Re: Mobius in a rack unit

[james fowler <twostroke@gmail.com>]

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
>
>