New Audio Equipment - Rack, Preamp, Compressor, EQ, Mixer

I bought a new audio rack and some equipment to mount in it, including a compressor, an EQ, and a mixer. I want to get more into hardware compression and EQ rather than relying on software to do the job. Just getting this stuff plugged in and seeing how it sounds. WARNING: I'm a complete noob to audio equipment.

📰 REFERENCED:
StarTech.com 12U Open Frame Network Rack
Nady PRA-8 Microphone Preamplifier
dbx 166xs Professional Audio Compressor/Limiter/Gate
dbx 231s Dual Channel 31-Band Equalizer
Furman M-8x2 Merit Series 8 Outlet Power Conditioner
Mackie PROFX12V2 12-Channel Compact Mixer

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