ADA Preamps > MP-2

NEW To Racks - Have ADA Gear - please advise

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MRob:
Hi all I'm glad this forum is back up and running.    I'm brand new to rack stuff, have always used heads and combos.

About 2 yrs ago I bought an ADA MP2, MosValve Power Amp and a ProVerb FX unit.  Received it, left it in the box and NEVER messed with it!  I recently got a steal on a Rocktron Hush (newer version) so I have that now and I also have a Furman Power Conditioner.  I have a Mesa Ported 1x12 cab, a Genz Benz Gflex 2x12, a Carvin 4x12 and a few others, so I have cabs.  Wow... So, now it's time to build this thing and see what I can get out of it!

Any suggestions to start with?

What kind of cables should I use to hook it all up?  HOW do I hook all this stuff up???  Should I get a shallow rack or a regular 19" rack.  6RU or 8RU?

Looking for your expertise advice.   I know there may be better units to buy with what I have here, but I've never even hooked this up, so I want to try this to start with. 

I'm an 80's guy and am dying to get something near the good old 80's rock sound..

Looking forward to your thoughts and advice!

Thanks!

vansinn:
Not really much to say other than go get a 19" box and start loading it with what you have now.
If one of your devices are a Bit shallow, perhaps the Furman can be rear mounted, resulting in a mere 4u box.
I see a nice rig coming out of it; not'n to be ashamed about..

You may have an issue with not having identical cabs for each side, but no one says stereo cannot be stacked vertically.
You might want to try stacking the 2x12 on top of the 4x12 and run this as 'vertical stereo'; will still give you a nice ambient sound scape.

Oh, and welcome in here - I seem to forget this these days ;)

MarshallJMP:
Maybe go for an 8 RU rack case, I know from experience you get more stuff in the future  ::) I also started out with a 4 RU and I have an 18 RU now. Also the MP-2 gets quite hot after a few hours of use so it would be best to leave one space open above so it gets some cool air.
I would not go for a shallow rack, might be too small for the MP-2.And I don't know how deep that mosvalve is. Maybe others can give some advise here.

As for connections, you will need some patch cables too hook it all up. And you can either use the loop of the MP-2 to put the effects in or you can connect them after the MP-2.Never used the stereo loop of the MP-2 so don't know if it's good or not.

Then some midi? Do you have a midi foot controller ? In can see something that looks like a ADA midi controller in the pic, correct? If so which model is it? The ART has midi, does the hush also have midi (some models do ,some don't)

So let us know and I'm sure others will chime in too, so you'll have that rack up and running soon.

Kim:
Hi and Welcome!  :wave:

I have my fx unit in the MP-2 Loop, no problems there that I'm aware of as long as you aren't driving that Loop too hard...as always, pay mind to the Gain Structures when combining rack units and set the levels appropriately.

You might find that your Hush unit isn't really needed as well.  The MP-2 has a pretty good Noise Reduction/Gate, just takes a little tweaking to set to your liking but then you can also have it set differently for every patch you program/use.

Harley Hexxe:
Welcome to the Depot MRob!

   A standard size rack would be a good idea since I know the Furman and ADA's are the same depth. You always want to have room for your connections in the back without bending your connections at the jacks. I'm not sure how deep the power amp is though, so you may want to take that into consideration. Also, if the power amp is a tube amp, leaving a space between units is a good idea, or else you can use a small clip on fan in back of the rack to move air around your tube equipment. That will help prevent problems caused by heat.
   When you mount your gear in the rack case, as you are looking at the rack from the back, run all your power cables on the left side, and all your audio cables on the right. Send your control cables, (Midi, foot switches) up the center. As for audio cables, try to use only the length you need for your connections. If your soldering skills are good, you can make your own cables to length, and all audio cables are shielded, speaker cables are NEVER shielded. You always want to make cables that have enough length to plug in without stressing, (no sharp bends at the jacks), and I prefer Switchcraft jacks.
   I never used the ART unit, but it looks like the standard DSP processor of the day, so it will be fine in the effects loop of the MP-2, especially if you are going to use time based effects like delay and reverb. The MP-2 loops have a mix control for each loop, but I've found that if I leave the mix at 100% wet in the MP-2, and adjust the effects level on the unit to a lower, more useable mix, that the MP-2 tone is more satisfying to my ears. Of course with certain effects processors, the opposite is true. You'll have to use your ears for that.
   The MP-2 is a very complicated unit in terms of programming and editing, just don't give up on it. There is plenty of help here at the Depot, and we'll get you going with it. If you are going to use the Hush unit instead of the built-in noise gate, I would recommend putting that in the signal chain between the output of the preamp and the input of the power amp instead of in the effects loop. You may want to get all your connections together and hook up everything on your desktop and audition it that way before mounting everything in the rack. That way, you'll know how everything will be connected and how it will sound when it's all in the case.
   If you are going to run a stereo rig, and your 4x12 cab has the ability to run in stereo, then that would be the ideal way to audition your rack rig. Just be sure the impedance of the power amp and the cab are matched. You never want the speaker impedance to be lower than the power amp impedance or you'll cook the power amp.

    That should get you started.

     Harley 8)

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