VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

ronphi · Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 7:54 pm Post subject: Microphone care

My only previous experience with microphones is back in the day when I was doing audio for TV stations. The booth mics were RCA 77Ds and just sat in the booth. The field mics were rugged 635's, RE10's, RE15's, etc. You could pound nails with them. Condenser mics are much more delicate. Since I'm not behind the mic all day I don't know if I should leave it out or put it back in the pouch when not in use. If I leave it out should I cover it? Thought about a plastic bag but I don't know about condensation. Thought about slipping an old sock over it but I don't want to get lint in it. Am I just being silly or is there a rule of thumb for protecting microphones?
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Yoda117 · Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 8:58 pm Post subject:

For the most part, keep them away from excessive environmental factors, smoke and dust can be real killers.

Other than that, I just follow the directions from the manufacturer... seems to be working thus far Smile

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Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 9:26 pm Post subject:

I'm super-protective. I take it off the stand when not in use and put it in the padded bag it came with. Inside the bag or those little silicon packets that absorb excess moisture.

Probably way overkill, I know, since the act of unplugging it is probably causing more harm than any minor moisture in the air.
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asnively · Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 10:39 pm Post subject:

I use my main mic too often to be bothered with taking off and on. And I have to be ready to record every morning at 7:00am. So I just over mine with a plastic bag before I go to bed. Do you think that's ok?
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Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 12:26 am Post subject:

The only thing I would wonder with a plastic bag is how much moisture it might trap in.

Think of the greenhouse effect when you cover a plant...
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asnively · Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 12:39 am Post subject:

I think about that, too, but it's a small plastic grocery bag, unsealed, not air-tight. It's just acting as a dust cover. And I live in Los Angeles where it's quite dry... I didn't want to use cotton 'coz of lint.

I've been doing it this way for a couple of years, so I'm either OK or I'm going to have a lot of trouble very soon...
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donrandall · Guest

I don't do anything. I am sure that is all wrong and I will pay the price in thirty or forty years, then I'll really regret it.

allensco · Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 7:40 pm Post subject:

I cover mine with a lint-free cloth. I don't take it off the stand as I fear I may drop it and that wouldn't bode well for me OR the mic Wink

Deirdre · Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 8:21 pm Post subject:

I leave both mics up and plugged in, ready to whisper into or shout at depending on the job.
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Donovan · Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 8:44 pm Post subject:

I leave both [ears of significant other] up and plugged in, ready to whisper into or shout at depending on the [situation].

Back on topic...I leave my mic in my studio [walk-in closet] uncovered. Just never saw any studio (of the 4 I've been in) do anything different, even after reg. business hours.
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asnively · Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:14 pm Post subject:

I probably wouldn't cover mine (and didn't when I lived near the beach) if it weren't for the fact that every surface of this house is perpetually buried under a blanket of dust. It makes me worry about my mics. I Swiffer constantly. There must be something about this part of the Valley, 'coz my neighbors have the same problem.

I should ask them if they cover their microphones... Wink

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billelder · Guest

Like Deirdre, I use my mics all the time. Maybe it's when they sit dormant and untouched that the dust is an issue.
I have a friend who bought an Electro Voice PL20 on E-bay. This PL 20 had to be reworked by Electro Voice because it was a radio station mic always outdoors on a beach to capture the "waves." <g> I think that's pretty "hardcore" use of a mic.

(The PL was the original mic designed for bass drums. I've been told that when radio stations started using them Electro Voice made them silver, renamed them RE 20 and charged more money.)

Deirdre · Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:44 am Post subject:

Yep.

Same mic, different case.
Bass drum mic-- great for that boss radio sound.
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