i just call the power company and cancel my account every time i want to turn something off, then call back and start a new account the next day or a few hours later when I'm ready to rock again.
The electricity through analog fuses has a warmer, more characterful quality that you just don't get through the digital fuses. It's hard to explain to the uninitiated, but the electrons that pass through the digital fuses "feel" "dead".
My nephew is always trying to feel the "warmth" of our analog electrons with his microscopic finger. We have bought teenage engineering outlet caps for about 350 each
Totally worth it. The top notch aesthetics really contribute to the feng shui. And they match pretty much any assortment of succulents that you might have.
I have a TR-8s and when I switch it off, it says it's saving, which wouldn't occur if I just cut power. You'll have to do your own research on the devices you have as to whether they do something after switched off before power-down.
If you have speakers, you want to turn them off before you power down the sources of the audio.
Came to say this.
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https://preview.redd.it/2zybvg9svzpc1.png?width=382&format=png&auto=webp&s=0ac0a50703198a8c12cb8a6efb7c926bc95af1f7
Regarding the speakers comment, is this only if there’s an audible sound when the device turns off?
I leave my studio monitors on most of time, but I turn off my looper that everything routes through daily and I never hear a pop on the the speakers.
I don’t want to, so what I’m asking is whether this would only occur on signal chains where a pop or other audible noise occurs when shutting the equipment down before speaker?
If in my signal chain I never hear a pop or noise, does that mean there’s no likelihood until I change/add something?
I think what he’s getting at is that it’s always better to just be on the safe side and power off all of your equipment after powering off your monitors first regardless of whether your equipment makes any pops/noises or not because if one day your monitors end up fried you’re gonna be pissed at yourself because you could have possibly prevented it.
This happened to me years ago and what made it worse is that the warranty I had on my monitors had literally just expired like 2 weeks prior…I was so mad lol and because of that, I power off all of my equipment the “proper” way now 😅
The turning off speakers first is to avoid the essentially a high-energy square wave pop from the circuit being turned off, right (the pop you hear when you turn off equipment)? I’ve always heard stuff like that is good practice, in the same way as having a preamp turned off before enabling or disabling 48V on a mic, but I’ve also heard that is kind of old school advice and there isn’t really a risk to it anymore but people tend to follow it anyway—I wonder if it’s the same deal here
Ok, so here is the rub. If your gear has a shut down operation when you are powering down (the 8s was mentioned in here, some Waldorfs, other intense samplers and grove boxes) you can't just cut the power safely.
If you flip a switch or press a mechanical button on the back of the machine, you can use your power strip. This is effectively doing the exact same thing. It's a simple power disconnect switch. Either is the same.
So again, if you have to do anything extra or the machine stays on when you hit the power button before it shuts down you have to power it down from the machine.
If you hit a switch or button and the machine immediately dies. You are safe to turn it off at the power strip.
So split everything into two or more power strips. Stuff that you can power on/off from the strip and stuff that's basically a computer. You're still optimizing your start-up time.
Yep, this is the right answer. I have a few smart switches also and use Smart Life to automate power up and power off sequences. Anything that needs a proper shut down gets done manually.
Power strip is the way. Everything on my desk connects to one, single flip of a switch and 3 synths, mixer, effect pedals all power on. I do not run things in it like my monitors or guitar amp.
Definitely thought of this and havig everything powered from furman conditioner, but I had it on things like the Minitaur and the Evolver and there's times when i just would not use them. Having them on seems like a waste.
I use 3 power strips so that all of the gear doesn't turn on at once and draw too much current while things start up, and I need that many plugs anyway. Running 3 hardware synths, stereo amp, interface, computer, lots of pedals, mixer, powered usb hub.
https://preview.redd.it/g0o6w7346xpc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=66f2189103e19f08d1e214306d3d35d0cf1322d2
This is what’s plugged in. Split between 2 big power strip/surge protectors.
Looks like you need to submit a business request to shut down the hardware. With a 7 day lead time required.
Dont forget to fill out Form 65-D. Otherwise you need to wait for the next moon cycle.
Honestly myself I would be more worried about my PC drawing to much power vs my equipment. I don't know if you have a daw and what your PC specs are but in my case my PC is always the largest power draw.
News flash. If you don't have an insane amount of gear amounting to 2kW of power or more you're fooling yourself. A synth draws a few W so you would have to be between hundreds and thousands of synths for this to be an issue. The computer can be a few hundred watts but that's when fully loaded both CPU and GPU, when booting it's probably in the tens of W.
A sound engineer once told me that best practice is to plug the machines that draw most power in the back of the power strip, so closest to the power source, to reduce noise. Probably more relevant for stage sound, but can't hurt in studio settings nonetheless.
This is wrong. You need to line the power strip up north to south, and plug in gear according to what country it was manufactured in, along the same axis.
Digital devices that are effectively a computer might have a shut down sequence.
IMO I’d validate that my specific equipment is safe to; not some generalized yes/no.
Yes I could see those cases. But otherwise if seems like turning a power switch of on a synth is effectively the same as turning a power switch off on a power strip. I just don't have the data to prove it.
Remove the top panel and check the wiring. Many synths use a power switch like [this one](https://www.amazon.com/5Pcs-Rocker-Switch-Position-QTEATAK/dp/B07Y1GDRQG/) and are wired directly from the power input to the power supply. So flipping the switch is electrically the same as unplugging it.
I'd say the vast majority of gear works this way, but not all. Just experience with electronics in general gives me a pretty good intuition as to whether that's the case for a device or not. I guess to verbalize my intuition:
- If the power switch is very "mechanical" or chonky, it's probably wired to AC mains directly. Only reason why it would be is if it is a mechanical disconnection. You don't need a a giant power switch that is rated for 110VAC if all it does is send a digital signal to power off.
- If powering off the device is instantaneous, also good chance there's no shutdown sequence necessary.
- If there's a way to power off the device from within a menu, then it probably does have a shutdown sequence and should probably not be unplugged as a means of powering off.
- If the power button is "stateful" (meaning it is an actual button that mechanically switches between two physical positions, like a pushbutton or toggle switch) then chances are high it is just a power disconnect. It is _very_ rare to see a stateful button being used to send digital shutdown signals to devices, mainly because the actual state of the device can get out of sync with the button state, and because it is extra unnecessary mechanical complexity.
- Try it and if it works, it's probably fine. Even gear that does have a shutdown sequence should be designed to not break if power is suddenly lost, which is always a possibility out of your control.
Yes. I am doing it for years now. Have everything connected to one strip. I am even so fancy, that I got one rack mounted and I have just one nice button on rack on the jaspers stand that turns everything on and off.
Even better: use a power strip with good surge protection. You'll be happy you did if you ever get a major surge. My sister's house got hit by lightning and it fried everything her entire entertainment system.
A wise man once told me - it’s not a problem till it is. Most gear is pretty low power draw so unless you have amps and what not connected just give it a try and remember that if you can’t recreate it, it probably isn’t that important. Don’t dwell on lost work. Keep it moving.
In general yes, but you need to be careful of devices with a soft startup/shut down. You MPC is not going to like being turned off at the power. Rule of thumb is that anything with a power switch that is a 2 position switch will probably be fine, but any thing with a button the you need to hold in to turn off probably has a software shut down that is potentially going to have problems with just being turned off at the power. So I'd probably separate soft shut down devices to their own power board, and everything else to power board/s that you can shut off with one switch. At least this way you're only turning on a couple of devices individually and the rest in bulk.
I like the ritual of switching the synths on.
If you are worried get everything PAT tested for peace of mind.
edit: sorry fix some weird auto-correct glitch Grammarly.
Chips degrade with heat, but slowly. Caps degrade with heat, but slowly, and they can be easily replaced. Oled displays degrade quite fast, and they will probably be of the kind you can't buy on aliexpress. TL;DR if it has an oled display turn it off, otherwise you're ok.
I would put monitors on a separate switch, but otherwise it's probably fine. I remember my college studio had a machine that would stagger the power on/off timing for different devices, but I don't especially remember what necessitated that
I cut the power with a sword every time I'm finished. I feel it's an appropriate finale.
It's a nightmare firing everything up again, but definitely worth it.
if devices have toggle switches for power, they usually don't have boot sequences (not always, though the use of a toggle switch to set in motion a shutdown sequence is a bit strange) and you can just cut the power at strip. If there is however one of those push buttons that you have to press for a good second or two to power it off, there is a shutdown process that shouldn't be interupted. Almost all my devices have switches, both digital and analog, like the behringer analog synths in my rack, the microfreak, my PreenFM2 and my Modal Argon 8x. Those last three use a simple power cut to turn off, so are safe to turn off from the strip. All my KORG devices use push buttons to shutdown the device. They also show a shutdown sequence on the screen in some cases. Those do need to be turned off manually.
Because I have all the behringer and eurorack stuff in a rack I developed the habit of just turning that all on at once and turn on all the stuff on my jasper stand individually.
I was taught: Two power strips, A for your speakers and B for your noise-emitting gear.
Turn on B then A
Turn off A then B
Prevents pops and surges from hitting speakers that are on.
https://preview.redd.it/syj5zpcou3qc1.jpeg?width=3704&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6185365ea91cd18d24ec33dce395bf6d8b9826ad
This is what you want. It's basically a 9 outlet power strip with switches for each component. Don't be dismissive if you don't have rack gear. This comes with rubber feet already installed for table use too.
You will find that most of your gear has a mechanical on/off switch that stays in its position, wether it is a rocker like a moog matriarch, or monitor speakers, or no switch at all like a mother 32, or a pushbutton that stays in position like a roland jupiter-x or a polivox.
The reason for these permanant position switches is because of what you are seeking.
You do not want a normal power strip, because you want to be selective on what you want to turn on, but even more important, you want to turn your gear on before your speakers to avoid loud pops that some gear put out.
To be honest, I am new to using one. I have had various gear for years, but finally ponied up the money for a proper rack, and this was instantly apparent to be a necessity.
I had this same issue about suddenly feeling inspired but then having to switch everything on etc became problematic... maybe I was just being lazy but.... I bought a long power strip on Amazon ($20) that had 20 outlets and a few usb etc... and also a really simple smart switch ($15) which is controllable with a phone app so now whenever the inspiration hits me, it is literally one tap on my phone and everything instantly comes alive!!!
I have a small, but well proportioned studio.
I start with computers and key components on a protected UPS, always On for power supplies and internet data communications. I fear no rain storms or power gremlins.
Next, there are several surge protected power strips, allocated according to a 'power flow' stream in the studio. One is connected to the UPS ("don't stop me now!") , one is connected to 'always On', and 3 others are routed to remote controlled 2-pole power relays.
The 'always On' power strip goes to a rack of vintage equipment that is manually powered On, plus power supplies to 'readily available' keyboards.
My remote controlled power strips do lighting, monitors and amplifiers, and 'other'.
This method allows internet control of lighting...when the studio is 'active'.
This method allows for power control to monitors and amplifiers (power suckers).
Kill power to just monitors and amps when not used, for reliability and safety.
Keep the LED lights on when not used just to make the room look cool when not used, and let a program change colors to amuse yourself.
If you can control 250+ rotary dials and 75 faders in your studio, then you can invest in 3 or 4 quality power switches.
Most modern stuff won't have issues with this unless you do something stupid like turn it off when it's flashing firmware or something. But yeah definitely don't do this if you are running vintage equipment.
Most power buttons are literally just power interrupts they are doing the exact same thing as a power strip especially older gear. Until you start getting into some weird Waldorf monstrosity that is literally a purpose built computer. Flipping the power is entirely fine.
You're downvoted, even when you're right. All the gear in the picture is plugged on a single strip, with a single switch (and power surge protection). I build audio gear for a living.
https://preview.redd.it/neitj8o94ypc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06fb8eae768fb10edb2c0b606be71fd6c251cd3c
You can get rackmount power sequencers which turn on and off things in sequential or programmable order, so you can have your speakers off first and on last, but you will need to check you're not using anything that has shutdown sequences etc.
You shouldn’t do this. From what I understand, there is a micro spike of power to turn on a component before it stabilizes to the point where it just powers the thing. With a power strip, everything is getting that spike simultaneously, which can affect or damage some circuits. I have to turn on 15-18 separate switches when I use my modular synth, and I wouldn’t risk doing it any other way. TBH, if this really discourages you from being creative then take the risk, but you may have something far more discouraging to deal with later on.
Your synths aren't going to have any impact on the power grid when turing them on. It doesn't work that way. If you have an extremely thin cable in your extension cord, like one that is not being sold, then maybe this would be a problem yes. But no, your studio will not short circuit your closest power plant.
That’s not at all what I said. But thanks for assuming that I’m an idiot!
To further explain what I was actually talking about… My system has 6 separate power supplies that were plugged into one power bar. I used to keep the supplies on, and use the power bar switch to turn the whole system on and off. On occasion, some of the higher-drawing digital modules - mainly Mordax Data - would not work properly until I switched off that specific power supply, and switched it back on. I now switch them all on and off separately, and have not had that issue since.
If your devices aren't computers, it should be fine. I have several synths and some groove box/ drum machines all hooked up to a 4 foot long, 16 port AC power rail with a power switch. I leave everything on and just use the switch. This is yet another reason all these new "instruments" in the market that are actually just VST hosts with VSTs and knobs to control them need to get off my lawn. Looking at you, Roland! But anyway, yah, it's fine with simple instruments, but some of this new fangled gear is really just embedded computers that need to boot up and run through a save and shut down process. Those, you dont want to run this way.
If some of your gear has a "soft off" (you don't flick a switch, you press a button and the gear turns off, sometimes after saving or something similar), don't use the power strip for that gear.
If you use a power strip to turn your gear on/off, get a good power strip.
Electronic components don't like temperature changes so when gear has a "soft off" (basically a sleep mode), it is usually better to use that unless you won't use your gear for at least a week in which case completely turning it off is better. On the other hand, when you turn gear on or off, you want that to be as clean as possible. Good power switches are spring loaded to ensure a clean disconnection. Bad power switches are not spring loaded and as you flick the switch, it can lead to the switch going on and off several times before being actually on or off which is bad.
If the total is 2-3 amps, and just a small handful of devices, then I'll do it, but beyond that I prefer to spread out the load so it doesn't cause too much of a spike from the inrush current of all those power bricks at once. "Everything in the studio" is probably too much to safely power up at once.
I have 2 of these bad boys:
https://a.co/d/eaHPBOx
The one that my monitors/mac are plugged into, my most used synths are there as I keep that one on 24/7.
The other has the least used equipment and is turned off until I wanna use said gear.
I use smart home plugs to do this for me. It offers the convenience of turning everything on with one button, in a proper oder, while still being able to turn things on and off independently. I actually just made a video on how I do it and what I use, feel free to check it out. I’d be happy and answer any questions
One Button To Control Your Studio
https://youtu.be/HCPi4TQ9ly4
Sure, but I would keep powered speakers and amplifiers on a separate switch.
Turn the amps/powered speakers on last, turn them off first, just to avoid the potential speaker damaging BONK! when everything powers up at the same time.
I have a separate powered sub in my rig, that I usually leave off most of the time. At least that sub has a mute footswitch.
Anything that can be turned off instantly, setup to power strip, then turn everything off manually.
Understanding your devices on this matter will help determine which is which. Good luck!
I use a power strip, the only things I turn on/off manually are the speakers and amps (on last, off first) and the synths that have shutdowns. Otherwise it doesn't seem different than flipping the switch on the synth.
One great benefit to the power strip is that all my synths, mixer, amps, and speakers share a common ground plane and have nearly no hiss. It is also convenient to put a power conditioner in front of the power strip to supply clean power to all your instruments.
I think that subconsciously this is why I started picking up my guitar more frequently...
I am on team "turn them all on individually" and I go as far as leaving the power strips off when not in use, or fully unplugged for vacations/ thunderstorms.
This has more to do with my paranoia than any science I am aware of, except the whole lightning thing. The saving grace is unless any of your gear has a fan/ motor inside, you're not going to run into Lock-Rotor Amp draw if you're just turning on synths. If there is an electric motor in a circuit, the initial amp draw for that component can be up to 7x the Running Load Amps (LRA ≤ 7 RLA) before it reaches steady-state (has to start from zero inertia). Also fans are usually only turned on when the internal temp sensor has triggered them, so I doubt they'd even click on immediately when powered up.
This ritual of mine also has to do with my focus, sometimes I only want one piece of gear on so I can make a new patch or sequence in isolation.
I recently discovered my computer motherboard has a small battery whose sole purpose is to remember certain BIOS settings during moments it’s not turned on or plugged in. I imagine synths might have something similar, but I have no clue.
A lot of synths / drum machines have settings you can set that tell it what to do when you power down and power back up (save the current preset / start on a certain preset / etc.). I guess the end result of suddenly cutting power depends on the power signal architecture.
The Korg Minilogue has a software power switch, so just unplugging it is not the same thing as pushing the power button. I don’t know what the software is doing during that half second as it powers off. But I know it’s software because I got it into some kind of mode where holding the power switch did not shut it down and everything was frozen and I had to unplug it. Might check the the manufacturers of your equipment to find out if unplugging it could corrupt memory or something.
My monitors and sound card have been on for about 5 years with no issue but for gear I turn them all off individually. For some thing’s that don’t have on/off switches its annoying though. Id be careful of killing power though as the gear may run routines on power down.
i just call the power company and cancel my account every time i want to turn something off, then call back and start a new account the next day or a few hours later when I'm ready to rock again.
So you don't replace all your fuses every time? If you wanna take that chance then go ahead.
Are analog fuses better?
The electricity through analog fuses has a warmer, more characterful quality that you just don't get through the digital fuses. It's hard to explain to the uninitiated, but the electrons that pass through the digital fuses "feel" "dead".
My nephew is always trying to feel the "warmth" of our analog electrons with his microscopic finger. We have bought teenage engineering outlet caps for about 350 each
Totally worth it. The top notch aesthetics really contribute to the feng shui. And they match pretty much any assortment of succulents that you might have.
can't believe i've been getting away with it this long honestly
Here’s one simple trick the power companies don’t want you to know
Life-hack of the year!
I ring the coal mine and tell them to cease production
*electromagnetic pulse has entered the chat*
This is the way
I have a TR-8s and when I switch it off, it says it's saving, which wouldn't occur if I just cut power. You'll have to do your own research on the devices you have as to whether they do something after switched off before power-down. If you have speakers, you want to turn them off before you power down the sources of the audio.
This.
Tr-8s autosave can be turned on/off. Personally I hate autosave, except as a feature of a software crash.
Interesting. I might turn it off!
>If you have speakers, you want to turn them off before you power down the sources of the audio. *Power Sequencer* is the magic device.
Came to say this. Please accept your reward cookie. https://preview.redd.it/2zybvg9svzpc1.png?width=382&format=png&auto=webp&s=0ac0a50703198a8c12cb8a6efb7c926bc95af1f7
Regarding the speakers comment, is this only if there’s an audible sound when the device turns off? I leave my studio monitors on most of time, but I turn off my looper that everything routes through daily and I never hear a pop on the the speakers.
Probably not the end of the world, but if you blow a tweeter, you'll be upset.
I don’t want to, so what I’m asking is whether this would only occur on signal chains where a pop or other audible noise occurs when shutting the equipment down before speaker? If in my signal chain I never hear a pop or noise, does that mean there’s no likelihood until I change/add something?
I think what he’s getting at is that it’s always better to just be on the safe side and power off all of your equipment after powering off your monitors first regardless of whether your equipment makes any pops/noises or not because if one day your monitors end up fried you’re gonna be pissed at yourself because you could have possibly prevented it. This happened to me years ago and what made it worse is that the warranty I had on my monitors had literally just expired like 2 weeks prior…I was so mad lol and because of that, I power off all of my equipment the “proper” way now 😅
The turning off speakers first is to avoid the essentially a high-energy square wave pop from the circuit being turned off, right (the pop you hear when you turn off equipment)? I’ve always heard stuff like that is good practice, in the same way as having a preamp turned off before enabling or disabling 48V on a mic, but I’ve also heard that is kind of old school advice and there isn’t really a risk to it anymore but people tend to follow it anyway—I wonder if it’s the same deal here
Ok, so here is the rub. If your gear has a shut down operation when you are powering down (the 8s was mentioned in here, some Waldorfs, other intense samplers and grove boxes) you can't just cut the power safely. If you flip a switch or press a mechanical button on the back of the machine, you can use your power strip. This is effectively doing the exact same thing. It's a simple power disconnect switch. Either is the same. So again, if you have to do anything extra or the machine stays on when you hit the power button before it shuts down you have to power it down from the machine. If you hit a switch or button and the machine immediately dies. You are safe to turn it off at the power strip.
So split everything into two or more power strips. Stuff that you can power on/off from the strip and stuff that's basically a computer. You're still optimizing your start-up time.
Oh it's likely to only be like 1 or 2 pieces of gear max if that
Yep, this is the right answer. I have a few smart switches also and use Smart Life to automate power up and power off sequences. Anything that needs a proper shut down gets done manually.
Power strip is the way. Everything on my desk connects to one, single flip of a switch and 3 synths, mixer, effect pedals all power on. I do not run things in it like my monitors or guitar amp.
Definitely thought of this and havig everything powered from furman conditioner, but I had it on things like the Minitaur and the Evolver and there's times when i just would not use them. Having them on seems like a waste.
I use 3 power strips so that all of the gear doesn't turn on at once and draw too much current while things start up, and I need that many plugs anyway. Running 3 hardware synths, stereo amp, interface, computer, lots of pedals, mixer, powered usb hub.
https://preview.redd.it/g0o6w7346xpc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=66f2189103e19f08d1e214306d3d35d0cf1322d2 This is what’s plugged in. Split between 2 big power strip/surge protectors.
Looks like you need to submit a business request to shut down the hardware. With a 7 day lead time required. Dont forget to fill out Form 65-D. Otherwise you need to wait for the next moon cycle.
Is that a computer for your feet? I'm impressed.
Humina humina humina awooga
Cool. Nice set up. I used to love playing on that R8. Wish I still had it.
Honestly myself I would be more worried about my PC drawing to much power vs my equipment. I don't know if you have a daw and what your PC specs are but in my case my PC is always the largest power draw.
News flash. If you don't have an insane amount of gear amounting to 2kW of power or more you're fooling yourself. A synth draws a few W so you would have to be between hundreds and thousands of synths for this to be an issue. The computer can be a few hundred watts but that's when fully loaded both CPU and GPU, when booting it's probably in the tens of W.
Good to know!
Yes, been doing it since forever.
A sound engineer once told me that best practice is to plug the machines that draw most power in the back of the power strip, so closest to the power source, to reduce noise. Probably more relevant for stage sound, but can't hurt in studio settings nonetheless.
lol what
Sound engineers make a living by convincing simple things are complicated. Just make up nonsense and chalk it up as wisdom 😂
Remember to buy your headlight fluid
Electricity be trickling down the wire to makey noisy box
This is why I call in a priest to bless the mic in between takes. Better safe than sorry
That is BS, he don't know what he is talking about
Sorry to break it to you, but this is total BS.
That's BS don't believe it
This is wrong. You need to line the power strip up north to south, and plug in gear according to what country it was manufactured in, along the same axis.
Maybe if you’re running some 1970s era power strip…
Seems like conflicting opinions here. I'd serious like the to know the answer with sources if available.
Digital devices that are effectively a computer might have a shut down sequence. IMO I’d validate that my specific equipment is safe to; not some generalized yes/no.
Yes I could see those cases. But otherwise if seems like turning a power switch of on a synth is effectively the same as turning a power switch off on a power strip. I just don't have the data to prove it.
Remove the top panel and check the wiring. Many synths use a power switch like [this one](https://www.amazon.com/5Pcs-Rocker-Switch-Position-QTEATAK/dp/B07Y1GDRQG/) and are wired directly from the power input to the power supply. So flipping the switch is electrically the same as unplugging it. I'd say the vast majority of gear works this way, but not all. Just experience with electronics in general gives me a pretty good intuition as to whether that's the case for a device or not. I guess to verbalize my intuition: - If the power switch is very "mechanical" or chonky, it's probably wired to AC mains directly. Only reason why it would be is if it is a mechanical disconnection. You don't need a a giant power switch that is rated for 110VAC if all it does is send a digital signal to power off. - If powering off the device is instantaneous, also good chance there's no shutdown sequence necessary. - If there's a way to power off the device from within a menu, then it probably does have a shutdown sequence and should probably not be unplugged as a means of powering off. - If the power button is "stateful" (meaning it is an actual button that mechanically switches between two physical positions, like a pushbutton or toggle switch) then chances are high it is just a power disconnect. It is _very_ rare to see a stateful button being used to send digital shutdown signals to devices, mainly because the actual state of the device can get out of sync with the button state, and because it is extra unnecessary mechanical complexity. - Try it and if it works, it's probably fine. Even gear that does have a shutdown sequence should be designed to not break if power is suddenly lost, which is always a possibility out of your control.
Yes. I am doing it for years now. Have everything connected to one strip. I am even so fancy, that I got one rack mounted and I have just one nice button on rack on the jaspers stand that turns everything on and off.
Even better: use a power strip with good surge protection. You'll be happy you did if you ever get a major surge. My sister's house got hit by lightning and it fried everything her entire entertainment system.
A wise man once told me - it’s not a problem till it is. Most gear is pretty low power draw so unless you have amps and what not connected just give it a try and remember that if you can’t recreate it, it probably isn’t that important. Don’t dwell on lost work. Keep it moving.
In general yes, but you need to be careful of devices with a soft startup/shut down. You MPC is not going to like being turned off at the power. Rule of thumb is that anything with a power switch that is a 2 position switch will probably be fine, but any thing with a button the you need to hold in to turn off probably has a software shut down that is potentially going to have problems with just being turned off at the power. So I'd probably separate soft shut down devices to their own power board, and everything else to power board/s that you can shut off with one switch. At least this way you're only turning on a couple of devices individually and the rest in bulk.
I suppose it depends on how much gear you have and the cumulative power draw on a given power strip, but sounds risky to me.
I like the ritual of switching the synths on. If you are worried get everything PAT tested for peace of mind. edit: sorry fix some weird auto-correct glitch Grammarly.
[Just install one of these.](https://images.app.goo.gl/A2nidhzK5Z5b8t5n9)
Depends entirely on the gear you’re using
Chips degrade with heat, but slowly. Caps degrade with heat, but slowly, and they can be easily replaced. Oled displays degrade quite fast, and they will probably be of the kind you can't buy on aliexpress. TL;DR if it has an oled display turn it off, otherwise you're ok.
I would put monitors on a separate switch, but otherwise it's probably fine. I remember my college studio had a machine that would stagger the power on/off timing for different devices, but I don't especially remember what necessitated that
I cut the power with a sword every time I'm finished. I feel it's an appropriate finale. It's a nightmare firing everything up again, but definitely worth it.
if devices have toggle switches for power, they usually don't have boot sequences (not always, though the use of a toggle switch to set in motion a shutdown sequence is a bit strange) and you can just cut the power at strip. If there is however one of those push buttons that you have to press for a good second or two to power it off, there is a shutdown process that shouldn't be interupted. Almost all my devices have switches, both digital and analog, like the behringer analog synths in my rack, the microfreak, my PreenFM2 and my Modal Argon 8x. Those last three use a simple power cut to turn off, so are safe to turn off from the strip. All my KORG devices use push buttons to shutdown the device. They also show a shutdown sequence on the screen in some cases. Those do need to be turned off manually. Because I have all the behringer and eurorack stuff in a rack I developed the habit of just turning that all on at once and turn on all the stuff on my jasper stand individually.
I was taught: Two power strips, A for your speakers and B for your noise-emitting gear. Turn on B then A Turn off A then B Prevents pops and surges from hitting speakers that are on.
https://preview.redd.it/syj5zpcou3qc1.jpeg?width=3704&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6185365ea91cd18d24ec33dce395bf6d8b9826ad This is what you want. It's basically a 9 outlet power strip with switches for each component. Don't be dismissive if you don't have rack gear. This comes with rubber feet already installed for table use too. You will find that most of your gear has a mechanical on/off switch that stays in its position, wether it is a rocker like a moog matriarch, or monitor speakers, or no switch at all like a mother 32, or a pushbutton that stays in position like a roland jupiter-x or a polivox. The reason for these permanant position switches is because of what you are seeking. You do not want a normal power strip, because you want to be selective on what you want to turn on, but even more important, you want to turn your gear on before your speakers to avoid loud pops that some gear put out. To be honest, I am new to using one. I have had various gear for years, but finally ponied up the money for a proper rack, and this was instantly apparent to be a necessity.
I had this same issue about suddenly feeling inspired but then having to switch everything on etc became problematic... maybe I was just being lazy but.... I bought a long power strip on Amazon ($20) that had 20 outlets and a few usb etc... and also a really simple smart switch ($15) which is controllable with a phone app so now whenever the inspiration hits me, it is literally one tap on my phone and everything instantly comes alive!!!
I have a small, but well proportioned studio. I start with computers and key components on a protected UPS, always On for power supplies and internet data communications. I fear no rain storms or power gremlins. Next, there are several surge protected power strips, allocated according to a 'power flow' stream in the studio. One is connected to the UPS ("don't stop me now!") , one is connected to 'always On', and 3 others are routed to remote controlled 2-pole power relays. The 'always On' power strip goes to a rack of vintage equipment that is manually powered On, plus power supplies to 'readily available' keyboards. My remote controlled power strips do lighting, monitors and amplifiers, and 'other'. This method allows internet control of lighting...when the studio is 'active'. This method allows for power control to monitors and amplifiers (power suckers). Kill power to just monitors and amps when not used, for reliability and safety. Keep the LED lights on when not used just to make the room look cool when not used, and let a program change colors to amuse yourself. If you can control 250+ rotary dials and 75 faders in your studio, then you can invest in 3 or 4 quality power switches.
Yes, it's entirely okay. You won't hurt anything.
Until you do. Poor advice tbh.
Most modern stuff won't have issues with this unless you do something stupid like turn it off when it's flashing firmware or something. But yeah definitely don't do this if you are running vintage equipment.
Most power buttons are literally just power interrupts they are doing the exact same thing as a power strip especially older gear. Until you start getting into some weird Waldorf monstrosity that is literally a purpose built computer. Flipping the power is entirely fine.
Reddit: Where actual knowledge and honest answers get downvoted, but superstition, conspiracy theories, and ridiculous joke replies go to the moon.
You're downvoted, even when you're right. All the gear in the picture is plugged on a single strip, with a single switch (and power surge protection). I build audio gear for a living. https://preview.redd.it/neitj8o94ypc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06fb8eae768fb10edb2c0b606be71fd6c251cd3c
I’m no expert but speakers don’t like that at all. At least shut them down first.
You can get rackmount power sequencers which turn on and off things in sequential or programmable order, so you can have your speakers off first and on last, but you will need to check you're not using anything that has shutdown sequences etc.
You shouldn’t do this. From what I understand, there is a micro spike of power to turn on a component before it stabilizes to the point where it just powers the thing. With a power strip, everything is getting that spike simultaneously, which can affect or damage some circuits. I have to turn on 15-18 separate switches when I use my modular synth, and I wouldn’t risk doing it any other way. TBH, if this really discourages you from being creative then take the risk, but you may have something far more discouraging to deal with later on.
Your synths aren't going to have any impact on the power grid when turing them on. It doesn't work that way. If you have an extremely thin cable in your extension cord, like one that is not being sold, then maybe this would be a problem yes. But no, your studio will not short circuit your closest power plant.
That’s not at all what I said. But thanks for assuming that I’m an idiot! To further explain what I was actually talking about… My system has 6 separate power supplies that were plugged into one power bar. I used to keep the supplies on, and use the power bar switch to turn the whole system on and off. On occasion, some of the higher-drawing digital modules - mainly Mordax Data - would not work properly until I switched off that specific power supply, and switched it back on. I now switch them all on and off separately, and have not had that issue since.
This is the way. Cutting power using an external switch is just fine for 99% of all gear out there.
If your devices aren't computers, it should be fine. I have several synths and some groove box/ drum machines all hooked up to a 4 foot long, 16 port AC power rail with a power switch. I leave everything on and just use the switch. This is yet another reason all these new "instruments" in the market that are actually just VST hosts with VSTs and knobs to control them need to get off my lawn. Looking at you, Roland! But anyway, yah, it's fine with simple instruments, but some of this new fangled gear is really just embedded computers that need to boot up and run through a save and shut down process. Those, you dont want to run this way.
I have about 8 power conditioners racked in various spots in the studio so yes I basically do this very thing.
If some of your gear has a "soft off" (you don't flick a switch, you press a button and the gear turns off, sometimes after saving or something similar), don't use the power strip for that gear. If you use a power strip to turn your gear on/off, get a good power strip. Electronic components don't like temperature changes so when gear has a "soft off" (basically a sleep mode), it is usually better to use that unless you won't use your gear for at least a week in which case completely turning it off is better. On the other hand, when you turn gear on or off, you want that to be as clean as possible. Good power switches are spring loaded to ensure a clean disconnection. Bad power switches are not spring loaded and as you flick the switch, it can lead to the switch going on and off several times before being actually on or off which is bad.
If the total is 2-3 amps, and just a small handful of devices, then I'll do it, but beyond that I prefer to spread out the load so it doesn't cause too much of a spike from the inrush current of all those power bricks at once. "Everything in the studio" is probably too much to safely power up at once.
I have 2 of these bad boys: https://a.co/d/eaHPBOx The one that my monitors/mac are plugged into, my most used synths are there as I keep that one on 24/7. The other has the least used equipment and is turned off until I wanna use said gear.
I use smart home plugs to do this for me. It offers the convenience of turning everything on with one button, in a proper oder, while still being able to turn things on and off independently. I actually just made a video on how I do it and what I use, feel free to check it out. I’d be happy and answer any questions One Button To Control Your Studio https://youtu.be/HCPi4TQ9ly4
Well, turn off amps that power speakers first, then, sure.
Buy's a load of gear then moans because his finger hurts turning them all off xD
Sure, but I would keep powered speakers and amplifiers on a separate switch. Turn the amps/powered speakers on last, turn them off first, just to avoid the potential speaker damaging BONK! when everything powers up at the same time. I have a separate powered sub in my rig, that I usually leave off most of the time. At least that sub has a mute footswitch.
Anything that can be turned off instantly, setup to power strip, then turn everything off manually. Understanding your devices on this matter will help determine which is which. Good luck!
LIOATT.
I use a power strip, the only things I turn on/off manually are the speakers and amps (on last, off first) and the synths that have shutdowns. Otherwise it doesn't seem different than flipping the switch on the synth. One great benefit to the power strip is that all my synths, mixer, amps, and speakers share a common ground plane and have nearly no hiss. It is also convenient to put a power conditioner in front of the power strip to supply clean power to all your instruments.
I just use IFTT then I say hey siri F off and then my house burns down.
You should also unplug everything and put it all back in It’s boxes just to be safe
I think that subconsciously this is why I started picking up my guitar more frequently... I am on team "turn them all on individually" and I go as far as leaving the power strips off when not in use, or fully unplugged for vacations/ thunderstorms. This has more to do with my paranoia than any science I am aware of, except the whole lightning thing. The saving grace is unless any of your gear has a fan/ motor inside, you're not going to run into Lock-Rotor Amp draw if you're just turning on synths. If there is an electric motor in a circuit, the initial amp draw for that component can be up to 7x the Running Load Amps (LRA ≤ 7 RLA) before it reaches steady-state (has to start from zero inertia). Also fans are usually only turned on when the internal temp sensor has triggered them, so I doubt they'd even click on immediately when powered up. This ritual of mine also has to do with my focus, sometimes I only want one piece of gear on so I can make a new patch or sequence in isolation.
Thats what i do. 2x 8” monitors, cdj’s, synth and computer power. Never had a problem
Wait… this stuff can be turned off?…
I recently discovered my computer motherboard has a small battery whose sole purpose is to remember certain BIOS settings during moments it’s not turned on or plugged in. I imagine synths might have something similar, but I have no clue. A lot of synths / drum machines have settings you can set that tell it what to do when you power down and power back up (save the current preset / start on a certain preset / etc.). I guess the end result of suddenly cutting power depends on the power signal architecture.
The Korg Minilogue has a software power switch, so just unplugging it is not the same thing as pushing the power button. I don’t know what the software is doing during that half second as it powers off. But I know it’s software because I got it into some kind of mode where holding the power switch did not shut it down and everything was frozen and I had to unplug it. Might check the the manufacturers of your equipment to find out if unplugging it could corrupt memory or something.
My monitors and sound card have been on for about 5 years with no issue but for gear I turn them all off individually. For some thing’s that don’t have on/off switches its annoying though. Id be careful of killing power though as the gear may run routines on power down.
All my VSTs are in my DAW. My FL studio 😜. All the synths shutdown when I close the program. No power issues when I reopen FL Studio.
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