I bought a second silverface Urei LA4 and wanting to rack them together, but also balking at the 85 dollar price tag of the rack ear/connector kit from Studio Electronics, decided to try and make my own using materials you could find at Menards (because I’m in the midwest, and I love to save big money).

I discovered many things on my journey, and thought I’d share them, in case you found yourself in the same situation. The short version? Yes, I did it for twenty bucks, but I’d actually recommend just buying the $85 kit linked above. The long version? I learned a lot about tolerances. You can measure the distance between holes on your LA4 as many times as you like, but by the time that measurement is pencilled onto the metal, punched and drilled, it probably won’t line up. You will need the following pieces of metal: a 1″ aluminium right angle for the rack ears (SKU#2279907), a 3/4″ aluminium flat (SKU#2279842) for the ear spacers, and a 22 gauge piece of 6″ steel sheet (SKU#2284109) for the connector pieces. (Menards doesn’t sell 2″ aluminium flat in 1/16″ thickness, and a 1/8″ piece will make the pair too tall for a 2u slot, so the 6″ plate is way wider than it needs to be, but it doesn’t get in the way of anything.)

You will also need a drill press, a hacksaw and a vice, a center punch, various drill bits, and a 1/4″ flat file, which I didn’t have, so I just used my Dremel. The hardest thing to do is make the oblong shaped hole on the rack ears. Obviously you just drill two holes and file down what’s left in between, but good luck drilling those holes (3/16″ apart) on the same plain. Mine ended up looking kind of drunk, as did the clearance holes in the spacers, and all of the holes on the connector pieces to be fair, but once it’s racked you can’t see any of it! Inconsistencies in how the Urei faceplate is attached to the chassis didn’t help matters, especially with my distant serials. I initially entertained the idea of using the excess material to make more kits and turn a profit on ebay, but quickly disabused myself of that notion. No one would pay money for the product I created. But it works, and while I was scrabbling around in there, I learned how to change the VU lamp. Watch it shine!

Studio Electronics

The Inventors album ‘Pictures of Mountains’ is out now on all streaming platforms, vinyl coming some time next year. Black Smoke is my favourite track (I love a good extended fade out) so I cut this video for it, using my dad’s 8mm footage from their trip across the US in 1968. He really missed his calling as director of photography in my opinion. Double exposures and everything!

The only full album I recorded during the various Covid lockdowns was the new Inventors record, which due to vinyl pressing turnarounds probably won’t be released until the end of the year, but you can hear a single right now, on all the streaming platforms. We recorded everyone’s parts individually, with Joe and Ray’s demos filling in the gaps until it was all down, so no one had to share a room together, which was especially bizarre with the Inventors because previously we’ve essentially tracked live and just added vocals. Nick never even stepped foot in the studio, since he’s a paramedic, lives in Indiana, and has a decent bass DI at home. It was a learning experience for sure. Charlie Kaufman is a different person from Andy Kaufman, I realized pretty early on.

Another banger from Gramn, maybe my favourite so far. Still grateful to be involved with this music making. Smash that like button!

I mixed this single (with b-side!) for Party Boss which is out now on Disconnect Records and all the usual streaming platforms etc. They recorded it in a shed in London. The wonders of modern technology…

Occasionally I write a song for Extreme Music Publishing that I’m proud of, not because I nailed the genre or thought that it was particularly ‘sync-able’, but because it sounds like real music to my ears, and that if I had a band of that size and shape, I might perform it on a stage. Artistic credibility if you will. Here’s my contribution to the Noise Rock II album:

Come in to my Office

The Extreme site, as awesome as it is, does not yet allow embeds. Soz.

This Franksgiving I am frankful for the work I still get to do, even if it’s just me in the studio. Some more sonic screwdrivery for Jim and Awks in this video. They’re really cranking out some gems this year. Subscribe to their channel yo.

Obviously this year was a slow one for studios the world over, but in between Covid spikes we found a way to run a few masked sessions. Here’s Ho Etsu bringing their drums to record on the new Down I Go album.

The four track EP that The Inventors did up here last fall is up on bandcamp. It’s pay what you can, and all proceeds go towards service industry workers in Chicago, who, for obvious reasons, are having trouble paying bills right now. Rumour has it that they have a whole new album up their sleeves…

Everyone loves our chickens, but Beat the Smart Kids loved them so much they named their EP ‘Chicken Sounds’, featuring Hen Solo (RIP) on the front cover. It’s ska punk. Just thought I should mention that before you clicked the play button.