Random eBay Rack Review for MSR-16

  • Thread starter Thread starter themaddog
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themaddog

Rockin' & Rollin'
I recently purchased this rack from eBay, with a Best Offer of $59.99:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-12-9-SPACE-ROLLING-STUDIO-RACK-STAND-69-99_W0QQitemZ190066224711

The rack appears to fit my recorder pretty well, and is able to handle the weight. The only problem I have with it is I can't screw in all of the holes, only those on the right side, because of the height of the rack for some reason. However, at the angle I have the recorder set, it shouldn't be going anywhere.

One neat thing is the rack mounts below. If I had rack ears for my Tascam 22-2, I'd consider putting it here. As it is, I've got all my rack equipment in another rack already, but if I ever needed to consolidate more, it's a nice option to have.

Assembly of the rack took about 20 minutes, by myself, and I'm not really good at putting these types of things together.

I recommend having a friend help in moving the recorder to be mounted to the rack, as I nearly dropped my MSR-16 in the process!

I've attached a couple of pictures, and as you can see, it appears to be able to handle the weight of the MSR-16, even though it weighs very close to the rack's maximum handling of 110 lbs.

Hope this review is helpful to those looking for an inexpensive rack for their Tascam MSR-16's or TSR-8's. This rack should easily be able to handle the TSR-8.

-MD
 

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i'm puzzling to understand what's up with not being able to to screw on the other side? Which way it the ear's holes do not match the reck's holes, horizontally or vertically? :confused:
looks nice!
now may I suggest - THIS ? :D
 
Thanks for the review! The studio looks great! Is the rack easy to roll around with? Will it be easier to calibrate the machine? i.e., does it swivel easily? Can you go into further detail about the screws not lining up?
 
Excellent review and picts MD! Give the man some rep points, will ya ? :D

Hey, cool, Depeche Mode! :)
 
He he, that Depeche Mode poster cost a buck in EastBum, NJ (aka Lambertville, where my one of my ex-girlfriends lived). On the other side, just out of the shot, is a very old Twisted Sister promo from the '70s.

The screws do not line up vertically. Horizontally I was able to even them off. I think the rubber "feet" on the MSR-16 might be causing it a little bit, but everything appears even, so it could be the rack.

I would not try swiveling this thing. There are six positions it can move to, but that would require removing the large "handle screws" (for lack of a better term). Everything is just too heavy for me to set it in a different position, and I'm not so much interested in doing that anyway. I've attached a close-up pic of this handle, hopefully so that you can see how it all works out.

If you remove the handle screws, the only thing that holds the metal pieces in place is a tiny, fixed pin. I don't trust that to hold it without the handle screw, both due to the weight of the MSR and because of the manner in which the metal with the holes on the sides bends to stay in place. For instance, I tried unscrewing one of the handle screws a little bit, and the more I unscrewed it, the further the black metal with the holes (for angle adjustment) moved from the pin. Check the pic to see which pin I'm talking about.

I've never calibrated a tape machine, so I can't comment on how easy that would be.

If you look at the photo, you can also see how the holes in the rack and the rack ears on the MSR don't quite match up. I set it up as closely as I could get them to match, but it still isn't close enough. The other hole on the bottom, which is not visible in the photo, is even further away.

The whole rack rolls relatively easily, about as well as you'd expect for a rack holding a 100+ lbs. tape machine. I am confident that the MSR would stay in place at this angle, even if I didn't use any of the mounting screws. This estimated stability also includes while rolling the rack around.

For $60, this was a good solution for me. Prior to this, I had the MSR on a small, wooden end-table that I didn't trust very much. The end-table was only a temporary solution, that seemed to be turning into a long-term one.

The bottom rack makes me want to add another tape machine down there, maybe like a TSR-8. I have a 4 track cassette multitracker that I'm thinking of putting down there, as it has rack ears, but it would probably be much more nuisance than the effort it would take to mount it and rewire it when it was needed.

-MD
 

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One more note...

The sad thing about this studio is that the only opportunity I've had to use it since moving just about all of my equipment from a basement to an apartment, has been on the digital end of things. I scored a really crappy horror film, but didn't have much of my equipment, such as the Tascam Midizer, up and running yet, so I had to track everything digitally. It wasn't worth even mixing to my 22-2, simply because of the sync issues I would have had.

Out of the photo, on the right, is a small stereo and a turntable. It's a cheap RCA, sounds pretty good, but the sound is heavier on one side, but the side changes depending on how far along the needle is on the record. I always knew something was up with it, but never quite figured it out until I saw the levels on the meters on the board.

-MD
 
Assembly of the rack took about 20 minutes, by myself, and I'm not really good at putting these types of things together.
Click to expand...
Perhaps you reversed one of the rails when you put it together and maybe that's why the holes don't line up on the left side as the starting distances might be off from the top of the rail compared to the bottom?

Just a guess...because I can't see enough detail in any of the pictures?

Looks nice though! ;)

Cheers! :)
 
Thanks for your thoughts on this matter. I had considered that when I first noticed the problem, but I'm certain that I assembled it correctly and that the pieces are not backwards. It would not be possible to mount them backwards or reversed because of the way the other pieces need to line up.

Thanks for looking!
-MD
 
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Hey there,
Just an update on my stand situation; it's still working out great, haven't had any problems, but I've found what looks to be a better and cheaper stand on eBay.

Seller moncdawg (http://cgi.ebay.com/Amp-Mixer-Stand...ryZ23790QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) is selling a stand for $54.99 that claims it can support 130 lbs. Obviously, this would be preferable to the stand that I purchased, which has a reported capacity of 110 lbs., particularly if one wanted to add rack equipment on the bottom.

Just thought I'd update anyone who was looking at stands for their tape machines!

-MD
 
Hey MD, how do those speakers sound? I was just looking at them in the MF catalog. They're powered right?
 
Hiya,
Those are KRK V-8's - the originals, not the Series II.

They are powered and they sound AMAZING! They sound especially wonderful when listening to my records.

You can't get those new anymore. The Series II retails for less money new than the original V-8's did, so I think that the Series II are cheaper for KRK to produce. Aside from that, the only thing the Series II has that my original V-8's don't is the auto on/off.

I would definitely recommend them. I also have the KRK RP-5's; they also sound pretty good.

What are you using for monitors now?

-MD
 
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themaddog said:
Hiya,
Those are KRK V-8's - the originals, not the Series II.

They are powered and they sound AMAZING! They sound especially wonderful when listening to my records.

You can't get those new anymore. The Series II retails for less money new than the original V-8's did, so I think that the Series II are cheaper for KRK to produce. Aside from that, the only thing the Series II has that my original V-8's don't is the auto on/off.

I would definitely recommend them. I also have the KRK RP-5's; they also sound pretty good.

What are you using for monitors now?

-MD
Click to expand...

I'm using a pair of passive Roland speakers. I forget the model. They're good speakers but I've been thinking about trying something smaller and powered or just different.
 
I have a pair of Sony (forget the model, but they were about $250 new) headphones that I also use in addition to my KRK monitors. I can't really hear any difference when I switch between the two. I'd like to think that's the sign of a good monitor and headphone combination, so that may be a good way to go about looking for new monitors.

I like my Rockit 5's, and thought they were a good deal for the money. Musicians Friend is offering a free stand with each Rockit 5, and for the same price I paid for them without stands about 3 years ago. The Rockits also have a built in limiter to prevent blowing them out, which I think is a really good feature.

I'm going to be setting up two studios very soon. My "big" studio will be in my band's practice space, with my MSR-16, all of the rack gear, pretty much everything pictured above EXCEPT for the KRK V-8's. I'm just worried about someone using them and blowing them out. That, and since the room is completely untreated, I don't think I'd be gaining much by using the expensive speakers.

My "home" studio will house my 388, a couple of small, cheap effects, and the KRK V-8's. I'll also be using my Tascam Midiizer with a computer running Cool Edit in case I need more tracks and to control and MIDI sync stuff.

-MD
 
themaddog said:
I have a pair of Sony (forget the model, but they were about $250 new) headphones that I also use in addition to my KRK monitors. I can't really hear any difference when I switch between the two. I'd like to think that's the sign of a good monitor and headphone combination, so that may be a good way to go about looking for new monitors.



-MD
Click to expand...

good point
 
themaddog said:
Hey there,
Just an update on my stand situation; it's still working out great, haven't had any problems, but I've found what looks to be a better and cheaper stand on eBay.

Seller moncdawg (http://cgi.ebay.com/Amp-Mixer-Stand...ryZ23790QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) is selling a stand for $54.99 that claims it can support 130 lbs. Obviously, this would be preferable to the stand that I purchased, which has a reported capacity of 110 lbs., particularly if one wanted to add rack equipment on the bottom.

Just thought I'd update anyone who was looking at stands for their tape machines!

-MD
Click to expand...

Weird to quote myself, but I've just purchased the above stand from eBay, because I'm assembling a mixdown studio at home. I'll let you all know how this stand works out and how it holds up to the aforementioned reviewed stand.

-MD
 
nice. we expect a full report when you are receive it, for extra credit. ;) I wanted to get one of those for my tascam 32 to roll it around the house. :D
 
Hey, I was thinking , since the holes don't line up on the rack bracket, you should just use a couple of self tapping screws to hold it in place. Just paint over the screws when finished so they blend in and..... "Waaahhlaaaaa" .... You have a nice sturdy rack with no worries.
A
 
Thanks for your thoughts. It's never really been a big deal, but when I get my new MSR, I'm going to take both of them to a tech to bring them both into spec, so that I can use one to record, and other to mixdown with at home. When I put them back in their respective racks, I'll try your suggestion.

Thanks!
-MD
 
I highly recommend NOT purchasing the rack from Moncdawg.

Moncdawg appears to be an honest dealer, but the product is a piece of junk. He sent me a second unit at no cost, since the first had the holes drilled incorrectly, but even still my new unit was difficult to assemble.

I don't have the vocabulary to articulate what a piece of s**t this rack is. Items don't mount onto the rack in the traditional way: you have to use brackets in order to use the supplied screws, but the brackets are easy to bend and can't hold very much weight.

My MSR-16 is too wide to fit on the rack. I'm hoping that I'll be able to mount my Otari MX-50 NII onto it, but realistically I'm not sure it'll work out. It took a lot of work just to install a standard piece of single-space rack equipment.

Waste of money! This is NOT a good unit for mounting a tape machine.

-MD
 
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