Power Conditioners?

Alright kids, I've almost completed this home studio of mine, now I just need some recommendations for a power conditioner.

I know furman is pretty much the name, but what sorta models? I notice there's the "standard" kind of ones which are more normal in terms of filters and stuff, but there's also these Power Factor Pro ones that have some kind of additional 'clear tone technology' kinda thing according to their website.

I'm going to need a conditioner for these 2 racks i'm building, it's going to be a sort of mobile studio, racks on wheels kinda thing. If there's anything cool about this clear tone tech stuff, that would be handy, as I would probably be pluging amps into it aswell.

My question is why you think you need a power conditioner in the first place.

The second issue is that most "power conditioners" are just fancy surge protectors and actually don't condition the power.

A proper "power conditioner" will provide clean stable power, not allow voltage to drop too low, and keep ground loops out of the power supply.

Having decent power out of the wall outlets is just fine and normally works as well as one of those fancy surge protectors.

Can you provide a few examples or manufacturers of proper power conditioners versus UPS/Powersurge protectors.

Something that does not allow the voltage to drop too low (or too high, for that matter) is a voltage regulator, a bit different from a power conditioner, and rather handy to have regardless of whether you ordinarily have clean, predictable power coming out of the wall outlet.

I am using a 10 year old TrippLite power regulator/conditioner. Occcasionally, you can see it kicking in if there is a power "sag". I should get a new one since the one I have is ten years old, but I've always given better advice than what I actually do...

Furman and Monster have lots of different gear that would fit your need.

A good quality UPS also will provide stable, filtered power.

Originally posted by UstadKhanAli Something that does not allow the voltage to drop too low (or too high, for that matter) is a voltage regulator, a bit different from a power conditioner, and rather handy to have regardless of whether you ordinarily have clean, predictable power coming out of the wall outlet. I am using a 10 year old TrippLite power regulator/conditioner. Occcasionally, you can see it kicking in if there is a power "sag". I should get a new one since the one I have is ten years old, but I've always given better advice than what I actually do...

And low voltage can be an equipment killer for sure. I have all my equipment connected to UPS units.

Ahh, see that was gonna be another question; UPS.

I'm in Brisbane, Australia, and we're apparantly known for having fairly dirty power here. I know for a fact we do at my house. So something to actually 'clean' it up is pretty much necessary for me. Surge protection will also be handy to have, and since that seems to be the starting point of most of this type of gear, that's good.

As for the UPS, I've been thinking about that. There's computer stores that sell 'em, and I've been thinking about it for the PC that's going to be part of the racked up studio. Now, you guys are saying not just the PC but other gear aswell would benefit from a UPS?

I've got a mackie 1202 vlzpro mixer, computer + monitor, 2 RNC's, Event 20/20 bas's, behringer control surface (fader) and whatever else. Aside from not shutting down, is there any other benefit of having the stuff other than the computer on a UPS? GZ, you mentioned than a good UPS also filters the power? Would that kind of UPS do away with the need for a power conditioner?

A good UPS usually uses a power conditioner (I don't think I've ever seen one that doesn't have a power conditioner), so you're getting both.

Ideally, wallet permitting, what you would probably want is something that is a voltage regulator/conditioner with a UPS (battery backup).

It's all a question of balancing what you can afford with what you cannot afford to lose.

When I wired my studio, I made sure the bus ground was a "real" ground. Ran a solid copper wire outside to a three foot length of rebar driven in the ground.

Then I proceeded to run a balanced set of circuits into the room.

THEN just to make sure power would never be the source of noise, I installed UPS units on each computer, on my mixer, recording decks, etc. Basically everything in the studio operates on a UPS. They provide filtered power, stable power, surge protection, etc. in one fairly inexpensive box.

I also have a Furman "power conditioner" in my live band PA rack.

It works great.. only had all my rack keyboard modules memory wiped clean twice at gigs because of power surges and outages.

Mostly junk..

I'm "Computer Guy" at work. Sometimes I learn things that help in the studio.

We've had voltage swings that "confused" the UPS's. It takes a fairly big one. The UPS's didn't work as well as I'd hoped, started screaming, and wouldn't stop untill they were turned off. So in some places I have attached a voltage regulator (APC Line-R 1200) between the wall outlet and the UPS. This has stopped the "screaming UPS syndrome".

I live in a rural area and always suspect that there will be power sags or spikes, so I put one of those regulators, which cost me about $70, in the studio. If nothing else I might see the indicator and know that there was a sag or an over. The Line-R 1200 delivers 120 volts as long as utility power is between about 85 and 145 volts. It contains a hefty transformer that will absorb icky transients.

-mark lacoste

Ashland, OR

Interesting stuff! I think power is one of those overlooked things, glad to see some discussion on it here.

I saw on Furman's site a balanced power thing... looks like it'd be pretty good, but it also looks expensive, and fairly big. If I was building a studio, that would be something I'd really look at.

I think for my needs, and for the fact that these racks are supposed to be portable, I think a power conditioner that does surge protection and filters power for noise. A UPS would be good I spose for the computer, for the other equipment I'm not too concerned. If I get a black out, I get a black out.

Ooh ooh,

Anyone know about this 'clear tone technology'? Would it be worth it?

I always had Furman power strips - dating back to when I used to mobile DJ and I think they are way better than the cheapo ones from lesser manufacturers.

But, when I bought an HDTV about 2 years ago and decided to get a power unit for it (Monster HT series); I noticed an incredible difference in picture quality (also a good increase in audio quality) over a regular power strip. Night and day difference. So when I was looking to replace my Furman strips I wanted to get a Monster pro unit for the studio - they didn't have the right combination of turn-on sequencers and were light on outlets. So I bought a HT unit (happened to be 1/2 price) and it works like a charm - a moderate improvement, but noticeable none the less.

I think the only real upgrade for me would be a balance power unit, because my voltage is pretty solid in may area of NJ. But the BP units are about 80lbs and close to $1,500 - not very affordable for a project studio like most of us have.

If you don't know it will be easy to see... I'm a newbie.

Before beginning the studio building process I am trying to research as much as possible. So can anyone explain this UPS to me. It seems something worth looking into and the only UPS I know just dropped off a book at my house.

Did I mention I am new to this?

Uninterruptible Power Supply (battery backup, usually).

A good battery supply UPS is expensive, and worth every penny. They will supply, regulated, clean balanced power no matter what you feed them . APC and Tripplite are the leaders in the industry.

Those furman strips are useless pieces of garbage, good for getting light to your rack and having a bunch of outlets in the back, but provide {censored} for protection or conditioning.

If you're running a business and charging money, it is essential to have rock solid power, so even if you are cut off, you keep running long enough to save your work.

I've got an APC that cost close to half a grand, that runs the entire control room. You can shove every fader to the top and wind the CR monitors wide open and it is clean as a whistle, you actually have to put your ear up to the high driver to hear any noise. The difference with and without it is astounding.

A good UPS is worth it's weight in gold, and a bad one will cost you it when you get hit by brownouts or power failures.

Definitely not a place to cheap out on.

Which model APC are you using?

I'm thinking of replacing the TrippLite I have. It's done its bit, but it's about ten years old.

I use THIS one

And find it to be supprisingly good, I'd recommend it to the UK people at there, as it's easily the best bang for the buck I've found so far.

It does EMI and RMI, which cleans the power up quite nicely. I would proberly personally go for a higher model if using with a Powerful PC though, just my 2 cents.

"furman strips are useless pieces of garbage"

I would not go that far, they have their uses, and they do work well. But in this case you need a good UPS.

Yes, for AC distribution and rack light they are decent, but they basically do nothing for power conditioning or protection. I've seen more than one literally burst into flames when the tyristers they use as "protection" dry up and become flamable.

That is a good promotion for a good UPS.

Woah! That doesn't sound encouraging.

Obviously some sorta surge protection is a must, but what I really want this for is to get rid of noisey power. I want clean, silent power basically.

I'm pretty shocked Furman has'nt been praised like hell here, I always thought they were like the standard thing in most racks?

They are good, but like any manufacturer they have some junk.

So in the not too distant future, will we be seeing 1RU UPS's, perhaps with little extendable lights, in the top space of almost every touring rack?!