Custom Rack Panel Recommendation

[youngmic]

What are your collective thoughts on connectors? Are they a concern? Is one better than another - Neutrik, G&H, Switchcraft, generic? What should I go with for my panel? Does less expensive necessarily mean risky? What are the trade offs?

Thanks.

 

[wezx]

What are your collective thoughts on connectors? Are they a concern? Is one better than another - Neutrik, G&H, Switchcraft, generic? What should I go with for my panel? Does less expensive necessarily mean risky? What are the trade offs?

Thanks.

I am a FIRM believer in Neutrik products...they are innovative, very reliable, and just work with no screwdriver needed to assemble!

Case in point: They make a Male/Female SWITCHABLE XLR jack that I'm using on my FOH talkback line in my IEM rig...just brilliant design!

Cheap jacks tend to fall apart easier and they definitely don't take solder as well as a higher quality jack with better quality metal.

 

[dpeterson]

+1 on neutrik stuff.

 

[s0c9]

No, it's a regualr CAT5 on the MFC. You mod it (if your warranty is expired) or get an Ethercon-> CAT5 cable. They're readily available.
I just received a quote from hans.
Looks like I should be placing my order early on Monday..
Will let you know how it works out- and posted pics when it arrives.

UPDATE: Ordered this am.... Mon. Hans is on vacation next week..

Panel arrived yesterday... installed into back of rack. slightly above the connectors on the Axe, to allow for access to the others if I need it.. here's mine. Hans did a GREAT job... and all worx fine...

Vafam Sound - Custom Audio Panels

 

[HughJasol]

Yeah, sorry Hans, I was one of those guys. I received my panel by the way and the quality is outstanding. I'll post pictures later today or tomorrow after I put it in the rack and get back from getting a root canal (fun!).

Big shout out to ccroyalsenders for letting us know about your services and to Shotgun who so graciously originally offered to build me one of these to spec.






From left to right we have:
Powercon so I never have to use the IEC plug again in the back of the Axe Fx II

TRS for the pedal jack in the back of the Axe

Ethercon jack for the MFC-101

USB jack for firmware updates and Axe Edit control

MIDI in for redundancy in case the Ethernet/MFC fails and I have to switch to another midi pedal
TS jack for input 2 in the back in case I want to plug in an acoustic guitar or the singer in my band wants to attempt to play along on a song with his remedial guitar skills.

Blank for another jack should I need it in the future

1/4 inch Left and Right output jacks for feeding PA or an amp if necessary

XLR left and right jacks to feeding the house PA. My main outs so the 1/4 inch jacks will rarely get used.

hole to run the cable from my wireless into the front of the Axe


Basically I never want to open the back of the rack again. Hopefully ventilation is not an issue. Any questions on my panel let me know. Otherwise contact Hans (Hansiebass on this forum) for a quote for your own custom panel.

Question: If you've already got an MFC-101 why do you need access to the "Pedal" jack on the back of the Axe II? I just want to make sure I'm not missing something before I order one of these panels without that jack . . . thanks!

 

[HughJasol]

After speaking with Hans yesterday I just ordered my 16-connector panel from Vafam, which will live on the rear of my rack (I personally don't like cables hanging off the front of my rack - they get in the way, not to mention it looks shoddy). Here are the specs I sent Hans:

Specified as “Panel Connector --> Cable End”


Axe-FX II Connections (All cables should be 18" long)
1. IN1 R: TRS-XLR Combo Jack --> TRS Plug
2. IN2 L: TRS-XLR Combo Jack --> TRS Plug
3. IN2 R: TRS-XLR Combo Jack --> TRS Plug
4. OUT1 (Bal) L: XLR Male --> XLR Female
5. OUT1 (Bal) R: XLR Male --> XLR Female
6. OUT1 (Unbal) L: TRS Jack --> TRS Plug
7. OUT1 (Unbal) R: TRS Jack --> TRS Plug


Power Amp Connections (All cables should be 24" long)
8. OUT L: Speakon & TS Combo Jack --> TS Speaker Plug
9. OUT R: Speakon & TS Combo Jack --> TS Speaker Plug

Axe-FX II Connections (All cables should be 18" long)
10. USB: USB Type B Female --> USB Type B Male
11. MIDI IN: 7-pin DIN Female --> 7-pin DIN Male
12. MIDI OUT/THRU: 5-pin DIN Female --> 5-pin DIN Male
13. Ethercon: RJ-45 Female w/ XLR housing --> RJ-45 Male
14. PEDAL: TRS Jack --> TRS Plug

In-Ear Monitor System Connections (All cables should be 24" long)
15. IN L: TRS-XLR Combo Jack --> XLR Male
16. IN R: TRS-XLR Combo Jack --> XLR Male

*** All 1/4" TS/TRS connectors should be straight plugs.​

I also ordered two extra "TRS Jack --> TRS Plug" cable/connector assemblies for OUT2, which will not be installed as I currently have OUT2 going directly to a power amp in the same rack. However, if/when I ever go with a powered cabinet like an Atomic Reactor, I'll remove the Speakon assemblies from positions #8 & #9, and install these TRS assemblies in their place and connect them to OUT2. I got the whole thing for about $200 shipped - not bad at all!

 

[Secret80'sMan]

Question: If you've already got an MFC-101 why do you need access to the "Pedal" jack on the back of the Axe II? I just want to make sure I'm not missing something before I order one of these panels without that jack . . . thanks!

You don't, I was just covering all the bases in case something happens to the MFC and I have to rely on a backup. Contingency plans homie, contingency plans are a must if you gig as often as I do.

 

[JC_MuscleShoals]

I just placed my order- 2 xlr's for AxeFx ous, 1 xlr's for Line 6 wireless out,Cat 5, USB, midi, and they are combining power from both units to 1 powerCON. Thanks for the tip!

 

[HughJasol]

You don't, I was just covering all the bases in case something happens to the MFC and I have to rely on a backup. Contingency plans homie, contingency plans are a must if you gig as often as I do.

Agreed . . . after figuring out I can switch between using the TRS OUT2 outputs on the Axe-FX II and the Speakon/TRS power amp outputs (depending on my power amp configuration), I populated the other 2 ports with the 7-pin MIDI-IN and the PEDAL jack. I'm a "you never know" guy too . . . in fact all 5 of my Mission pedals have the "R" polarity switch option install too because, well . . . you just never know!

Hans just emailed this to me this morning - should be shipping out tomorrow:

 

[MNG]

Mine arrived today and is installed in my rack. I can only echo the comments that Hans is a great guy to deal with and does a very professional job - I would definitely recommend him. My panel looks great and does the job I wanted, it is just so much easier to plug and unplug with one of these fitted.

Thanks for the tip cc.

 

[Rick]

Panel arrived yesterday... installed into back of rack. slightly above the connectors on the Axe, to allow for access to the others if I need it.. here's mine. Hans did a GREAT job... and all worx fine...

Vafam Sound - Custom Audio Panels

Looks great! I just LOVE mine. It is even more handy than I thought it would be.

+1 on Neutrik, Switchcraft has also been reliable for me.

 

[youngmic]

Has anyone used one of these panels over an extended period of time? If so, any issues? I'm interested and the quality and service look great. My only concern is with the generic connectors - they are not "name brand".

Thanks.

 

[iaresee]

Has anyone used one of these panels over an extended period of time? If so, any issues? I'm interested and they the quality and service looks great. My only concern is with the generic connectors - they are not "name brand".

Thanks.

Vafam uses Neutrik. If that's not "name brand" enough for you I can't think of what would be...

Edit: youngmic, apologies. Not all the jacks Vafam uses are Neutrik. I hadn't noticed that.

 

[HughJasol]

Vafam uses Neutrik. If that's not "name brand" enough for you I can't think of what would be...

I asked Hans about this on the phone earlier this week, and he said he did not use Neutrik connectors. I just asked him again to confirm, and I received this reply not 2 minutes ago:

The USB and EtherCON connectors are Neutrik.
All others are generic.

Actually practically all of the panels you see on our website are built using the same generic connectors.

Only once we had to replace a connector because it developed a problem over time.
Not a bad track record I’d say.

Also, since the last 5 years we do sell these generic connectors via our eBay store.
We do have a feedback profile of 9000 with a perfect 100% score.

Darn, maybe those generic connectors are not as bad as Neutrik wants the world to believe after all
​

So no they're not Neutrik, but given their track record I wouldn't worry too much about that . . .

 

[iaresee]

I asked Hans about this on the phone earlier this week, and he said he did not use Neutrik connectors. I just asked him again to confirm, and I received this reply not 2 minutes ago:

The USB and EtherCON connectors are Neutrik.
All others are generic.
​

So no they're not Neutrik, but given their track record I wouldn't worry too much about that . . .

I only noticed the name on my Ethercon connector -- made the assumption they were all Neutrik. Based on the look and touch I couldn't tell the difference. I wouldn't worry either. Plus: replacing a jack here and there is easy now that the panel is assembled.

 

[Hugomack]

I received mine in UK six days after Hans posted it - emailing me a pic of the parcel just before it was posted...

Here's everything in the flight case: http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg585/HugoMack/b9dee874.jpg

 

[funny_polymath]

+1 on neutrik stuff.

+1 here too. The best engineered, best-constructed, easiest to use, most robust.

 

[HughJasol]

Got my panel on Wednesday. I bought it to mount on the back of my rack, but I thought I'd mount it on the front first to see how I liked it (my rack isn't leaving the house anytime soon, so why not - it's more convenient while it's here at the house, even if it looks cluttered). Well, I'm glad I wasn't planning on mounting it on the front permanently, because many of the 18" cable are too short. Of course, I got all straight TRS plugs, which may have been (barely) long enough had I got right-angled plugs (which Hans told me to get if the panel would be front-mounted). But at 18" the ethernet cable was just barely too short. I mounted the panel 1 space below the Axe II rather than directly below it, but I don't think that made too much of a difference.

The moral of the story: If you're going to get a front-mounted panel, go with nothing short of 24" lengths and use right-angle 1/4" connectors. If you want the flexibility of front- or rear-mounting and you don't mind some extra cable slack when rear-mounting, go with 30" lengths and straight connectors on your 1/4" plugs, 28" lengths on everything else. This is how I'd order it if I had to do it again . . .

But I'm really happy with this panel and can't recommend it enough! You can see it here (it's the panel at Column A, Row F7 on his website).

 

[youngmic]

I received mine in UK six days after Hans posted it - emailing me a pic of the parcel just before it was posted...

Here's everything in the flight case: http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg585/HugoMack/b9dee874.jpg

Is that an SKB Roto Rack? I'm trying to decide between that and a 14" 4 space from EWI. Believe it or not they're both about the same size externally. The EWI just has incredibly deep lids and a little space between the case lip and the rails (the SKB's are evidently flush with the case edge). Anyway, I've read a couple of poor reviews that say it's impossible to use the top or bottom space for larger gear because of the design. I notice you've mounted the Axe Fx in the middle 2 spaces. Was that because of the way the rack was designed or because that's how you wanted it laid out?

Was leaning heavily toward the EWI until I realized that the 14" was just as big as the SKB. The SKB is half the weight and has over 17" rail to rail. I'd have to use right angle plugs in the EWI. The SKB has a luxurious amount of room. But I'm concerned with the reviews I've read.

Sorry for the tangent...

 

[Cooper Carter]

Is that an SKB Roto Rack? I'm trying to decide between that and a 14" 4 space from EWI. Believe it or not they're both about the same size externally. The EWI just has incredibly deep lids and a little space between the case lip and the rails (the SKB's are evidently flush with the case edge). Anyway, I've read a couple of poor reviews that say it's impossible to use the top or bottom space for larger gear because of the design. I notice you've mounted the Axe Fx in the middle 2 spaces. Was that because of the way the rack was designed or because that's how you wanted it laid out?

Was leaning heavily toward the EWI until I realized that the 14" was just as big as the SKB. The SKB is half the weight and has over 17" rail to rail. I'd have to use right angle plugs in the EWI. The SKB has a luxurious amount of room. But I'm concerned with the reviews I've read.

Sorry for the tangent...

SKB is definitely lighter, but I love my EWI 14" shock mounted 4 space. And you don't have to use right angles by necessity with it.