RightoOriginally Posted by Rocker
mucus ardour urban mr men turnip!
I must have phenominal tone then, all my gear lives in a cupboard and only gets plugged in when I use it!
Ye Olde Original MATHSBOY!!
Previously: A Near Jaded Heart
Post Count: 3,121
Sometimes Life Just Seems To Enjoy Kicking You In the Bollocks!!
IF this were true. Most major recording studios would be shut down on a regular basis to replug the whole setup.
Now probably some of the best ears in the business work in these studios and if it made a difference would ask for a studio to be replugged.
Try putting "What Hi-fi" away for a few months. Concentrate on the music and playing music and not on the equiptment.
My rig is build so I don't have to keep upplugging and replugging. Why should I waste my time doing so.
I don't unplug and replug any mains equipment in he studio but I do unplug and replug all the inserts on the desk and anything using a 1\4 line in. There's a very small point of contact on a 1\4 jack, it's a rubbish connector and I really wish the industry didn't use it. There's been many a time I've noticed one monitor is slightly quieter than the other and it's been down to the ouputs which are on 1\4 .
Surely when you unplug you'd clean the jack with some proper contact cleaner? Rather than just unplug and plug back in and expect the jack to be clean?
All of these anecdotal sound"improvements" share a common ommission, evidence.
The bollocks about various pre amp valves (op valves, different matter, a bit, but still applies.).
Never a voltage table.
Never a gain spec' before and after.
Never a downloadable set of A/B .wav clips (MP3 is bog useless for the purpose).
Yes, IF you have the "kit" the time and guys with the experience there are subtle differences between some pre amp valves (assuming that is that they don't hum like a cnut, hiss or behave like an SM58!) but just swopping one or two over in a garage between cans of whatever ain't going to tell you jack!
All my recording/repro' kit is permanetly plugged up and IF I find disturbing a jack changes anything it shows ME that the lead/plug/socket needs attention!
Dave.
Consider the design of a 1\4 jack, contact is made with sprung metal against a small portion of a round tubular shape. Your unlikely to unplug it and plug it back in on the same exact spot because it's round. So can you change the sound or the point of contact simply by unplugging it and plugging it back in, yes you can.
Also the abrasive action of removing and inserting it will also have an effect. If a socket is being troublesome then your right, contact cleaner will help but in general a quick in and out may do.
Any cable or socket has resistance in series and capacitance in paralell, so basically a primitive low pass filter. The effects of this are negligible if the cables designed right and all plugs and sockets are clean but in the real world with dust, smoke, oxegen etc it's a battle to keep everything working at 100% . Inserts on desks are always probmatic in this area. There's been a few times I've done just about every joint on a channel strip and the fault ended up being the insert. You also get this fault on guitar amp send \ return inserts as well.
None of my points relate to mains power and plugs as nothing in the studio runs on 240 AC ...... as long as the bridge rec, smoothing caps and regulators are working then even the cheapest design will be very tolerant of noisy mains .... cept maybe a massive SSL or similar and the biggest of amps
As usual with this type of thing, never any data or soundclips.
You just have to believe.........
maybe belief makes the music sound better - a bit like Heston Blumenthall says hearing yourself masticate can improve your sense of taste.
mucus ardour urban mr men turnip!
[QUOTE=Danny1969;794933]Consider the design of a 1\4 jack, contact is made with sprung metal against a small portion of a round tubular shape. Your unlikely to unplug it and plug it back in on the same exact spot because it's round. So can you change the sound or the point of contact simply by unplugging it and plugging it back in, yes you can.
Also the abrasive action of removing and inserting it will also have an effect. If a socket is being troublesome then your right, contact cleaner will help but in general a quick in and out may do.
As i generally use angled plugs, and usually have them point in 1 direction, then I'd say it more likely, in my situation that I'll be connecting to the same point. If I have a problematic socket, then I usually change the lead first, to make sure the lead is ok. I do clean my sockets with contact cleaner before I re-plug.
The only leads I use which arn't angled are the on into my guitar, and tuner pedal, and the 3 on the amp(input, FX send, FX return). Each time these get unplugged, I give them a quick clean.
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