# Strand's new Light Rack Dimmer Rack



## derekleffew (Sep 22, 2008)

Which would you rather have and why?

This:



This:


or This:


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## gafftaper (Sep 22, 2008)

_First the disclaimer, I'm not a road show guy so my impressions may be completely inaccurate. _

That 4 module strand rack with dimmers in the flight case is 240 lbs... not bad. I like the connections on the back too they seem really neat and simple which in my book means SAFE. 

The ETC is great too of course but it looks like it's significantly heavier. There is also a complexity of options that although nice options at times, makes it just seem like it's doing too much. I like the simple SOCA out strategy of the Strand. 

That Dadco looks like something the Librarian at Guantanamo Bay would use to make sure books are returned on time. Not exactly something I would take on the road.


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## dannyn (Sep 22, 2008)

The Strand seems to be the best built. I like the connections that they use on it. It has a very nice road case with it too. The Dedco seems to be the least quality product.


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## Darthrob13 (Sep 22, 2008)

How about a 48 way rack you can two-man into the back of a pickup?

The 96 is only slightly heavier....haven't tried to lift a loaded one but it should be doable.

(This is the LightRack of course.)


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## Malabaristo (Sep 22, 2008)

dannyn said:


> The Strand seems to be the best built....



If you're saying that you like the way it's laid out, that's fine. If you're talking about ruggedness, I'd have to disagree. After seeing the massive amounts of abuse a Sensor touring rack can stand up to, the Light Rack looks downright flimsy to me. A Smart Pack tour rack would be a much fairer comparison.

The DADCO isn't really a dimmer, just distro for the CD-80"s that you (presumably) already have lying around. I can't imagine wanting to actually travel with it, but I suppose it's better than hauling six CD-80's individually.

The Sensor rack is the obvious choice... if you can afford it. It's not really in the same category as the other two.

The Light Rack looks nice for what it is: small, light, and (I'm assuming) relatively cheap. I'd be curious to know how well it really performs. There's not nearly enough information in the datasheet and manual to really form an opinion at this point.


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## Toffee (Sep 23, 2008)

Most rock and roll shows I work use the one on the very bottom.


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## Pie4Weebl (Sep 23, 2008)

The first one looks like a beast, I don't know why you would not want to have that all in a solid rack, I could not see putting that on a truck and it does not even look neat. 

I'm fine with the Leprecon MX dimmer racks I used day to day.


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## derekleffew (Sep 23, 2008)

Toffee said:


> Most rock and roll shows I work use the one on the very bottom.


Errr. No they don't. The one pictured was just introduced a few weeks ago and I don't believe has begun shipping yet. There are many similar ones, from lesser manufacturers, such as this. (Yes, I know it's actually an ML PD, but they all look the same.)


For what it's worth, I can count on one hand the number of tours in the past ten years I've seen NOT using the "middle one."

The Dadco rack is designed for movie studios and has the advantage of sending 60 dimmers to one place, or 12 dimmers each to 5 different places. (If it were meant for touring, it would have ratchet straps installed.)


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## TimMiller (Sep 23, 2008)

I like racks that have patch bays. NO SOFT PATCH!!!!! I like to physically be able to two-fer up two lights onto one dimmer.


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## len (Sep 23, 2008)

My only beef with the sensor rack is that the doors get dented fairly easily. But I like that on that one the doors disappear inside the case. With the Strand, the lids tend to get put somewhere that is inconvenient. In Derek's second post that looks more like a distro than a dimmer rack. I don't like lift out racks at all. That's why we have wheels and motors in this world, so that we don't have to lift stuff. But if it were in a rack with front/back lids or the rack was accessible without removing it from the tray that would be fine. 

The first picture (just a frame) is something that I would be concerned about taking on a truck due to it's being open. But since the distro/dimmer rack is often one of the last lighting items to come off the truck (typically) I would think you could pack other cases around it. OTOH, why create a worry for yourself?


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## mbandgeek (Sep 23, 2008)

I think we have 2 of the sensor 96 racks here. They seem to be very sturdy.


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## DaveySimps (Sep 23, 2008)

I have always been a big fan of the sensor racks. We have a 24 channel one here that works great for us. I regularly see the 96 channel sensor racks coming through on touring productions more so than any other brand.

~Dave


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## Sony (Sep 23, 2008)

I've used the Sensor 96 Touring Rack, I love it and they can come with direct SOCAPEX outputs, at least the one I used did. Was very sturdy!


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## TimMiller (Sep 24, 2008)

ETC's patchbay leaves something to be desired when they get old. Dang cables decide to unpatch themselves.


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## LightStud (Sep 24, 2008)

TimMiller said:


> ETC's patchbay leaves something to be desired when they get old. Dang cables decide to unpatch themselves.


You DO know that you're supposed to, in a manner of speaking, "split the pins" if the plug is loose in the jack?


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## derekleffew (Sep 24, 2008)

TimMiller said:


> ETC's patchbay leaves something to be desired when they get old. Dang cables decide to unpatch themselves.


A few months ago, I used a 48x2.4 Sensor rack with a 1993 DOM and had no issues. Based on its owner, I'm certain the rack had been on several world tours. 

On the other hand, a few years ago I had to replace another manufacturer's touring rack (at four am the day of show!) due to multiple issues. Demanding the Lighting Supplier's representative's help, once I swapped in the Sensor rack from another in-house venue, every single issue dissappeared.


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## Balo (Oct 16, 2008)

The new strand racks came through Portland, OR in August with the Motley Crue tour. I worked dimmer beach with 7 of them. Some were setup as dimmers and others as relays to power moving lights. Very nice and easy to use. Also the cam-loc spacing is nicer than the ETC's because you can actually get your hand around it to make and break the connections easier especially if you have big hands like myself.


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## erosing (Oct 16, 2008)

Personally I'd go Strand because I started on a CD-80, so there is my bias. However I do like the Sensor rack, but I've only used it in permanent installs.

On a picture basis, I'd say that the Strand has a lot of space for hands, as was mentioned, and that it appears much more robust then the Sensor. Though I haven't seen the back of the Sensor, so I guess that doesn't mean much...


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## TimMiller (Oct 16, 2008)

The back of the sensor road racks are quite cramped for space. Its not easy to get your hands in there to plug in soco.


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