I think what I’d like to see is a mini PC form factor. The MOD Hobbit
I’m imaging something like the System76 Meerkat or maybe a bit larger. Half a rack space? So, more like a Mini-ITX build?
power button
several USB
several micro/mini HDMI or DP
80mm quiet fan
LED indicaters
AMD Ryzen CPU
double enough RAM
replacable m.2 drive
plenty of TRS 3.5mm audio i/o. 4 of each, minimum plus FX loops
Considering the amount of stuff DSM Humboldt crammed into a guitar preamp, I think this ought to be doable. lol.
No screen of it’s own. That’d be better served by an external monitor or two.
I’m not sure what’s being used as a display server or if there is any kind of window manager. I’d like to see things separated. Utilities & settings on one. Looper on another. Effects elsewhere. That’s 3-4. On a + tiled screen, another could be TouchOSC. Or, whatever. Maybe that gets it’s own screen entirely.
Perhaps that should’ve been it’s own topic. Sorry, feel free to move that section if it’s up for discussion.
I’d also like an expensive 3U rack unit that is super powerful and has even more i/o.
i/o explanation sidebar:
Personally, I have been planning on modifying my guitars to have separate outs for each pickup (all dual humbuckers/P90s) and add a piezo to route into an acoustic sim pedal / acoustic amp set up.
I have 3 basses that currently, or will, have both magnetic and piezo pickups. So, that’s two separate inputs right there.
I’d also like to use the [Dwarf] as an effects unit and loop station with the rest of my rack gear, amps, and cabs.
I’ve got a number of chiptunes synths from Twisted Electrons. (Also open source!) and I’d like them all connected to the [Dwarf] simutanously. So, that’s all why I want more connections. lol Else, I’ll just have to build my own or buy multiple boxes!
sidebar end.
The rack could have it’s own screen or multiple. I’d like to tweak amp and utility stuff mainly on one and the other for tweaking effects.
Or none at all which would be fine. That’d be better on a full size display anyway.
Here I just want rawr power.
It could possibly have multiple units inside, no?
One section could be a multitrack recorder. Simple but, puts out Audacity/Tenacity or Ardour tracks to transfer to a desktop later. Internal USB with a separate USB out that shows up as a drive on a computer.
use cases:
record practice: daily jam for donation sites/social media or to reference later
record band practice
record shows and make a live album later
I’m just throwing out ideas to further differentiate it from the other units.
I expect, and do not mind, spending $2-3k on a good piece of rack gear. I do, however, expect it to be that awesome and more capable than smaller devices.
As much as I like digital stuff because of the functionalities, I’m still a hands on kind of guy and I like the repair-ability and nuance/limitations of analogue gear. There’s something visceral about having a refrigerator size bass cab, head cab, and pedalboard. Aside from the 20-40hz frequencies shaking the coins out of peoples pockets. lol
That said, the open source, free software nature of MOD is what separates it. All the other stuff is proprietary and will die when the people behind it do or when the company stops supporting it.