I think most gear, not just tube gear, benefits from being 'warm'. For whatever reason. I also think an hour is enough.

The other thing I wonder about (and don't know the answer to) is re: capacitors. If a 'leaky' or 'shot' capacitor can cause a decrease in performance, is this brought on more quickly by:

1) Age only.
2) Being powered up whether in use or not.
3) In use.

Would be interesting to know the answer!

I really love the Tony Williams Lifetime album done there.
Check out Alan Holldsworth's "Mr. Spock".

Yes, it did burn down. Kevin Clock of Colorado Sound said the upstairs lit up and then came crashing down on the console.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

I know this has been a topic that I have heard many, many times and which there is not a real definitive answer for. For years I had advocated to leave equipment on but recently after seeing the insides of stuff that have been left on all the time versus stuff that was shut off when not in use, I warn you all unless you want to send your equipment to your local repair tech every few years ... shut off ALL heat producing equipment when not in use. If you feel it needs to warm up before use, turn it on 1 hour before the session. That is more than enough time for temperature to stablize.
Tony

This is a debatable one, but I think the fear on a lot of peoples part stops them from powering down at night, the 'what if it never comes back to life again?' question.

I think nearly all console manufacturers recommend keeping the power on 24/7 and for most studios with analog consoles this is the case. But there are several things to consider. The switchmode PSUs found in most consoles can have a variety of faults which will only show themselves when you power them on. So what happens is that you turn off a console that has been on for a year or more and it won't come back to life. However if you had turned it off regularly you would have spotted this and dealt with it. Here's a few scenarios, only one of which is 'safe'

Equipment on + aircon failure = overheated equipment, reduced life expectancy

Equipment off + aircon on = too much cooling and as such condensation when powered up again. Do you turn off the aircon as well as the equipment?

Equipment on + aircon fault (leaking water on your desk) = Very bad (Check where you've got your vents, I've seen a few consoles that have suffered from this)

Dusty, poorly maintained equipment permanently on = fire risk (don't forget that you are MUCH less likely to service it properly if its on all the time)

Unless you have complete faith in your aircon/ equipment I would say turn it off, and make sure you power on in good time before the session starts so there's no last minute panic.

i love the sound of tons of albums recorded at caribou, the drums in particular really stand out for me. anyone know what console they had there back in the early/mid 70's? what a tom sound...

cheers,

david

During sessions everything stays on, especially when mixing.

On a break between sessions, FX and comps get turned off. Console always on.

My drives have been on for two years, with a couple of short power offs when adding new computers, gear, etc.

Everything stays on all the time. I don't own any tube gear through right now, when I do use tube gear, it goes off.

When Digidesign had a problem with power supplies on their Control 24s, mine was one of the recalled units. But since I had it on for about a year, I never had a problem.

I turned it off one day, turned it back on, and got a horrendous buzz. "You probably didn't have any trouble because it was on all the time," said the tech at Digi.

PS....when is the last time you saw a light bulb go out unless you were turning it on?

When I go to sleep my gear comes to life and hides my socks, I tried to set up a hidden video camera so I could see where it hides them but I think they saw me setting it up. Better go, I think its listening..

its a good point with the AC. Ive never walked into an auditorium or studio that wasn't over-ACed. but for good reason. On a stage, the AC is always cranking out because of the lighting brings it up so many degrees. in a studio, yeah heat will kill the electronics.