Synth suitcase
Aint it purty?
It’s no secret that synthesizer cases can be expensive and complicated. After outgrowing my (wonderful) Mantis from TipTop, I knew I needed a solution that wouldn’t destroy my wallet. The missus happened to have this BEAUTIFUL vintage suitcase that was the perfect size! I can fit 4 rows of over 100U each in that thing, and it will fold up for storage and transport. There was a TON of hemming (and even some hawing) on the Discord about which rails to get, and from where, I settled on a vector rail with an M2.5 strip.
I know M3 is the standard, and that I had hundreds of M3 screws and knurlies…but going with M2.5 saved me much more than the cost of some new knurlies. The inserts were about 20 HP too short for the rails, however, so I had to do some cutting. I’ll be more careful with that on the next build, as there’s a “wonky spot” on each rail where there’s a 1.5hp spot with no screw.
Could be worse
Overall it was a VERY simple build, mostly thanks to having the right tool for the job - The SynthSizer from MindTheStripe. Hopefully it is in stock when you click - They tend to sell out fast!
I also made a support on the right side of the case, which is just a scrap of the rail insert! It swings shut to be flush with the case for travel (This DOES qualify for carry-on status)
This nifty little thing does so much! Aside from being a great ruler (inches, mm, and HP!), it also has holes spaced for 1U and 3/6U rails! This makes drilling the holes for mounting the rails truly effortless. It prevents misalined, janky builds - something nobody wants. But look at that alignment! SOFA KING GOOD!
That’s the short version of how it came together! I opted to power the top half with a 4MS Row Power 45, and the bottom with the Shuttle Control from Endorphin.es, which you can daisy chain! Both the top and bottom half of the case are distributed via a Frap Tools SILTA Flyng Bus Cable and one of these busboards on each half.
I also added a Doepfer A-197-3 RGB LED Controller to control some lighting in the case. What an upgrade! Not only do I have twice the HP, but I can easily travel with it (see you at Knobcon!), and quickly break it down when I need more space. The only real downside is that this has me OBSESSED with the idea of building custom cases like this! I just put an order in for a bunch more rails and have a really cool case with which to use them. GET PSYCHED!
