Power question - Power Conditioners?

[Brow]

Hey guys.

My band has recently started rehearsing in an unused room of a local pub.

I set my pedalboard and amp (Orange AD30 head and 4x12 cab) up as normal, but as soon as I switched the amp on, and cranked it to any sort of usable volume, it made a loud continuous noise that was a cross between a hum and a buzz. The amp did this no matter where I stood in the room, so I know it's not due to my being stood too close to the amp etc.

I tried the amp at home today with the same guitar etc, and the noise wasn't there at all!

I'm assuming the noise was due to a bad power supply in the room at the pub? Otherwise the amp would make the same noise when I used it at home if it was anything else right?

Also, if it is the bad power in the pub that's causing this noise, is it dangerous to my amp, and would something like a Power Conditioner be of any use in this situation?

Can anyone recommend a Power Conditioner that I should get (if it'll help), as it's not an item of gear I have any experience with.

Thanx for any help.

Craig

 

[Brow]

Re: Power question - Power Conditioners?

*bump*

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Power question - Power Conditioners?

Brow, you're pretty much stroked unless the club owner will have a look see into that buildings juice. Honestly, a conditioner probably wont help.

The problem is most likely one of two things. Either the circuit you are drawing from has motors or flourescent lights also drawing current which will make amps hum or the circuit you are drawing from has either a bad ground or low voltage.

My house is terribly noisey when it comes to amps and gear in general. The local electric crew came out and cleaned up the connections outside at the house and that helped for a short time and then the noise came back again. Before they corrected the problem the first time I actually lost power to one side of my panel box because the connections were so bad.

Conditioners are good for minor interference and surges but they don't help with noisey pub juice.

 

[Brow]

Re: Power question - Power Conditioners?

Hey Robert, thanx for your post.

Thinking about it, the room does have 2 or 3 flourescent strip lights in it. That didn't enter my mind until you mentioned it :smack:

The drummer in the band is a trainee Electrician, and he mentioned having a word with the landlord as regards the power in the room.

Maybe I'll just wait and see if anything gets worked out there before I go spending money I haven't got on things i don't need

Craig

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Power question - Power Conditioners?

This is why I swear by the ISP Decimator. Very often I never need that pedal when I'm at home, but out on a gig is a different story. Noise suppression helps in a big way when you're dealing with clubs and bars.

A power conditioner is always a good idea even if it doesn't work to the level of efficiency you're expecting. I use a Monster Cable power strip and it regulates voltage coming in and can also monitor to see if I have any grounding issues. It has become pretty useful to me, perhaps it would be for you too.

 

[Brow]

Re: Power question - Power Conditioners?

This is why I swear by the ISP Decimator. Very often I never need that pedal when I'm at home, but out on a gig is a different story. Noise suppression helps in a big way when you're dealing with clubs and bars.

A power conditioner is always a good idea even if it doesn't work to the level of efficiency you're expecting. I use a Monster Cable power strip and it regulates voltage coming in and can also monitor to see if I have any grounding issues. It has become pretty useful to me, perhaps it would be for you too.

Thanx for your post

I've got a few products to look into that may help me with my problems. If not, it'll be good to have something for when I'm out gigging with my band, because you never know what the power will be like

 

[RW James]

Re: Power question - Power Conditioners?

All the above is good advice... but I would like to add that I am a firm believer in power conditioners. I own two Furman units - only $40 and they have paid for themselves. Around here we get a lot of power spikes that could wipe out my equipment.

Also, there very well may be something in the area of the pub that is broadcasting some form of RF that your guitar (which is a wonderful antenna) is picking up.

 

[Brow]

Re: Power question - Power Conditioners?

All the above is good advice... but I would like to add that I am a firm believer in power conditioners. I own two Furman units - only $40 and they have paid for themselves. Around here we get a lot of power spikes that could wipe out my equipment.

Also, there very well may be something in the area of the pub that is broadcasting some form of RF that your guitar (which is a wonderful antenna) is picking up.

Thanx for the info.

When I HOPEFULLY sell my pickups through the Trading Room or Ebay, that'll free up some cash for me to buy a Power Conditioner etc

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Power question - Power Conditioners?

Yeah don't get me wrong, I have several power conditioners. I have one in my Mesa rack, one that handles the juice for my ProTools rig and another across the rack stuff in my vocal chain. They are great to have and they do protect your gear.

I use the gate in my G Major inserted between my Triaxis and 2:90 to kill stage noise at idle. Most places I play in have better juice than my home but I keep the gate on just in case.

 

[Lava Man]

Re: Power question - Power Conditioners?

Furman makes good stuff and there are others out there too. I made my own for awhile. I also started making my own AC power cord - it's double shielded and I lift the shield on the amp so line ground noise does not make it to my amp...it helped at the blues jam I go to every that's full of flourescent lighting...

 

[Imp]

Re: Power question - Power Conditioners?

you're not gonna get anywhere as long as those flourescent lights are running! what about turning them off, and bringing a couple of lamps?

next time you're there, fire the amp up and turn off the lights.. this should do it if there arent any more in close proximity!

tom

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Power question - Power Conditioners?

A little off-topic, but doesn't a surge protector protect your electronics against spikes in line voltage? I know that a power conditioner provides power filtering so that you don't get noise and too much variation of current, but I thought that for protecting your stuff a surge protector was sufficient.

 

[Imp]

Re: Power question - Power Conditioners?

yep, you're right - the problem brow's having is excessive noise though.. dont most power conditioners come with a surge protector anyway?

i think your problem is interference affecting the amp's circuit - much like when someone leaves a mobile sitting on their amp!

tom

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: Power question - Power Conditioners?

A little off-topic, but doesn't a surge protector protect your electronics against spikes in line voltage? I know that a power conditioner provides power filtering so that you don't get noise and too much variation of current, but I thought that for protecting your stuff a surge protector was sufficient.

A surge protector acts like a circuit breaker, though, so when it does its job the power gets shut off. If you can filter the spikes out and smooth the voltage back to an acceptable level you are much better off than just killing power to the device - especially if you're in the middle of a gig. That's why power conditioners are more expensive than the little surge protectors you buy at Walmart.

A good venue would take care of things on the front end where it would never be a problem, though you'll almost NEVER find a place like that.