How effective is a Power Conditioner at reducing buzz?

billrstuart

When i say buzz, I obviously mean the stuff that (I'm pretty sure) is a result of EMI, inconsistent mains power delivery, etc. For example there's a regular gentle click (an earth loop?) coming from the mic preamp AND the guitar amp (exactly the same click). Another thing is that when I'm recording and something else in the house is turned on I get things like a pop/click, more buzz, S/PDIF going out of sync causing horrible distortion, etc.

Here's one I'm considering: [1] http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/M8x2/reviews

TroutMask

billrstuart wrote: »

When i say buzz, I obviously mean the stuff that (I'm pretty sure) is a result of EMI, inconsistent mains power delivery, etc. For example there's a regular gentle click (an earth loop?) coming from the mic preamp AND the guitar amp (exactly the same click). Another thing is that when I'm recording and something else in the house is turned on I get things like a pop/click, more buzz, S/PDIF going out of sync causing horrible distortion, etc.

Here's one I'm considering: [1] http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/M8x2/reviews

that unit is 120 volts AC - you''ll have a pretty spectacular explosion on your hands if you plug that in here
There's not much those cheaper Furman conditioners - an inexpensive EMI RFI block on the way in and a pair of varistors strapped in there to protect against overvoltage. Sounds like you have mains trouble in your house. Earth loops usually present as hums - a click suggests something actuating in and out on that line. In any event, you don't want other stuff on the same line as your studio gear.

madtheory

Trout mask speaks the truth. Best thing is to find out what's causing it. If you're in the countryside, it could be an electric fence on the same spur (or phase) as your gear. So find out what's hooked up on your line.

Failing that, you can use a voltmeter connected to a coil of wire to locate the direction of the click.

Power conditioners are almost always useless on 240V. They're an American thing because their lower voltage system has a poorer SNR, so to speak. Always best to fix the cause, not the symptoms.

TroutMask

Thanks Madtheory

here's a great article on studio power by a know guru. Most of your problems will be coming from your mains installation:

http://mixonline.com/studios/design/mix-interview-arthur-kelm/