Arturia today announced RackBrute 3U & RackBrute 6U, a pair of Eurorack cases designed to integrate with their MiniBrute 2 and MiniBrute 2S synthesizers.
Here’s the official intro video:
According to the company, the MiniBrute 2 EcoSystem is designed to make Eurorack modular ‘more accessible and intuitive than ever’. The metal frame and connectors let you adjust your system to meet your needs, and can be folded down for travel or storage.
RackBrute is available in 2 sizes – a smaller 3U, 88HP version, and a larger 6U 176HP model. A dedicated power supply offers 1600mA +12V, 1600mA -12V, and 900mA +5V output.
Arturia also notes that their Arturia Link connection system is patent-free, so other synths can adopt it.
Pricing and Availability
The RackBrute Eurorack cases are expected to be available in March, priced at US $299/249 Euro for the 3U case and 279 for the 6U case. See the Arturia site for more info.
Wowzers looks great.
Are the prices correct? The 3u is more expensive than the 6u case? Either way… Good times! How much for the snazzy blue gig bag?
Watch out, Arturia is taking over the world
If that price is correct, this will blow the Mantis case out of the water. So far the Tiptop Mantis has been my go to for cost and ease of use reasons. But damn Arturia is coming in swinging. I might need to hold off on my next 6U case to give these a look.
On their website the 6u is listed as $399 USD.
Mantis is still a better option for pure cost vs functionality. And the Arturia cases are 84 + 89 HP.
OH NO! This is terrible news! It makes Eurorack look really appealing to me. Is there a helpline I can call before I take THAT plunge?
Nice cases. Well done Arturia! Shake it up!
These are really nicely designed – have to say. The only gripe is the gigantic branding.
Absolute genius Arturia! Golf claps all round.
Nice one Arturia!
I do wish there was a 9U case size. I’ve got a Microbrute sitting in front of a 9U rack stand right now, and I’d have loved to replace both with a Minibrute 2 and RackBrute.
I don’t know. The new Brutes look fantastic, but what makes rack this different from all of the other similarly priced racks on the market? I wish somebody would figure out how to make a powered box for under $100. Now that would be exciting.
Did you watch the video? What makes it different is the modular design, the fact that it folds, and the carry handle.
I can see how that connectivity would be valuable for Brute users for sure, but I don’t see how it is any more portable or modular than any other eurorack case.
Other foldable cases seem to get pretty pricey and I’m not aware of any cases that you can mount together when you choose to expand — closest thing I can find is to use multi-tier bracket, but that forfeits portability.
I know, it’s natural to respond to marketing hype with skepticism and the rackbrute’s not earth-shatteringly innovative, but it seems like a very serious contender. Very good trade-offs for the price.
I’d like to see cheaper components all around, but a sub-$100 case isn’t going to bring down the total cost of a rack very much considering the price of the modules. There’s always the DIY case for that anyway.
I can see how this would be very useful to some people. I think I just had my hopes up because the first two Brute announcements really did seem quite innovative. For me, the Rackbrute seems a bit anti-climactic in comparison. But, I can see how having all these options together would be a big deal for someone seeking to put together a self-contained system.
It looks to me like the bottom half doesn’t have to be a brute. It can also be another 3u rack.
They are all in. Very nice idea and nice rack space.
damn those videos are next level cringe, good stuff tho
It was like all the Eurorack case manufacturers that were able to charge $800 for plywood and a power-supply suddenly cried out in horror… and then were silenced…
But man, module makers are gonna love this! The number of new ‘rack customers is gonna ‘splode!
Arturia Link, Ableton Link, hmmm… smells like lawyers.
More women in these product videos. Times are a changing. Like seeing women in football or when they started casting black people in prescription drug commercials. Sorry, couldnt help but to notice since the gender-specific DFAM video.
Ecosystems…so hot right now.
Question for those in modular land: How does the $399 larger unit compare in terms of features and price since it includes power?
This might be what gets my modular mojo moving.
….i still prefer my Lego-case. 🙂
I just want a minibrute INSIDE of a eurorack case. Without having to cut off the key bed ??
will never buy anything from arturia again
The case sizes are weird and small. This may be ok for the casual interest in modular, but not many more serious eurorack users will consider either case. FYI, Mantis is still a better deal at 208hp total (104hp per 3u).
The 5hp power module is an odd size and takes up further space in an already small case. I get that they wanted to bring this to production faster and cheaper so going with an internal PSU would have taken longer and been more expensive, but it also would have been nicer. At the very least they should have had a switch and a port for the power brick built into the case.
The power specs are bordering on low(even though they say “formidable”). 1600mA in many cases will not be enough for the 171hp available with the 6u. Generally speaking you need about 20% headroom on power for optimal module performance. Some modules will draw more power during start up, some digital ones depend on use. If you can get the cases without power for cheaper and install your own it would be better deal
32 headers for modules in a system that size is, I guess, nice, but kind of overkill. You’d need a hell of a lot of 2hp modules to fit that many in.
The stand and case connecting system is rather clever and really nice.
Overall, they are not horrible cases, but they are no better than anything else on the market. The cost is deceptive because the cases are smaller and under powered.
Nice and objective, thanks bro.