all these cables and wires

sometimes i become hesitant to power all my stuff up because i've always had people come in my room and be like "your shits gonna catch on fire one of these days"..or something along those lines.....so i get nervous when i have my gear plugged up, all going at once, along with the computer on.

i've seen some studio setups on this site with a sea of cables laying around...so, how do you guys deal with everything being plugged up at once and do you worry about it overheating or fires even?

ps i use multiple outlet surge protectors for all my stuff to protect from spikes, etc.

i usually have all this on at once
-my computer
-pc monitor
-mixer/interface
-my krk speakers (which takes 1 plug for each speaker)
-mpc1000
-sp303
-microkorg

if your house had good power... that list of gear shouldn't be a problem.... however I suggest getting something a bit better than a typical power bar type surge protector. I say go with a furman power conditioner. They go for like 80-100 bucks new.... but it will be the best 80-100 bucks you will spend in your whole studio.

If you have good 15 amp wiring going from the fuse box to the room you shouldn't see any issues I dont think.

That is interesting, i am asking myself if i should buy two of them.

I read/hear it may sometimes not be the best option. Here's a video explaining why:



That leaves me wondering if i should or should'nt get two of those power conditioners.

I have never thought about it before, i always used two surge protectors in my studio.

I would maybe buy this model but i am asking myself, don't they act like a regular surge protector, except for the fact that they reduce radio frequency and electromagnetic interference (RFI/EMI) ?

http://www.zzounds.com/item--FURM8X2

My house is 100 years old this year but the electricity was remade a couples of years ago. I have a good fuse box, but i sometimes see the light dimming in my studio or elsewhere in the house.

I plan on buying even more studio gear in the future but i have no more place to plug them on my surge protectors. Bying two of those power conditioners would give me 6 more power outlets.

yes, audiophiles will always find something that can be improved with a more costly alternative... that is why they use $8000 vinyl players that weigh 75lbs.

Furmans are good.. I have one, it's already saved my gear... it has a good surge protector built in.


By the way, they have like 9 plug outlets on them, and in the back 4 of them are spaced out so you can fit a bunch of those annoying wall wart style AC adapters for things like the SP, electribes, kaoss pads... or the midi controller and soundcard external power supplies. That is a real bonus IMO.

really appreciate all the info mr debauch ...just gave me some stuff to really look into now. thank ya sir!!

I have 30 or 40 things plugged into the same outlet. Doesn't bother me. The only thing would be if it draws too much current and melts a wire in the wall, but I've measured it on occasion and the current draw is surprisingly low for the amount of gear. Looks like a christmas tree in here. I think you'll be fine with what you listed above.

In one outlit (and a lot of extensions and branching things), I have a tv, nad amp, digital tv box, media player, nas, dvd player, hdmi switch, xbox, 2 mixers, mpc, yamaha m12, a3000, korg electribe, access virus b, 4 guitar pedals, pod hd500, mb33, k4r, 2 multifx rack boxes, minidisk, vcr, reel-2-reel, cassette deck, vinyl turntable, roomba, lamp, mic preamp, a few phone and tablet chargers, and a few wall-warts powering things Ive forgotten about and can no longer see under the mess of cables. oh and a macbook and on the other side of the room (no doubt on the same wire) an electrnic drumkit, a treadmill, a guitar amp, a floor monitor speaker and some more lamps, and pumps and lamps for two aquariums.

So you got a ways to go yet...

Now that I list it all, I probablly should actually look into some kind of surge protector. Just put a smoke alarm over the studio somewhere, and make sure you have a fire extinguisher you can use on electrical fires. On my wishlist is something that can extinguish electrical fires without damaging the rest of the gear but I dont know how expensive that is

the current draw is surprisingly low for the amount of gear.

i have a less than $20 electricity bill and my equipment is always on. a PC, mpc, record player, sound card, midi controllers, mixer, and a bunch of wall warts really doesn't draw as much power as one would think just by looking at it.

I do turn my gear off when i go to bed. It encourages me to organise my patches and programs keep projects clean, more than fire safety or costs