In which order should you power up your hardware components?

To ensure proper power sequencing and to protect your hardware, it's essential to follow a specific order when powering on your components. Starting with all equipment powered down and then powering on external hard drives first is the correct approach. External hard drives can sometimes take a moment to initialize and become ready for use, and turning them on first ensures they are recognized by the system before any data transfer begins. Once the external drives are powered and operational, you can then proceed to power on the audio interface and the computer, allowing the system to recognize all devices connected to it.

Following this order helps prevent issues such as data loss or hardware damage that may occur if devices are incorrectly powered up in a different sequence, thereby ensuring a smooth startup process for your audio production setup.