from back upwards to front. I’m thinking about putting a piece of hard rubber between them and tightening it at 90 degreees.
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Is the bottom tier the KS7150? That is what I got.
Yes - that is the main stand - in the back there are two square tube openings that the KSA7500 On-Stage Stands Universal 2nd Tier mounts into. Then the KSA7575+ universal mic attachment mounts into the left 2nd Tier mount. FInally the MSA500 laptop plate screws onto the KSA7575+
I’m very happy with how stable it is - also the keyboards are at the right height.
I’ve got to say these Axiom 61 1st Gen’s are really good for Hammond - not that bad for piano either.
I did the fix today so the second tier is level.
Step 1 - Buy InstaMorph moldable plastic 6 oz
Step 2 - Take apart the gear “hinge”
Step 3 - Boil small pot of water to 160 degrees
Step 4 - Place about 3/4 tablespoon of the pellets in water and wait 2 minutes
Step 5 - Take plastic out of water and kneed into round strip about 1/4 inch diameter
Step 6 - Lay strip in circle on gear
Step 7 - Screw the other gear on until you press some plastic material outward
Step 8 - Let plastic harden for a few minutes
Photos:
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Gear before putting on moldable plastic (notice I put some washers in)
[url=https://flic.kr/p/28MziZW]
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I clamped the two posts which kept the horizontal pipe at exactly 90 degrees
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One last post - sorry for all the detail.
Here is a great little mouse pad for this setup:
I got it on Amazon:
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Sweet! I may get one of those.
Check out Halion 3 it is a workstation made by Steinberg .
Enjoyed looking through the rigs here. I’m interested to know what software people are using to create the layout diagrams in the first few posts on this thread?