Turning two compressor stompboxes into a stereo rack unit

inverseroom · Post by **inverseroom** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 4:40 pm

I really like my homebrew Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer for guitar. I'd like to make two of them, rack 'em up, bring the trimpots to regular pots on the front panel, and run line level through them. What would I have to do?

It doesn't have to be balanced or anything. In fact, it's the crumminess I like. I just want it to take line level.

Thanks!

Lukey · Post by **Lukey** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 4:45 pm

I have nothing useful to contribute.

But this sounds like a sexy idea. I'll be crossing my fingers, hoping someone has some good advice regarding this subject.

empty rack housings and a good way to make holes in the front of them are subjects related to this that I'd DEFINITELY like to know more about

inverseroom · Post by **inverseroom** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 4:59 pm

If I actually do this, I think I'll just search eBay under Rack Gear and buy the cheapest most useless piece of shit available. Then gut it and use the case. I will not be paying 60 dollars for an empty metal box so I can put ten bucks worth of caps, resistors, transistors, and ic's inside.

mjau · Post by **mjau** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 5:02 pm

I've got just the ticket, and you can have it for free when I get to town - a totally useless rocktron rack compressor. I was gonna toss it, but I'll bring it with me if you want it.

inverseroom · Post by **inverseroom** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 5:08 pm

mjau wrote:I've got just the ticket, and you can have it for free when I get to town - a totally useless rocktron rack compressor. I was gonna toss it, but I'll bring it with me if you want it.

Yeah you bet, I'll take it!

Is that the 310? You know, I almost paid money for one of those because of you. You said it was a good bass ruiner.

mjau · Post by **mjau** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 5:10 pm

It is, but unfortunately something's wrong with it, and I'm a tech idiot. Hell, if you end up fixing it, you can keep it. Right now it's noisy as all hell and distorts way earlier than how it used to.

Lukey · Post by **Lukey** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 5:37 pm

inverseroom, do you know where you WOULD pay 60 bucks for an empty piece of racking? I keep staring at all these awesome-looking DIY projects, and have thought about trying to make them look cooler/older/more mysterious than they would with their existing faceplates.... which seem to cost about that much anyway...

Jeff White · Post by **Jeff White** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 5:53 pm

Digital Drummer sold me a PM1000 single-channel 1 space rack mount in some sort of Belkin computer/server/something rack. He simply used a piece of wood for the front panel. Looks good racked up. I'm sure that any junk computer place will have a rack that you can do this to for like $1 or something.

Lukey · Post by **Lukey** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 6:04 pm

brilliant/wonderful.

Sorry for hijacking this thread...

Jeremy Garber · Post by **Jeremy Garber** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 8:38 pm

I'm not electronically inclined yet, but I have recently thought of how cool this idea would be as well (racking stereo pairs of simple DiY fx). Would you still use 9v batteries in the rack, or hook up a wall wart, or go to the trouble of making a power supply?

I'll be watching this thread.

runrunrun · Post by **runrunrun** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 9:35 pm

Lukey wrote:inverseroom, do you know where you WOULD pay 60 bucks for an empty piece of racking? I keep staring at all these awesome-looking DIY projects, and have thought about trying to make them look cooler/older/more mysterious than they would with their existing faceplates.... which seem to cost about that much anyway...

chassis - http://www.par-metal.com/

front panels - http://www.frontpanelexpress.com/

inverseroom · Post by **inverseroom** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 8:17 am

SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ wrote:I'm not electronically inclined yet, but I have recently thought of how cool this idea would be as well (racking stereo pairs of simple DiY fx). Would you still use 9v batteries in the rack, or hook up a wall wart, or go to the trouble of making a power supply?

I'll be watching this thread.

Wall wart for sure.

Here is the schem...if somebody here could take a look at it I'd be grateful. Obviously I won't use the bypass circuit...but can this work simply by changing the resistors on the inputs?

Lukey · Post by **Lukey** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 8:36 am

So this is the idiot side of me coming out...

would you use just another IC, or use the other half of the op amp for your stereo plan? Does it work that way? pros/cons? eh?

inverseroom · Post by **inverseroom** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 8:39 am

No, no, I'd just make two of them, two boards. It wouldn't really be stereo, just dual mono.

percussion boy · Post by **percussion boy** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 6:18 am

inverseroom wrote: I just want it to take line level.

So . . . stereo line level (from two fx sends of a mixboard) into the two former stomp boxes, then return their outputs back to the mixer? To squash and mutate vocals or drums or something?

Seems like the issue is a potential impedance mismatch, if you just plug the squeezers directly into the board as if they were 1176s or something. I dunno what kind of "crumminess" this would create.

Isn't this a job for two Reamps and a stereo direct box--at least for the anal, prosperous recording engineer?

http://www.reamp.com/images/Diagram-2.jpg

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Turning two compressor stompboxes into a stereo rack unit

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