Racks & Cases Topics:
» Portable Rack Types
» Rackmounting Tips and Tricks
» What is ATA?
» Understanding the "U" in Portable Racks
» Rack Accessory Necessities

Carry your PA system around damage-free by choosing from HUNDREDS of different PA racks and cases. This Sweetwater Buying Guide includes information that can help you choose racks and cases for your needs. Since there's so much to consider when purchasing Racks & Cases, don't hesitate to call us at 1-800-222-4700 for more information.

Portable Rack Types

The importance of protecting your gear when transporting it to and from the gig cannot be overstated. However, you can scale your protection to the types of travel and hazards you're most likely to face.

If you're moving a small sound system from your house to the coffee house once a week, then portable rack bags may be sufficient. Portable rack bags provide compact, lightweight protection from dust and minor scrapes.

Hard Cases are designed to protect your gear from the hazards of frequent loading and unloading: the bumps, collisions with other gear and scratches, as well as dust and dirt. Some hard cases include shock mounts and some are ATA-rated for airline travel. Whether made of plastic, plywood, or some other material, hard cases are definitely a consideration for touring groups or those doing strings of one-night gigs around town.

Rackmounting Tips and Tricks

The following are just a few tips and tricks that will add life to the gear you rack, make your life easier when transporting your rig from gig to gig, and generally enhance your rack experience.

Choose the Right Rack Depth
Allow for space behind your rackmount gear, as well as room for any cables/connectors that need to stay plugged in when the rack is closed up. If your gear isn't deep, you can get shallow racks, which usually provide about 14.5" of inside depth, while others typically range from 16" to 18" deep.

Balance the Rack
Mount heavier gear toward the bottom of the rack and lighter items at the top. This will help keep the rack balanced wherever it might be sitting, keep it from falling over as it's transported, and make it easier to carry and lift.

Allow for Airflow
Electronic equipment can generate a lot of heat, and the surest way to shorten your gear's lifespan is to allow all that heat to build up. If a piece of gear gets really hot - any kind of amplifier, or anything with tubes, for example - leave at least one empty space above it in the rack to allow for airflow. Remember that heat rises, so arrange the gear in your rack so that the biggest heat-producers aren't affecting each other. In some cases a rackmountable fan may be necessary to keep things cool.

Power to the People
Rackmountable power conditioners can provide eight or more outlets in a single rack space. Using one of these strips lets you keep power cable mess to a minimum, and means you only need to find a single available power outlet in order to plug in your rack of gear. Sinced working on a rack in a dark club or a dim studio can be challenging, many of these include retractable lights that you can pull out to illuminate your rack gear.

What is ATA?

ATA rated racks are approved for air travel.

"ATA" is the abbreviation for the Air Transport Association. The ATA defines standards for how to transport cargo on aircraft, and among those are requirements for "approved" equipment cases. The ATA designation is available in many case designs. This generally means that the case conforms to or meets the ATA's minimum requirements for an approved case of that size and type. Non-ATA cases can still be used for travel on airlines, but there are limits to the airline's liability for them and their contents.

Understanding the "U" in Portable Racks

The width and height of rackmountable equipment is standardized in the audio industry. At the core of this standard is the "rackspace," or unit. One rackspace is defined as 1.75" from top to bottom and 19" in width.

Rack Space - Top to Bottom
Standard rack equipment conforms to this by either being 1.75" high, or some multiple of that. Equipment height is often measured in "rack units," where one unit (1U) is 1.75", 2U is 3.5", and so on. Racks are built with holes in their "rack rails" which correspond to this spacing, allowing for equipment of any unit height to be mounted. If you're building your own rack, you can purchase rack rails of almost any height.

If you're not sure how many rack spaces your gear will need, you can use a rack ruler, which is essentially a measuring tape that offers rack unit intervals as well as inches.

Rack Space - Left to Right
From left to right, rack spaces are 19" wide. Some gear is described as "half-rack" or "third-rack." These sizes allow for multiple pieces of gear to fit in a single rack space (two "half-rack" units or three "third-rack" units fit left to right into a rack respectively).

Rack spaces are a standard 19" in width

Rack Accessory Necessities

	Rack Screws While there's not a lot of tech talk involved with rack screws, it is worth noting that rack screws come with different head types. You can always go with Phillips head rack screws. These are convenient since you probably have a Phillips screwdriver (or three) laying around in the garage, car trunk, or kitchen "junk drawer." Square and Torx heads are great choices if you have the tendency to rack, unrack, then rack up again all your gear. Why? Well, by design, they're less likely to strip than Phillips. One final note, be sure to use washers that won't scratch your gear (a condition known as "rack rash.") » View all Rack Screws
	Rack Drawers Planning for a drawer in your rack might not be vital to sounding great, but it sure is a handy place to put all that "other" stuff that needs to be with your gear such as mixer tape, Sharpies, your SPL Meter, cable tester, remote controls, and hearing protection. » View all Rack Drawers
	Rack Shelves Sometimes you need gear in your rack that wasn't originally designed to be rackmounted. We have solutions for these situations. Whether you just need a flat surface to temporarilty set it down, or to permanently attach it, rack shelves are the answer. If you need one that can extend out, you'll want to get a sliding shelf. » View all Rack Shelves
	Blank Panels Blank panels give your rack a finished look by filling in the empty spaces. You can choose from a wide assortment of blank panels in different heights and styles including vented and non-vented, flanged and non-flanged, or even hinged and designer types. » View all Blank Panels » View all Vented Panels