Home Studio Earthquake Checkup?

[jon]

Hello,

If you live in the southern & northern west part of California or somewhere where there is turbulent unpredictable seismic activity then this question is posted for you.

Every once in a while I think about a quakes effect on my little home studio. What are some basic rules that you, home and commercial pro studio users follow when it comes to securing your gear. As a professional who works at home my studio is on a budget. For example I have to sit a mixer next to a rack with a rack on top of that rack (ugh!). The big monitors have another monitor sitting on top for easy access to listening. A few of my tables are those heavy duty fold up jobs and are sturdy but not without fault. Not pretty though it works great and everything is accessible and does the job but changes are needed just incase.

Thoughts or experience or some things you folks out there do to make everything safe and secure?

[jon]

I always say when there is rather zero interest in a post then the topic must have small impact on multiple users. Therefore maybe I should just keep things that are placed high up and move them down or secure them better or just not worry about the odds of it maybe happening and it's effects.

[twistedtom]

My wife's cousen lost about $150K or more in gear to an earthquake in LA. He was uninsured.

[dynamix]

An old girl friend who owned a photography studio on Ventura Blvd. went bankrupt after the North Ridge Quake. The whole place was wrecked. Tons o stuff destroyed.

No insurance...

Still, she loves LA and refused to leave.

[qo]

Jon, thanks for raising this topic. This is something I've thought about, but never acted on. And, you've reminded me that I really need to get with the program

RealTraps line each wall of the control room and these are precariously balanced on boards that line each wall about 3 feet high. In a quake, these WILL topple and fall on the console. Too, a pair of HR824's would bounce off their stands and, likely, also smash into the console. The monitors should be relatively easy to fasten to the stands using e.g. flat nylon cord and locks similar to what is found on backpacks.

I haven't a clue for fastening the RealTraps since I can't mess with the walls (I rent). I'm thinking about maybe buying four lighting tressels, circumscribing the control room with these, and then hanging the RealTraps from them. The tressels would form a 4-sided frame from which I could also suspend the monitors and from which other acoustic treatment could be added overhead. It'd have to be heavy-duty, for sure. Any thoughts on whether something like this would survive a reasonably strong quake? I've lived here for 7 years, but have only experienced one semi-moderate (5.5) quake.

Thanks!

qo

[Kubi]

Very good topic. I have my studio (mostly) quake-proofed. The speakers are secured to the very heavy, solid studio-desk via quake-straps for TVs. Most gear is rackmounted. The 23-inch LCD display is also strapped to the studio-desk. The TV monitor for film-playback is screwed and bolted into the ceiling's 2x4s. Smaller desk-top gear is put in place by that miraculous invention, quake-hold (a very sticky silly-putty type paste that olds things in place, yet comes off without leaving any residue. Very cool, next to duct tape the best multi-purpose tool, ever.) All shelving is strapped and screwed into the studs in the walls.

Most importantly, since the whole damn ceiling could cave in, or a water-main break and drench every piece of gear, or the gas main break and burn the whole place to the ground..: it's all insured.

[Timeline]

I say take out home owners earthquake insurance and make sure your best stuff is on the top of the rack and let er fly.


Collected 30G on the last one.