left my Fireface800 on for a week

[MarcusGHedwig]

Pardon my ignorance, but why in the FUCK would you want to let ANY gear on for an extended amount of time if it's not being used??!?? Just seems crazy to me.

Because every time you turn it on, there's a voltage spike that goes through all the components, which eventually can damage them

 

[bryan_kilco]

Because every time you turn it on, there's a voltage spike that goes through all the components, which eventually can damage them

Ok, understood....but....goddamn. Would you let your car on for a week at a time when not using it? I dont know....I think I'd personally feel more at ease knowing I don't have gear that is running when I'm not around.

 

[Ben Johnson]

Well, normally you wouldn't leave gear on for a week without using it (I wouldn't anyway).

But if you're coming back to a session in less than 8 hours, it's better to leave everything on.

 

[JeffTD]

Would you let your car on for a week at a time when not using it?

This is a really crappy analogy and you know it.

 

[ahjteam]

Just don't leave tube gear on, because they will generate a lot of heat and they usually shorten the tubes lifespan a lot.

 

[Bevosss]

I left mine on mostly for years...eventually it blew a power supply, although I can't say if that was a factor. Now I leave it on all the time in winter to heat the studio, and turn it off as much as I can in summer...it generates a lot of heat! Leaving it running while away in hot conditions could be risking fire I reckon.

I used to leave electronic gear on too believing it lasted longer, Danni from over at the Reaper forums dispelled that myth for me. She worked as a repair tech for years, and was adamant it was LENGTH OF TIME running that shortens the life of components and causes eventual failure.

Specifically, she said leaving gear running wears out resistors etc, and especially dries out electrolytic caps over time, which also happens in old amps. These then usually fail at startup under load, but they have degraded over time, and startup is the most stressful time for them.

I wish I could find that link because it was quite convincing, plenty of tech heads contributed, and Danni gave lots of real world failure examples to back up her view.

OT, leaving your computer running nonstop with a fan is asking for the same thing, especially if you don't vacuum the dust out at intervals. I still leave mine on mostly for convenience, but it's something to consider when it's getting older.

 

[John_C]

Every time this comes up I'm surprised. Here we just turn things off, it saves us money on our electricity bills and as far as i know we don't have disproportionate device failures.

 

[Benny H]

Since someone brought up the car analogy. Most taxi's run 24/7... they never get cold. I asked a driver how long they last (cause I was looking at buying the same model car), he said their life is about 500,000kms easy.

 

[Omega_Void]

...leaving gear running ... especially dries out electrolytic caps over time, which also happens in old amps. These then usually fail at startup under load, but they have degraded over time, and startup is the most stressful time for them.

This.

 

[AudioGeekZine]

An interface uses minimal electricity. Now that I have to pay for power I'm experimenting with turning off my monitors and PC overnight or if I'm out all day. If I wasn't paying I'd leave them on as I have for years before.

Most studios leave everything on. Anyone with a console keeps it powered up until it catches fire

 

[AD Chaos]

I leave my FF800 on for long periods of time as well- Not ALL the time, I turn everything off once I'm finished with the journey. The amount of heat on the top plate of the 800 used to scare the shit outta me at first, but I've been told it's a normal occurence (but please confirm this if you want).

Why do they put the fan on one side of a rack unit (instead of the back) is beyond me, btw

 

[Omega_Void]

Most studios leave everything on. Anyone with a console keeps it powered up until ...

Until it needs all the aluminium electrolytic caps replacing?

... until it catches fire

Oh, you're talking about desks with vintage tantalum caps?

I guess the problem in big studios is:

a) To switch everything individually on at the start of the day would take fucking ages

b) If you put it all on one switch the combined inrush currents would be outrageous

c) some gear needs to come up to a working temperature to get consistent sound, and may need a half-hour or more from switch-on before it can be used critically. That could bugger up the workflow.

a & b are less a concern for small setups. The reduction in electricity consumption and extended gear longevity IMO argues persuasively for powering down at the end of the working day, unless it makes c an issue.

But y'know, whatever...

 

[Eschatologist]

FWIW, I leave my Fireface 400 on constantly....can't remember the last time I turned it off

 

[Nebulous]

Global warming; one interface at a time