Recording systems are now so good that even some free software packages can be used to make release-quality recordings, if used properly. This makes the distinction between consumer and professional products difficult to pin down, but there is a difference, mainly to do with reliability and controllability. Although I know this will probably elicit less than positive responses from some manufacturers — and I am speaking very generally here — one way you can tell if a piece of gear is truly professional is to see if the word 'professional' is printed on the front panel. If it says professional on the box, there's a pretty good chance that the item in question isn't professional. Confusing, isn't it? How many times have you seen an SSL console, a Neve preamp or a Neumann microphone with the word 'professional' printed on it? I rest my case.
Mass-market gear can often work brilliantly, but one aspect of creeping consumerism that I remain wary of is the external power adaptor. If these are designed properly, there is no reason why they should compromise performance, though many are re-badged generic products clearly built to a price. Real problems can arise when the PSU in question isn't clearly labelled to correspond with the piece of equipment it belongs to. Although many PSUs have physically compatible connectors, they can output different voltages and have different polarities and different current-handling capacities. Plug the wrong one in and you may trash a piece of valuable equipment, as I have done at least twice in the past decade. My current solution is to label each of my PSUs using one of those neat little labelling machines, but the manufacturers should really be doing this for us. Things get worse when you use such equipment live: all that stands between you and a ruined show is somebody tripping over the rather flimsy cable that connects your pedal or mixer to the nearest mains power socket.
I can see why external PSUs are attractive to manufacturers, as they simplify verification processes such as CE approval and allow the same piece of gear to be sold into different markets with different mains voltages (they only have to ship a different power supply). However, to have any pretensions of being suitable for professional use, they should be properly designed with locking connectors and chunky, rugged cables.
Another thing that puzzles me is why these external PSUs don't provide a ground connection to the piece of gear they are powering. Some will say that having no ground is a benefit, as it helps avoid ground-loop hum, but recently a problem became apparent when I used a well-known portable amplifier at a band rehearsal. The amp in question runs from batteries or an external PSU and can be used with a vocal mic. However, if you run it from the PSU its 'ground' charges up to quite a high voltage, as there is no earth cable to keep it tied down, and if you happen to touch your lips to a connected microphone while holding a grounded guitar, you get a noticeable shock. This isn't dangerous — it's just an electrostatic charge, the same as you might get from walking on a nylon carpet in dry weather — but it is very unwelcome nevertheless.
What this all comes down to is that, in my opinion at least, if one area of our industry needs 'professionalising', it is the humble wall-wart/carpet-carbuncle power supply. Just don't put 'professional' on it, or I won't be able to take it seriously!
Paul White Editor In Chief