- Wondering how to incorporate a power conditioner into your home studio setup?
- Unsure if you even need a power conditioner to begin with?
- All your questions answered, along with some alternatives to consider
- Also, check out our post on the best power conditioners for music studios!
Anyone who has spent regular time within the studio has most likely encountered some sort of issue relating to electricity, whether it be noise, voltage fluctuations, or even shorts.
These issues not only hamper your productivity within the studio, but they can also put your equipment at risk of malfunction and even damage.
This is where the topic of power conditioners comes into play.
While they may not be as glamorous as buying a new synth or an Electric Ladyland replica shag rug, they can be an absolute lifesaver for both your gear and peace of mind.
Let’s get into the fantastical world of power conditioners! (I bet you’ve never heard anybody say that before)…
What Is A Power Conditioner?
Before diving into power conditioners, it is necessary first to establish what precisely these devices are (and how they function).
A power conditioner is a device that acts in one or more ways to deliver a constant voltage of the adequate level to load equipment to enable it to function efficiently and to its maximum potential.
On top of providing clean power to your studio gear, power conditioners can help protect your equipment from damage in the event of a power malfunction.
Power conditioners come in a variety of sizes and price points.
Still, they will most commonly be found in some sort of rack-style configuration that you can insert into your current studio layout.
Determining how much money you should invest into purchasing a power conditioner will depend entirely on your needs and requirements, as well as your current setup.
IMPORTANT! The electrical outlets in your home or place of business may be subject to voltage fluctuations and other issues such as ground loops that can impede the performance of your studio gear, including any outboard, mic preamps, mics, consoles, and even computers.
These issues will present themselves via:
- Noise
- Equipment malfunctions
- Undesirable sounds;
- And in severe cases, even damage and the potential destruction of your equipment.
If you are in a scenario where you regularly encounter any of the issues mentioned above, introducing a power conditioner within your setup can remedy many of these problems.
Do I Need A Power Conditioner For My Home Studio?
You may ask yourself whether you need a power conditioner for your home studio.
After all, you likely have an assortment of power strips and power supplies strewn about that provide some basic surge protection and other limited functions.
Well, the truth is that while devices such as a power strip serve the purpose of providing power to multiple devices from one outlet, most will do nothing concerning maintaining a steady current to your equipment and, in turn, will have no effect on issues such as ground loops and dirty power.
Some specialist power strips will offer further functionality. Still, these are not the standardized units most of us will have in our homes purchased from department stores and other consumer retailers.
A good unit such as the Furman power conditioner is essentially an uninterruptible power supply “UPS Power Conditioner.”
It encompasses internal filter banks to isolate each power outlet or receptacle within the device. This design implementation will eradicate issues such as cross-talk between components.
This will result in better performance from your studio gear and cleaner sounds during the tracking, mixdown, and mastering processes.
If a power conditioner contains noise suppression elements, these will be listed on the device’s specifications in a dB format.
The higher the dB, the better the device will handle noise within your home studio.
If you regularly experience power-related issues within your home or commercial studio, a power conditioner will remedy this.
It is important to mention that one should not run equipment such as power amps through a power conditioner as these units do not need conditioned power to operate to their utmost potential.
Power conditioners are better suited for low voltage continuous load equipment such as effects, mixing consoles, and anything else that takes a continuous current.
They are not optimized for supporting non-continuous “heavy load” equipment such as amplifiers that can swing from needing 1amp to 20 amp of power in a few milliseconds.
However, it is worth noting that the device’s effectiveness in combination with your studio equipment will depend very much on the quality of the electrical wiring within your building.
In some extreme scenarios, only so much can be done to benefit a bad situation without actually investing money and time in rewiring the building and introducing new components.
Most will avoid this course of action as it is costly and invasive, as it will require an electrician to get the job done.
Alternatives To Using A Power Conditioner?
There are alternatives to using a standalone studio power conditioner unit such as the Furman PL 8CE.
However, you must have a more specific idea of what is disrupting any clean power within your setup before investing in a unit, as standalone power conditioners can be relatively expensive.
In some scenarios, introducing an expensive power conditioner may even have little effect on the dirty power situation in the studio environment.
Unfortunately, within the modern consumer market, devices such as power conditioners are hyped up to the point of being perceived as “miracle cures.”
However, the effectiveness of these units is ultimately determined by proper implementation and the environment in which they are being used.
Perhaps you are experiencing an issue that can be remedied with another less expensive piece of equipment that performs an isolated function found in many UPS power conditioners.
Here we will take a moment to investigate a few of these devices and the functions they deliver.
Many of these devices can be purchased at consumer electronic stores and even some hardware stores.
EMI Filter
An EMI filter “electromagnetic interference filter” may be an adequate solution if you are experiencing issues such as electrical interference and buzzing within the studio or your instrument’s rig setup and will cost significantly less money than an ups power conditioner unit.
This kind of interference can be caused by some household appliances, lighting, and even older computer monitors, which some of us will still be using within our home studios.
If you are experiencing electric shock when handling studio gear, this is likely known as chassis leakage.
This may be felt when touching the nickel strings of a guitar or bass while handling a microphone or cable plug, or any other piece of metal within the studio.
Inherently this can be extremely dangerous, and anyone encountering such issues is best advised to incorporate an isolation transformer into their setup.
This device will not have any effect on noise issues that you may encounter within our working environment. Still, it will eliminate the risk of fatal electric shock while working in the studio.
Voltage Regulators
If you are experiencing power surges or fluctuating power, voltage regulators and surge protection devices can provide a solution to these problems.
Voltage regulators will ensure a consistent flow of electricity to all of your equipment and even shut themselves off in the scenario of a voltage spike.
A stand-alone surge protection device such as Digital Energy EMI Sound Filter/Noise Reducer is a specialized power strip that incorporates both surge protection functionality with an EMI noise filter.
Wrapping Up
Power conditioning is a broad and sometimes complex topic due to the relationship between electricity and equipment in our home studios.
When so many circuits are utilized together, many issues can occur, and the potential for these issues to arise is heightened when you consider the wiring of the buildings (older ones in particular).
Needless to say that if you are one of the many experiencing issues of this nature in your home or commercial recording studio, the introduction of a power conditioner may very well be the ticket to ensuring a trouble-free workspace and ensuring a harmonious relationship between your studio gear and the element of electricity for years to come.
Before you go, check out our guide to the Best Power Conditioners For Home Studios
