New Gigging Rig w/ Questions

[ZDrax]

Okay guys, here's what my rack is looking like so far.

 

Mesa/Boogie Triaxis Pre-Amp - 1 Rack Space

Mesa/Boogie Stereo 2:100 Power Amp (Rectifier Power Section) - 2 Rack Spaces

Mesa/Boogie Rectifier Recording Pre-Amp (Rectifier Pre-Amp Section) - 2 Rack Spaces

Furman RP-8L Power Conditioner -1 Rack Space

TC Electronics G-Major - 1 Rack Space

Shure UT1-4 Wireless System - 1 Rack Space

 

I'll only be running a wah pedal infront of the pre-amps. The Triaxis will be powered by one side of the 2:100 and hit up a Mesa Trad 4x12 Straight Cab, and the other side will be running the Recto Pre into another 4x12 Mesa Trad Straight cab. My question -

 

Simplicity is key here. My band is big about movement on stage and the less work I have to do, the better. The switch to Rackdom has come due to my increasing need for different tonal options without having to be tap dancing all over the stage. I'm going to be selling my Triple Channel Triple Rect. I was going to purchase a Road King but then decided against it as I would end up rackmounting that amplifier anyways.

 

What sort of ground switching unit would you guys recommend? Second off, is it possible to program this whole system to go from, say Ld 2 Yellow on the Triaxis and the Red Modern Crunch on the Recto Pre to the Rhy1 clean on the Triaxis and the Clean channel on the Recto? And is it possible to do mixing and matching like that? This is my first foray into rackdom but if that is possible, that would be killer - a slighty dirty tone on one side and a clean tone on the other. Also, last question - can I get away with just buying an 8U Rack, or do I need a 10 or 12 for heat issues. The Power Amp does have a fan. Alright, thanks so much for the help guys, peace!

[Tom Manning]

I'm no expert but I can give you some quick answers. Other more experienced members will chip in I'm sure with some far better advice.

 

You can hook it all up so you can press one button and it changes as you say. You just need everything hooked up to a switcher and make sure anything that needs changing patches / tones on is controlled via MIDI.

 

For footpedals the big three I know of are the Rocktron All Access, the DMC Ground Control Pro , the CAE RS-10 and the Skrydstrup SC1 . The Skrydstrup is arguably the best but is expensive (comes from Europe). There are long waiting lists on the others but you might snag one second hand. Again, I'll let others chip in here as I have no real experience on footswitchers. I only know what I read!

 

For running the two preamps an Axess Electronics GRX-4 will do that but I'm sure you will here people recommending you the Switchblade which is pretty much the dog's bollocks for switching. There are members here using many different systems so they will all pitch in with the pros and cons of each and which would suit your application best.

 

As you'll be looking to get a switcher of some sort it'll add at least 1U onto your current size so at the moment I think a 10U case (or 10U split into seperate cases which is an idea - and something I've decided is a good plan for my rig). Heat should be ok - especially if you get a shockmount case. It'll be a heavy mofo though.