This might be the wrong forum for this, and if so, I apologize unreservedly.
I just picked up a Tripp Lite surge protector that offers noise suppression, and I'm wondering a few things.
1) Obviously, I'll plug any strictly audio equipment into the strip, but would it be a good idea to plug my PC into it as well? Would noise suppression on the PC help my recordings?
2) There are 6 outlets of Noise "Noise Suppression" and 4 outlets of "ENHANCED NOISE SUPPRESSION" (dum dum dum). Which pieces of equipment would most benefit for those extra dbs of noise suppression?
Noise suppression, noise suppression, whose got the noise suppression?
1) If you have a PCI audio card or anything that uses your PC's power supply - the answer is may be. Otherwise - probably no.
2) Those that are more noisy? Personally the only difference I've noticed from noise filtering was with monitors & guitar amps. But it all depends. Noise filtering in your units as far as I know refers to radio interference noise filtering, so if you have none then you don't need no filtering.
AC line noise is characterized by frequencies in the electrical waveform other than 60 hz. Most modern consumer electronics is designed to be minimally affected by AC line noise unless it is very very bad. If you live in a typical residential neighborhood your AC line should be pretty clean to begin with. If you live near a factory with large electric motors, however, it could be a problem.
Your computer power supply is highly regulated and filtered and it is designed to produce clean power for the digital innards of your computer. I doubt there would be an audible difference between plugging your CPU into a line filter but you should try it and see if you can hear an improvement.
As for your other equipment, there isn't really a general rule about which pieces would benefit from "enhanced" noise filtering because you can't predict which ones would be more susceptible than others. It would depend on the quality of their power supply and the internal filtering that the manufacturer designed into the power circuit.
About the only way to tell is to try different pieces in different outlets in the strip and see if you can hear any difference. Please let us know what you find out.
Right now, I do get some occasional RF interference when I record single coil pickups direct through a preamp. The problem with testing the different filters is the interference is indeed "occasional". But, when the power strip arrives, I'll let you know what I find.
If you are recording digitally the noise is probably coming from your instrument, your cable or your preamp. If you are using a direct box, try turning on the "ground lift" switch if there is one. Also if you have a multimeter, use it to check the continuity of the conductors in your cable. Make sure the ground conductor (Pin 1 in XLR's) is still intact. Check your instrument using another cable as well. If all of that fails get your guitar checked out by a tech.
If you have absolutely no idea what I am talking about... find someone who knows a little bit about electronics to help you out.
"It's the engineer's job to capture the moment. It's the Producer's job to manipulate the moment." --some guy at TapeOpCon
