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Switches, so many switches


veracohr

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How many switches do you have to use to turn your gear on/off?

 

Just now I started to turn my stuff off. I had only been listening to some online audio, and I had to turn off 4 switches: the power strip that my mixer is plugged into (it has no power switch of its own), one for each monitor and my Firewire interface, which actually requires holding the button down for a few seconds rather than just flicking a switch.

 

If I'm working on music, add another 3 switches to that: one for my keyboard, one for my synth rack and one for the bottom synth in that rack.

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Yeah! And I've cut back. To play guitar I turn my Marshall stereo pre-amp on, adjusting that pre-amp and output as it warms up, with five E.Q's for the distortion to adjust, knobs for the second channel, and a floor pedal to plug in. That's after pulling out my three Roland Boss half-rack micro-digital effects and putting them through the pre-amp loop. Then I turn on my Audiopro Mosfet stereo power amp and adjust the pre-amp and mains on that, plugging in the speakers. Then I put my Ernie Ball volume pedal, crybaby wah and distortion on the floor, with the footswitch I made for the three Roland effects.

Is my guitar plugged in? I hope so.

All this with power from a four-function computer power bar, just to provide, regulate and protect the electricity this system needs to breathe, the stereo panning accelerating with 9-volt juice from the distortion and wah and lots of sound.

And that's the easy part.

 

as always, John Watt

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My studio pretty much powered up with about a half a dozen switches, although to get everything up and running - lights, a guitar amp or two, etc. it's probably more like a dozen switches to hit. There are two master power centers that power up nearly everything in the control room, plus one additional switch to fire up the DAW PC, and two more standby switches on my ADAM S3A's and one more for my desk lamp - that's the minimum. From there, it really depends on what's going on. No need to fire up the guitar amps or light up the tracking rooms if I'm editing or mixing. ;)

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Last night I decided to play a bit of piano before going to bed. I turned on the MotifXS8, then reached behind each monitor to find the little recessed power button. At the time I was thinking "this is silly" so when I finished I turned off the surge protector and left it at that. Yes, I know you are supposed to turn monitors on last and I will get a pop when I turn it back on, but I'm not too concerned with my cheap Event monitors which are set to low volume.

 

With the laptop it can be ridiculous. Not really the switches to turn it on but the USB connections. When doing stuff in Ableton Live I frequently connect the audio interface, keyboard, drum pad, APC40, Maschine, etc... Then connect speakers and external HD. I might as well be tied to the studio.

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I'm considering installing a switch or something other than foggy memory to help us turn off the preamp in a Fender Prophecy bass that not only eats 9V's, it has impossibly tiny Phillips screws holding the battery compartment door. It's really nice instrument, but when one of the guys bought it used, he had no idea there was a battery. We found it one night when the sound began crapping out. Other than switches, my pet peeve is excessive LED's and beeps on simple devices like coffee makers. Our old Mr. Coffee now lives in my RV, because when it's done brewing, it hurls out five irritating beeps, then two hours later, it does the same thing when it turns off the hot plate. My wife starts the coffee at 5AM, so I got to hear those damn beeps sometimes twice before I was ready to get up. Why does anyone really need to know either event that these irritating sounds announce?

 

Many manufacturers don't seem to understand that just because the technology is available, it doesn't need to be on everything they make.

 

Just because the buffet line says "All you can eat" doesn't mean that's all you should eat.

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Back of monitors (yeah I really need to get these plugged into a better system for flipping the switch).

 

Computer.

 

Back of daw controller (mackie control universal)

 

Back of 88 key keyboard.

 

Master switch for all the power in the studio (controls everything else like preamps and amps).

 

I think 5 switches isn't that bad :D.

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