Filtered Power

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kkenn

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Does anyone plug their PC - recording gear etc into filtered power? Will this make a diff?

Ken
 
Kinda depends on how dirty your power is to begin with, and how low your noise floor is. For most of us homereccers, filtered power will not make an appreciable difference, IMHO. Better to spend the cash on more accurate convertors, better microphones, room treatment, etc.
 
Yes, it will make an audible difference. All power is "dirty". You're getting transient spikes when big customers come on and offline, and also picking up line noise from stuff used in your home.

A couple other things you can do.

Put all your gear on the same phase outlets.

Keep your 120v and audio/MIDI/data seperated. Do not run audio and data parallel to 120v power. Cross at 90-degree angles.

Turn off your reefer and furnace/HVAC while tracking. Compressor pumps and fan motors kicking in while tracking will add audible noise to your take. I get big pops in my monitors when my kids hit the water solenoid on the reefer. So turn that stuff off and don't use it while tracking!

Stable, clean power will make your gear last longer. Using UPS/filtered backup type systems will also protect your gear from lightning spikes. Much better to fry a UPS than to fry a rack of gear and your puter too. Especially if you've got an entire album tracked when things get shitty.

When you get into higher-end converters and pres and mics you'll be able to hear the difference just that much more.
 
Any specific recommendations for a reasonably priced unit to provide "filtered power"? I have seen ART and Furman units for under $50 that claim RFI and EMI filtering. Are these things any good, or is a more substantial investment required?
 
omtayslick said:
... I have seen ART and Furman units for under $50 ...
Click to expand...
At this price point, it is doubtful that you will hear any difference in your finished product. Not that these types of units are worthless, but you generally get what you pay for. Even a cheap unit might save a computer or other more expensive device in the event of a severe power spike. But that's not the kind of difference you can hear in your mixes. To get that level of filtration, you would need to go to this kind of gear: (CLICK)
 
chessrock said:
Is that kinda' like filtered water?
Click to expand...

Yeah. But even though they're both filtered, you still don't want to mix them. The results would be electrifying.
 
Look on Ebay for a used Topaz conditioner. You should be able to get around 500watts or better for about $100.
 
I've got my power going through three cascading levels of protection and conditioning. It's overboard, I know, but it's pretty clean.

One thing I would look for if I were starting from scratch is a TRUE UPS unit. Not a "normal" one (such as APC) that switches to battery, but one of the digustingly expensive ones that runs FROM the battery that's constanly in a charging state. That way, all your power, during spikes, brown-outs, even complete outages, is clean and regualted.

Granted - You're looking at a LOT of cash for enough wattage to run a studio, but it's probably worth it in the long run...

John Scrip - www.massivemastering.com
 
I'm resurrecting this thread...

Just moved into a high-rise, and the power I'm almost certain is absolutely bananas. (*Big time* convertor drop outs, monitor flickering).

Not sure how high end i need to go to rectify this. Any advice on what I should buy? It's not critical that it be perfect (it's only demos) but it's just too bad to work.

Most grateful for any advice. :)
 
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