BAE R53 3-Channel 500 Series Rack - Unloaded

I bought this unit making note of Steven’s and Brighten’s issue stated above/below. Luckily, I was able insert all three of my 500 series units without having to take the top off. (Two of which were definitely a tight fit and the third was manufactured by BAE, so it fit perfectly). All in all, I am very happy with my purchase.

I had the same issues explained by Steven. However issues aside, this IS a great rack once you get it set up. One thing to watch out for is that the plug in slots were not straight, and in leveling them I broke a screw off. Take your time when seating modules, and do it with the lid off. Taking the lid off is not such a bad thing. A quicker method of doing it would be useful. Hopefully BAE expands on this rack, it has a lot of potential, and I feel the quality overall is better than the competition for a 1U rack.

perfect for fitting three 500 series modules in a 1U rackspace that does not require a separate power supply. that's the main reason i bought this chassis. another dope feature is the link buttons that feeds one module into the next in sequential order. right now, i loaded a neve 1073lb pre > neve 1073lb eq > igs 576 blue stripe for my main rap vocal chain; 1 xlr in, 1 xlr out.

the only problem i had with this chassis was physically fitting all three modules in easily. i'm guessing with BAE modules (pres, eqs, comps), their units may slide in easier and their faceplates are the correct sizes. i tried a variety of modules (neve pre + eq, igs comp, api 560 eq, millennia pre, grace comp), none of them were easy to install and seat the card into the slot.... along with fitting the variety of faceplate sizes for each module.

my solution was to unscrew and take off the top lid, which made everything much easier. i did have to put in the middle module first, and then squeeze and move around the left and right modules so everything would sit flush in the rack. after that everything was great.... but if i wanted to change out modules (which is one of the best things about using 500 series modules) it's a whole process– you would have to unrack the chassis, unscrew the lid, rip out the modules, squeeze the new ones back in and get everything to fit, make sure they're getting signal, put everything back together, rerack it. a lot of work if i wanted to record vocals and then switch modules to cut a saxophone.

i love this chassis because it houses a mix and match channel strip in a 1U rackspaces and only needs an IEC to power it. this is a beautiful thing! but if you wanna switch out modules constantly, keep a screwdriver around!