Decoy Studios applies SilentPower for its electrical noise solution in the studio

In home audio systems, whether the power source is clean or background noise often causes a lot of debate. But in a professional studio, where a series of computers, converters, tape machines, vintage preamps or devices using many different voltage levels operate together, electrical noise is a very real problem. A notable example is Decoy Studios in Suffolk, England, where many of SilentPower's products are being used to handle source noise, ground loops and power audio devices. SilentPower currently focuses on developing power and noise solutions for audio, with products designed and engineered in the UK.

Decoy is the recording and mixing studio of Cenzo Townshend, an engineer who has participated in mixing for U2, Snow Patrol, Florence & the Machine, George Ezra or Jake Bugg. The studio also works on many Dolby Atmos projects. With a large number of analog and digital devices operating at the same time, power management here does not just revolve around a single power filter but is divided into many solutions for each specific problem.

PowerStation takes care of the power source for the machine room

One of the first locations where Decoy put SilentPower equipment into use was the machine room, where computers, AD/DA converters and tape machines gathered. These devices have quite different operating characteristics. Computers and converters use multiple switching sources, while tape machines have motors and electromechanical components that can send noise back to the common power line. When all are powered from the same system, interference from one device has the potential to affect other devices.

Here, Decoy uses SilentPower PowerStation, with the studio team noting that the sockets are isolated from each other. According to SilentPower, PowerStation combines Active Noise Cancellation and Intelligent Ground to reduce RFI, EMI as well as limit transmission interference between devices sharing power. Madison, Senior Studio Engineer at Decoy, said this layout helps the studio maintain a lower noise floor and create a more stable source environment for the converters – an especially important factor in recording and mixing systems with many digital devices.

Twitter deals with buzzing noise from vintage analog devices

Another story comes from Decoy's vintage analog equipment. The studio owns many 110V American equipment, including Pultec EQ, Universal Audio compressor and Ampex preamp. For use in the UK, they need to go through voltage transfer transformers. This is also where a fairly familiar problem appears: the transformer can vibrate and emit a mechanical hum when the AC power line has an unwanted DC component. In a home listening room, this buzzing noise may just be annoying. But in the studio, a transformer that emits noise near the microphone is completely capable of entering the recording.

Decoy handled that by placing SilentPower DC Blockers in several locations to limit the DC component entering the transformer. According to the studio team's experience, this solution helps reduce vibration and mechanical hum from the transformers being used in the recording area. The notable point here is that DC Blocker is not used to "clean" the entire system, but rather addresses a specific problem occurring with a group of analog devices and voltage transformers.

GND Defender handles the ground loop

Another common problem in large sound systems is ground loops. This phenomenon occurs when two or more devices are grounded but an unwanted electrical path is formed between them, which can create buzzing or noise in the system.

According to SilentPower, the device is capable of identifying ground loops and handling ground connections without simply disconnecting the safety earth. When a condition that may affect electrical safety is detected, the protective ground shall be maintained or restored. This point is quite important, because a common way to handle buzzing noise is to disconnect the device's ground line. This approach can sometimes reduce noise, but at the same time there is a risk of losing the protection function when an electrical leak occurs. With Decoy, GND Defender therefore acts as a troubleshooting tool when the system suddenly appears buzzing, instead of being a device that must be permanently installed in all configurations.

iPower Elite for more sensitive devices

On a smaller scale, Decoy also uses iPower Elite for some devices that require separate DC power.

Some other power supplies are used with "floating" Neve preamps - meaning the preamps are not fixed in one room but are regularly moved to different areas depending on the session. In this case, the advantage of the iPower Elite lies not only in its low noise level, but also in its small size and its ability to supply 24V power suitable for devices on the go. According to Decoy, these power supplies also help avoid hum or buzz phenomena that the studio has encountered with some other external sources.

Each power source problem requires a different solution

The most interesting point in Decoy's case study is probably not how many SilentPower devices the studio uses, but how they are placed in very different locations. PowerStation handles the machine room's common power environment. DC Blocker targets mechanical transformer hum. GND Defender is used when a ground loop appears during setup, while iPower Elite takes care of DC power for sensitive or frequently moved devices. In other words, Decoy doesn't approach the problem like "add a source filter to make it sound better", but first determines the source of each type of noise and then chooses how to handle it. This is probably also a point that home audio players can refer to. If the system has hum, buzz or noise, the first thing to do is not to replace the entire power cord or add a series of accessories, but to determine whether the problem comes from the transformer, ground, switching power or the external power supply of the device itself. Decoy Studios' case study doesn't show that every system needs the same set of solutions, but it does illustrate one thing quite clearly: as the number of devices increases, power management and finding the right source of interference is always more important than simply adding a power filtering device.