Need a 500 Series Rack for Your Studio? - What Features Really Matter...

[@askdrtk]

Choosing the right 500 series chassis is not difficult, but it does require some careful consideration to make the best choice for the gear you would like to use and how / where you will use it. I hope this video helps you find the right chassis for your studio! Already have 500 series gear? Let everyone know which rack you have, what modules are in it, and how it has worked for you!

[@JimboJones99]

SPL BIG + Neve 542 + SSL G-COMP = God Tier that plugins cannot match.

[@askdrtk]

A great combination! The BIG is fantastic and I haven't found anything else that does what it does. I will soon be adding a pair of 542s... Cheers!

[@jameswilkerson8873]

Presently, I am utilizing an Xfilter Qube which isn't a technical 500 module but it kicks alot of butt.

[@askdrtk]

Nice! Elysia makes some of the best gear available imo. Once you get your first Elysia, its tough not to add more...

[@lawanedavis7818]

I needed this video, Thank you VERY MUCH.

[@michaelyolch79]

Man, you do a GREAT job with your channel! Excellent overview! Thx! :)

[@askdrtk]

Much appreciated...glad you enjoyed the video. Cheers!

[@pastilance1]

Very helpful, thank you so much!

[@rjgrp]

Great info. Well done.

[@askdrtk]

Thanks, glad I could help out!

[@NFcrewRC]

Thank you a lot for the great video, it helps a lot

[@askdrtk]

Glad I could help out! Cheers!

[@garyshirinian]

Hi, and thx for sharing. What do you think of the Midas 500 series box. It seems to be the most economical. Thx hope to hear from you.

[@machiavelli4428]

I have to buy more wires to hook up each module?

[@askdrtk]

Yes, you will need an in and out cable for each channel available through the rack (unless internally daisy chain modules with the rack itself). For a rack with 8 slots you typically need a 16 channel "snake" to connect everything up. I also use patch bays so that I can more easily configure different chains of effects instead of having having to get behind my racks to make changes. If I am using mic preamps in the rack I use good quality individual mic cables for those inputs. I will have a future video dealing with cables and connection, but I hope this helps out in the meantime.

[@andersnilssondvm]

​@@askdrtkthere are some racks which has a switch on the back making interbal connection between modules. Some racks has software controlled patchbays. Some racks (Black lion) has a front patchbay which is great. 😃👍

[@jaimemonroyofficial]

In my opinion Heritage Audio OST-8 ADAT is one of the best choice in the market.

[@askdrtk]

Thanks for the recommendation…I agree, it is a well-build rack with a nice clean power supply. The ADC over ADAT is great for expanding interfaces with ADAT inputs (Apollo Twin…etc). I looked at it when I was adding another rack, but ended up with the Cranborne as having both ADC and DAC suited my workflow, but the Heritage is a bit of a sleeper that should get more attention imo. Cheers!

[@ELREINODEDIOSEHACERCADO]

Very nice 👍

[@AbsurdTV1]

Very informative. Thank you. Any recommendations for a rack mountable 500 series box?

[@antonellopesce307]

😅

[@danyar91]

I’m always mixing percussions in the box all my percussion channels are stereo can i use 500 series as a stereo channel? or every module is mono?

[@askdrtk]

Each slot is its own channel, so two slots can be used for stereo with either two single slot modules or one dual slot two channel module. There are many stereo two-slot modules available such as eq, bus compressors, image processes, etc… Hope this helps out.

[@patrickmcbride8139]

Been considering a 500 series, considering going from daw to it for final master essentially the final eq an compressor/limiter assuming that’s more cost effective then a full 19” eq an compressor?

[@askdrtk]

That is a great application for a 500 series rack. You can built out a signal chain (EQ, compressor, stereo image processor, tape emulator, etc.) for use on your 2 bus and for mastering. Quality gear is much more affordable in the 500 series format compared to 19" gear plus you will save considerable space / have the gear closer to your mix position.

[@richardvxa]

Maybe consider ART PRO VLA for compressor. With 500 series you have to purchase the module but also the rack as we see in this video

[@BobbyGeneric145]

Todd, I am just a hobbyist with a home studio (synths, drum machine, guitar) recording dawless into a 1010 bluebox. I built a 500 series lunchbox with an ssl 6 strip, an api eq, neve tape saturator, and a midas compressor... Probably 3 grand all in, maybe 2500. My question is, couldn't I just do that with pedals at my level? I could use pedals as inserts on my mixer and achieve pretty much the same effect. I don't need the money, and if I sold all the 500 series stuff I'd take a 15% loss, but it just seems excessive every time I look at it! Your opinion?

[@Notinserviceij]

My opinion is why did you buy 3k worth of stuff before thinking?

[@BobbyGeneric145]

@@Notinserviceij A) thats not an opinion, thats a question. B) I didn't just whip out the credit card and head to sweetwater... I put a ton of thought into it and research and bought the equipment carefully. Still, your question is valid... After using everything in my full studio, and learning how to use my mixers inserts as an integral part of the setup, I started to wonder if high end pedals could replace the 500 series and still accomplish nearly the same result. Like uafx for the compressors, api tranZformer eq pedal, etc.

[@Notinserviceij]

@BobbyGeneric145 lol calm down buddy you just mad you don't know how to spend money

[@BobbyGeneric145]

@@Notinserviceij oh my bad I didn't realize you're just a twat not actually asking a question.

[@ec5870]

Yeah you could theoretically do what you described just fine. It completely depends on your preference and desired process flow at that point.

[@anonymousbrowser4448]

can i put my monitor on top of the chassis or will that be problematic for heat dissipation?

[@askdrtk]

This is a similar issue to placing the chassis directly beneath other gear or at the top of a closed-in rack. While cooling is always important, in practice it depends to some extent on what you are loading into the rack. If you have or are planning on modules that have tubes, I recommend leaving space above the tops chassis vents to dissipate the additional heat where solid state is often ok. If you need to have the monitor on top of the chassis, you may be able to use some isolators (spacers) between the chassis and monitor to allow heat to escape.

[@JUSTOFTO]

Recommend using this with an Apollo twin?

[@ec5870]

500 series gear/chassis is completely independent from whatever interface you are using. 500 series is a cheaper/more convenient way to introduce outboard gear into your workflow. One of the most important considerations when introducing outboard gear (ex. 6-10 slots of 500 series gear) into your workflow is the amount of I/O you’ll need. For every piece of outboard gear you introduce, you’ll theoretically need one input and one output on your interface/converter, but this does depend on the signal flow you choose to use. TLDR; yes it will work with an Apollo Twin.

[@JUSTOFTO]

@@ec5870I upgraded now bro I have a x8 and 4 pieces of analog gear now

[@chiefyovany572]

So if i have a 500 series compressor that takes two slots do i got to hit the link 1 to 2? Or can it work without linking 1 to 2?

[@askdrtk]

It should work without linking 1-2. Generally the link switch is only required when you have two separate one-slot modules and want to send the output from the module in slot 1 to the input of the module in slot 2 (instead of patching with a cable). If it is a stereo compressor, any required linking for the detection or side-chain circuit happens within the module itself.