My Stanton Uberstand Review
Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 10:26 pm
Been awhile since I did a review, so I decided it was time to write about the Stanton Uberstand.
http://www.stantondj.com/v2/prod_uber.asp
Set Up:
I got mine about two months ago for some upcoming gigs I had where space would be an issue. Also, I knew I could use it with some of my other gear just to keep from having to stoop over so much when playing live. It's one of those pieces of gear that's priced just high enough that you want some reassurance it's going to work well before you buy. Especially since it could potentially be supporting what for many of us is the main component of our music making and performing tools.
It's a really slim bit of gear, easily something you could include in your laptop bag without taking up too much room. Looks pretty nice too, the machining and construction is super clean. Set up is dead simple, with only one major thing to be aware of. The base and the main vertical arm are supposed to be secured with a zip tie for the best stability. They even include 2 removable zip ties with the Uberstand, though it does take away from the clean look a little when installed.
I have to admit, this part baffles me. This thing is obviously had a lot of thought and design that went into it, and a ZIP TIE is the best they can do here? I'll admit, you don't need the zip tie, it's still pretty sturdy without. But it's a possibility you could bump it hard enough to actually knock it over due to the way the unit folds for storage. Probably not a real concern in the studio (I never use the tie in the studio), but at a club where things are more easily bumped, I'd use it.
They also include a tie for securing the mid shelf to the back brace as well, but my tie is too short apparently, as there's no way I could attach it that way. Not a big deal, it feels secure without anyway. It also comes with some velcro for attaching your soundcard to the shelf, though you're stuck having to put velcro on the bottom of your soundcard. Finally, there's a pretty sturdy travel bag for it, which I imagine most people will use.
Takes less than a minute to set up the stand, even with the zip ties. The lower legs and laptop arms both have their ends covered with rubber tubing to keep things from sliding. Had a little trouble getting these to sit perfectly under my Xone62 mixer, the rubber is a tad thick on the lower legs. It works great on the laptop shelf though, kept my MacBook Pro and the Elektron Machinedrum from sliding at all in use.
In Use:
For it's size, I think the Uberstand is surprisingly stable. There is definitely a little wobble that I could see causing concern for some, but in use it seems to not be an issue. Both my RME Fireface400 and Ultralite fit on the lower shelf as long as they were sideways. The back arm blocks any input and output connections otherwise.
I've seen a lot of DJs setting up the Uberstand over a DJ mixer, and then putting their laptop above it. If you do this with the stand really close to the back of the DJ Mixer, then the laptop actually blocks most of the mixer controls from sight. This is also true with the stand used over my APC40. In order to still see everything I'm doing below the Uberstand, I need to put it about 4-6 inches back from whatever I'm raising it over. Hasn't been a big deal in use and is common to all laptop stands, but thought I would mention it if anyone is unsure about space.
So far I've used the stand numerous times live and in the studio, and I've never had any problems with it. There's a very small amount of flex to it, but it's been super sturdy for me every time. I wanted something that packed up small, looked cool, and held my gear without me needing to worry about it. It does all that.
Fix:
Things I wish were better? The lower legs could taper to more of a point to make it easier to fit under synths, DJ mixers, and drum machines. The flex. It's not that bad but it could definitely be a little more solid. Finally, they need to come up with a better way of making sure that the lower base joint is locked. A zip tie is easy to find in a store if you lose one, but there's got to be a better idea than that for such a well engineered stand.