Power Up...Power Down

[Fred Sanford]

I have a problem with this statement... if you turn off the mixer manually, and then the rest shuts off, the sequence is wrong!

It's OK to turn on the board first, but it has to be turned off last!

Agreed, but you missed the last line in that paragraph:

Power amps & sub, in this instance, are manually switched so I can easily use the mixer in headphone mode.

je

[JBL 4645]

I like having them, 'cause I don't like having all the gear in the same room with me. Anything that makes noise (music servers, DVRs, amps with fans) and anything I don't need to put media into (matrix switchers, surround processors, control gear, amps) migrates into racks in the basement, and is turned on & off when needed by the control system & power management. If I had to do it manually every time, it'd be a tedious chore. I also share sources between music systems/surround systems/house system, so automating that makes it easy & mistake-free.

There's even an automated emergency power-down when there's a brownout - the UPS tells the control system there's a problem, the control system signals the power management, & it brings down the components sequentially. Saves battery life on the UPSs, and saves gear from damage. The control system & alarm system can also send me a text message if I want, telling me there's a problem at the house.

In my studio, I also employ them, but not in the exact same way- certain pieces can be used at any time (computer, tape transports), but the racks of processing never power up until/unless the main mixer is turned on...then the mixer's current draw is sensed, and things turn on in sequence, plus the power amp cooling fans turn on at low speed (until they sense a high temp, then they automatically spin faster). When the mixer goes off, things turn off in reverse, and the fans stay on until interior temps reach ~ ambient temps. Yeah, it's possible to approach manually but pretty tedious if it wasn't automated. Power amps & sub, in this instance, are manually switched so I can easily use the mixer in headphone mode.

I fortunately didn't pay anything for mine, they were garbage picked & repaired, or removed from installations that were getting upgrades.

je

Well I really don’t mind turning (on and off) switches I get a good workout from it.
Let me guess does it have delay on the unit to custom program?

Edit: was right it does come with a delay.

Is that what it costs then $600 dollars.

Wow at most under £400 pounds.
http://www.google.co.uk/products?q=Furman+sequencer+

[Akira]

I am surprised that I am the only one who never turns off their gear.

This is standard studio practice that I have continued while at home. Call it force of habit but, over the years that I have been involved in audio, (now 40) It has proven to me to be the most stable. I have never lost a piece of gear while powered on. I have lost gear through proper powering up. Bryston's notorious lack of DC protection has taken out a whack of Turbosounds and JBL's. Other components simply fail to work over time.

It is estimated that you lose 1-2% of electrical consumption through leakage and minimal power use by maintaining this practice. But, it sure beats the loss of 6 very fine pieces of vintage components that I have lost over the years through storage and non use... it hurts to throw out a vintage Lexicon.

[hjames]

I am surprised that I am the only one who never turns off their gear.

Some of my gear gets turned off, some of it runs all the time.

The HK370 /L20T system, tied to my Mac as a local monitor/iTunes playback is nearly always on.

The Carver receiver tied to the L200+ 3ways is always on, usually set for "airtunes" - so any music I play with itunes up in the office gets echoed downstairs and with more response. Of course I can play FM or CDs on that system as well..

The 7.1 system with the TV and biamped 4341 monitors does get turned on and off each day, usually used in the evening, but that's about it.

[rontec]

Almost 30 years ago I somehow convinced my wife to turn the main volume control to zero before switching or turning on or off any equipment. The main amp was always turned off last.
(ditto for our daughter!)

Lost at least one piece of equipment in storage; Pioneer multi CD player.

[Akira]

Almost 30 years ago I somehow convinced my wife to turn the main volume control to zero before switching or turning on or off any equipment. The main amp was always turned off last.
(ditto for our daughter!)

Wow! you managed to semi train two women.

[rontec]

Wow! you managed to semi train two women.

LOL....semi is right. Only a few things here and there!


BTW...also had an amp. go bad in storage. Don't know why, it was working fine before putting it away for a number of years. Took it out one day and DOA!

[Fred Sanford]

I am surprised that I am the only one who never turns off their gear.

This is standard studio practice that I have continued while at home. Call it force of habit but, over the years that I have been involved in audio, (now 40) It has proven to me to be the most stable. I have never lost a piece of gear while powered on. I have lost gear through proper powering up. Bryston's notorious lack of DC protection has taken out a whack of Turbosounds and JBL's. Other components simply fail to work over time.

It is estimated that you lose 1-2% of electrical consumption through leakage and minimal power use by maintaining this practice. But, it sure beats the loss of 6 very fine pieces of vintage components that I have lost over the years through storage and non use... it hurts to throw out a vintage Lexicon.

Power to the house is just too damn inconsistent here in rural America. We have brownouts during almost any storm, where voltage drops & rises & drops & rises in rapid succession. Anything with a processor or mapping of settings (computers, DVRs, servers, surround units, DRVs, multi-effects, control system, alarm system, etc.) is on a UPS, but most of the power amps aren't. They all get turned off at the first sign of an electrical storm.

Pretty sure I've only had one power amp ever fail on me, in 25+ years, and it was a cheap fix. Although, I did have a Phase Linear power amp that damaged a few speakers that were attached to it. Most of the component failures I've had were on the "processor or mapping of settings" types of gear I listed above.

In a pro/commercial setting I'd spec & install better power conditioning, for sure- this is an amateur home studio.

je