Home VO Studio Basics: Power UP(S)! – Tuesday Tech Tip

When last week’s article posted, a number of you expressed surprise that I didn’t already have any type of Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) hardware in place. As with many things, my power backup system grew organically while solving an entirely different problem. The power to our neighborhood has been pretty solid for the past several years, since PG&E (the utility company here in California) decided to run the local main power trunk line underground. 

Our main electricity issue has been keeping power to our refrigerator during the fire season. California has been subjected to general preemptive power shutdowns when dry conditions and high winds occur. In those conditions, PG&E simply throws the switch and stops sending power down distribution lines in certain areas. They would at least give us some warning, providing time to wheel out the generator and rig up connections. That allowed me to continue recording and working in the studio. 

But do you get a warning before the lights go out?

With unanticipated power outages, the issue is not the presence of a backup system. Rather, the key is how quickly you can switch over to it. When teaching a remote class or in a live session, if power goes out I simply disappear with no explanation or warning. Under the best of circumstances, it takes about 15 minutes to rig up the generator and restart everything before I can reconnect. While not a particularly large chunk of time in the scheme of things, it nevertheless is significant when the clock is running and no one knows what happened.

So, I finally invested in a solid UPS for the studio. It’s kind of a hard check to write, as most of the time it isn’t needed. The real challenge was not simply operating without electricity as much as continuing to work seamlessly when power goes out. With realtime sessions that shouldn’t be an uncontrolled variable. 

Good Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) units for the home voiceover studio

I’ve had good results over the years with the APC models. All of these models have strong surge suppression and supply consistent power to anything attached. Sinewave models are a better way to go if you have medical equipment attached, or equipment with motors. Since laptops convert the AC to DC, it’s not really necessary. I ended up going with the Cyberpower 1500VA model, which should give me around 2 hours of operation with everything attached. It’s silent and only adds a low key illuminated “on” light while connected to AC, and there’s a slight tone when running off battery power.

Some Recommended Models

Cyberpower 1500VA – https://amzn.to/3FHn29L
APC 1500 VA Sinewave – https://amzn.to/3l9IaOV
APC 1500VA (not Sinewave) – https://amzn.to/3ZR6gwG

New gear means rerouting some wires

When the Cyberpower unit arrived, I realized that it would have cascading effects. I’d set up my power distribution to be nicely separated from my audio cables, but placing the UPS in the easiest location created just a slightly noticeable amount of field interference. That meant pulling everything (booth included) away from the wall so I could reroute all the electrical to the other side of the room. It was certainly a bit of a pain, but now power delivery is even more strictly isolated from my audio cables. 

Another benefit is that a good quality UPS provides more consistent power to any attached devices, which should help to protect studio gear. Reading the manual, I even found that the “No Power” alert tone (which was pretty loud) could be muted so it wouldn’t impact a live recording. 

Power considerations for your home voiceover recording setup

When considering how to set up a UPS system, it’s helpful to take into account all the devices you will need to operate. That includes your modem and any active internet switches you may be using, as well as computer and needed lighting. These UPS models have a lot of outlets to cover most needs. 

Again, a simpler studio setup can work to our advantage. Anything like a separate boutique preamp or additional input gear must also be powered. The more equipment connected to a UPS means you have less runtime on the battery.

Why is “always on” important?

We’ve all felt things shift over the past few years. Any home voiceover recording setup is expected to perform more like a professional studio. Things like uninterruptible power, always-on connections, and redundant backup systems start to matter more. While it’s wonderful to travel out to a studio and have others manage the logistics of connection and engineering, that’s happening less frequently. Investing in a setup that is always reliably available becomes another key part of being a voiceover professional. 

Key operational tenets such as high quality audio and “quiet on demand” for live sessions have become expected. Robust and reliable operation lets clients rely upon us. 

We don’t have to be prepared for all natural disasters – there’s a limit to how much we can control. But if simple power outages happen – and they generally do – then having a plan to deal with that becomes another way to distinguish our voiceover operation as a professional business, rather than just throwing up our hands and giving in to circumstances. 

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