Power Supply for Recording Setup???

[WinstonCowboy]

Hey,

I just received some gear and I am wandering how to plug it all up? Here's what I got:

P4 2.4mhz Laptop
2 M-Audio Studiophile Active Monitors
M-Audio Audiosport Duo

I also have a lamp that I need to plug into the same spot. I only have access to one outlet which is behind my desk. Can I get a simple power surge protector from Wal-Mart to plug everything into? Or could there be some issues with that - besides hum...


Thanks,

WINSTON

 

[eeldip]

well, you are gonna hear some different opinions on this.

personally, i would say that there is no dire NEED for anything other than a basic power strip if you dont have enough plugs in the wall. you can run into grounding problems though if you start using different grounds for all of your devices (using more than one outlet).

however, this isnt exactly common. so again. nothing DIRE.

for the most part, slightly fancy power strips dont do much. you pay for them to "filter" the power slightly. but inside all your boxes (or outside in wall warts) there is power filtering designed to take care of some pretty serious power issues.

so for the most part those sub $100 furman things are pretty unnessesary. except for the value of sticking an on/off switch on the front of your rack (pretty nice actually).

IF... IF... IF. you actually have serious power issues in your house (go to home depot and get one of those boxes that check your power) you may need something fancy in the way of voltage regulation/power conditioning.... but you most likely dont.

 

[WinstonCowboy]

Hey,

Thanks so much for the info. That was very helpful.


WINSTON

 

[TexRoadkill]

Power conditioners aren't just for buildings with problems. A good conitioner can actually lower the noise floor of all your gear. I agree that the cheap Furmans are a waste. They may offer surge protection but they usually aren't true conditioners. Look on Ebay for a used Topaz conditioner. You can get some pretty beefy ones for around $100.