Hi folks,

As I expand my modular setup, I'm running into some power questions. I have zero electronics background, thought I'd ask for some help.

For the sake of easy #s, let's assume a sizeable draft rack in Doepfer Monster 12u plus 6u base case, power needs calculated by MG as approximately: 6000 mA +12V | 3500 mA -12V | 0 mA 5V

Questions:

  1. how much of an electrical load will this present to my studio power circuit? From the above mA is it correct to assume 6 amps load from the modular any time it is on?

  2. power channels & circuits: I initially thought "I should put a larger electrical load on 2 different circuits if possible" so I plugged in one case in one outlet and another on a further away outlet. Yuk! Big problems with noise and other very strange behavior like frequency sidebands on a sequenced sine wave (which of course should have no sidebands). Talked with my normal guy at Patchwerks who said "oh yeah, you want all your audio powered on the same circuit, or you can have various strange problems." I don't understand the issues at hand here, but it boils down to: run all your audio stuff on one power circuit if possible, or spread it on different power circuits? I'm in a home basement in the US so I assume 15 amps per circuit in general.

  3. power regulation / conditioning: I have a ~$200 Furmann PL+C voltage regulator and conditioner, which has been decent. I wanted something to protect my studio gear and deliver "cleaner" power which would create less problems such as noise and electronics wear. But I'm not sure if my PL+C is up to the task of my current production + mixing setup? I know Furmann has a good reputation for quality, but I find their product literature baffling: I can't tell the practical performance differences between their $3600 box and their $200 box, both of which use the same marketing babble to describe their benefits. Any practical suggestions for power regulation for a production + mixing studio with ambitions of both quality output and longevity? I would invest in a new power solution if it is merited.

Thanks for your ideas and comments!

Nicholas