Introduction
Not wishing to retread old ground, or retell the same old intro, laptops are a fixture of the DJ's kit list just as much as decks or mixers these days. But finding a place for them in already cramped booths isn't an easy task. And while the tradeoff between a laptop bag full of digital goodies instead of crates of vinyl is very welcome, keeping the amount of DJ chaff to a minimum in said bag.
So laptop stands of all shapes and sizes abound, from simple formed plastic to amazingly engineered folding ones. The Crane stand falls into the latter variety, and is currently the most desirable laptop stand on the market - if only because it's affectionately known as the C-Rane stand by the Scratch Live community and generally a fixture for Rane endorsed DJs - so much so that proof of SSL purchase gets you a $10 discount.
Crane are a grass roots company. "By DJs for DJs" is a somewhat tired strapline, but has never been truer of them. Think of them like Rane (but with a C) - all American and tirelessly working towards making
high end products for a niche market. Their product is new and ever evolving, but all money is pumped right back into the product - be it R&D, extensive tooling and production processes or simply promoting their new name.
But what makes this particular lump of metal so desirable? Read on and find out.
First Impressions
Grasping around in the air for suitable words for the Crane stand, I'd have to pluck "rugged", "compact" and "simple" out of the word cloud that hovers over the net these days.
Covering compact first - the Crane stand arrived in a 14" x 16" drawstring bag, but the actual folded size of the stand is 13" square - easily sliding into a laptop bag or finding some small space in your travelling setup. It is a tad heavier than other laptop stands at 3lbs, but this is reflected in the build quality.
Coming from an engineering background myself, I can't help but appreciate the construction of the Crane stand - precision tubes, continuous taper mating joints, cam levers… sounds like I'm talking about mountain biking, and that's just how the Crane stand feels. Check out the video below to get some understanding of just what goes into making the Crane stand:
The stand is comprised of 3 parts - the single foot, the main body and the tray. These are all held together with the cam mechanism that doubles as the adjustment. The foot is an 11" x 1/4" bar (with shameless Crane Stand advertising) welded to precision tubing and sort of acts in the same way as a tripod. I'm not saying it's always going to find a level on any surface, but it seems to adapt better than other stands I've tried.
The tray is a little over 2mm thick with a brushed surface, and is cut out to reduce weight - but not at the expense of strength. I'm not exactly Hercules, but applying some force didn't bend it at all. Flex yes, but not permanently twist out of shape.
The front of the tray has a raised lip - well it's actually 4 prongs made by the cutouts, and each with a plastic protector. These kept my Macbook Pro in place, but the tradeoff is no access to the CD slot. But with the demise of CD, and the likelihood that a laptop DJ isn't using CD anyway, this is more of a slight inconvenience than a problem.
What I do especially like is the use of rubber rings, both to stop the stand slipping and also to protect whatever lump of hardware you want to keep elevated.
Going back to those 3 cloud words - rugged, compact and simple define the Crane stand perfectly.
In Use
The real answer here is how adjustable and how stable is the Crane stand? Given the extremely simple structure, assembly is as easy as unfolding and tightening. A word about this - depending on what you're putting on the Crane stand (funnily enough it doesn't have to be a laptop), you may need to adjust the tightness of the mechanism.
If you're putting something really light on it with little in the way of interaction, then it should be just fine. But if it's something heavy or likely to be routinely beaten in performance, then adjustment will be necessary.
But where to put the Crane stand? The does rather depend on the space that you have. But the first big plus for the Crane stand is the single foot. When I used the Überstand, it proved harder to find a suitable position for the stand than I would have liked. The legs always seemed to get caught on the feet of the deck or mixer. The single foot on the Crane stand however is much easier to slot under a mixer.
The flexibility of the design also allows for a range of placements and heights. While not being directly height adjustable, setting the stand up in either a "C" or "Z" way gives you a wide range of placements. It can be set up to sit right over your gear or leant back. And because of the cam levers, you can rest assured that it won't move or be prone to falling backwards either. Again, it might flex but shouldn't fall.
All this adjustment is incredibly useful, especially when considering what exactly you're going to put on the Crane stand and where. This was obviously designed with laptops in mind, but you could happily stand whatever you like on it. Well when I say anything you like, you have to give consideration to stability and weight as well. The stand is obviously as sturdy as hell, and you needn't worry about over-stressing the cam lever/taper mechanism.
My biggest concern is that the Crane stand doesn't lock in position - tighten yes but not lock. If for example, you haven't quite tightened the lever enough, the stand might collapse. You have to make absolutely sure that those levers are very tight indeed - the point of being very hard to lock in place. The last thing you need is for your laptop or MPC to crash to the ground.
So in use, the Crane stand is easy and fast to set up, can be used in a number of configurations and will support a number of devices. As long as you keep the size and weight of the unit you want elevated within the realms of sanity, and make sure that the levers are ultra tight, the Crane stand will do a sterling job of keeping your gear elevated.
The Icing on the Cake
Having established that the Crane stand is a high quality example of simplistic flexibility, there is one last thing that endears it to my heart - and something that does make it a little less thievable - your logo can be engraved right onto it.
It's simple line art, but is extremely effective. And way more professional that using a sticker. There is of course a cost - a not inconsiderable $50. But there's nothing quite like unfolding your Crane stand and showing the gathered crowd your logo. At least they'll have a clue who you are.
Extras
Up until recently, the stand was just a stand. But Crane are keen to expand the repertoire and have created some additional fixtures - namely a sub tray (to house your audio interface or additional small unit), center stage (a made to order bigger foot that gives a flatter base to stand items on) and different coloured cam levers (for extra personalisation).
These all of course at additional cost, and if you choose to go balls out and get an engraved Crane stands with all the extras, you're looking at a quite breathtaking $365 (excluding postage). You have to seriously and perhaps a little unnaturally love the Crane stand to drop that kind of money on something that simply elevates your laptop a bit. There is always some sort of offer on the Crane site to save you some cash. But as the above picture shows, I'm thinking that cable management might be in order as well. Just a thought for the future Garett.
Summing Up
With the huge plethora of boxes being added as standard fittings to many DJ's setups, the need to have something to put them on is becoming an issue. Other stands do exist and do a very good job of keeping your laptop in place. The Überstand is a great product and was my favourite, but the absence of adjustment has proved to be an issue in my office. The Odyssey LstandM is another favourite with DJs, and while it does have a fair amount of adjustability, making these adjustments can be painful. It does come with clamps to secure it to a work surface, but both lack the rigidity of the Crane stand. I have it on good authority however that the Crane stand will see developments in this respect.
It is however fair to say that the Crane stand is an aspirational product. Competitive stands can come in at a fraction of the price, but none have the build, stability and flexibility of the Crane. Splashing 150 of your local currency will hurt, but it'll be one of the safest purchases you'll ever make.
Ratings
Build Quality
Second to none. Real engineering quality. Watch the video.
Features and Implementation
With adjustment aplenty, the Crane stand should fit easilyinto your setup. The optional extras just make it better. But you must make sure the levers are really tight.
Value For Money
Doubtlessly arm and leg territory, especially if you go for the full package. But the price does reflect the quality.
Bottom Line
If you want the most robust DJ stand on the market, and have the cash to buy it and the strength to use it properly, the Crane stand will serve you well.
It's hard to pretty-up a laptop stand but I had a go.
