Is IT rack gear mounts spaced differently to music rack gear?

[robussc]

Got a new music desk recently with built-in racks for hardware. I got a rack mountable power strip (for server racks) for all the various gear on the desk: computer, powered speakers, mixer etc and the holes don't line up so I can only use two screws instead of four. Same with a rack mountable tray I got for the audio interface and headphone mixer.

I can't believe it's the desk? But it's also weird that two items from different manufacturers don't fit. Am I crazy?

[joeyluck]

What desk is it?

[crimsonwarlock]

They should be exactly identical spaced. Are the rack strips mounted correctly in the desk? The holes to mount your gear should be square.

[robussc]

What desk is it?

It's this: https://a.co/d/bxnqWqG

[robussc]

They should be exactly identical spaced. Are the rack strips mounted correctly in the desk? The holes to mount your gear should be square.

Hmm - definitely not square holes. They have threaded screws for mounting gear.

[crimsonwarlock]

Hmm - definitely not square holes. They have threaded screws for mounting gear.

In that case, they are not standardized 19-inch rack rails. Take a look at the Reason rack, it is accurately modelled

[robussc]

Hmm - definitely not square holes. They have threaded screws for mounting gear.

In that case, they are not standardized 19-inch rack rails. Take a look at the Reason rack, it is accurately modelled

Well that is the simplest explanation. Weird that they used some non-standard racks (but cheap and cheerful I guess.) It's not a huge problem but disappointing all the same.

[MuttReason]

Standard 19” rack strips should have square holes very close together into which you pop little ‘cage nuts’ that make it easy to adjust for vertical spacing for different kinds of gear. All the pre-made music gear racks I’ve seen have this setup.

See this for example: https://www.studiospares.com/steel-rack ... 900076.htm

[joeyluck]

What desk is it?

It's this: https://a.co/d/bxnqWqG

That looks like it should work. I have one rack with square holes and separate cage nut bits that I have to put on. All of my other racks look like this. And of course it also depends where you are trying to line them up, because that can make a difference. Do you have pictures of your situation?

[crimsonwarlock]

In that case, they are not standardized 19-inch rack rails. Take a look at the Reason rack, it is accurately modelled

Well that is the simplest explanation. Weird that they used some non-standard racks (but cheap and cheerful I guess.) It's not a huge problem but disappointing all the same.

If they can be detached, you could replace them with correct ones, they are pretty cheap. I actually have two sets of short rails lying here in my studio because I'm planning to build a new desk myself. I checked them against my server racks (my studio is located in my office building) before posting my answers to you.

[robussc]

Standard 19” rack strips should have square holes very close together into which you pop little ‘cage nuts’ that make it easy to adjust for vertical spacing for different kinds of gear. All the pre-made music gear racks I’ve seen have this setup.

See this for example: https://www.studiospares.com/steel-rack ... 900076.htm

Definitely don't look like that. I'll try and get close-up picture.

[joeyluck]

Both rail types work with music hardware. My guess is you are spacing them wrong?

The rails that don't require cage nuts are spaced out by rack units. If you don't start at the end of a rack unit, then you might not be able to access holes on the other end of your device.

[robussc]

Both rail types work with music hardware. My guess is you are spacing them wrong?

The rails that don't require cage nuts are spaced out by rack units. If you don't start at the end of a rack unit, then you might not be able to access holes on the other end of your device.

There is a bit of variation in the spacing, but I tried adjusting to a different combo, that looked like it would fit, but in the end there was just enough misalignment to block the screw. So I think it's just a "look alike" rack rather than a real one. I got what I paid for I suppose

[robussc]

Well this is embarrassing, I had the units in the wrong spots. I guess there's options for some alternate sizes? but starting from the top as suggested earlier made it all work as expected. Now I just need some blank panels to make it look pretty.

Thanks for the help!

[joeyluck]

Glad you were able to get it figured out!