What about Extreme Cold - Bad for Mics?

T

trew

New member
How cold must it get before a mic, any mic, starts to freak out?

Are certain types of mics, including ribbon mics, especially sensitive to cold?

Can a mic element freeze? Will it do permanent damage?

Is it better to leave everything (including monitors, preamps, recorder) in a very cold environment overnight, rather than moving them in and out of a warm room for the night?

I'm planning on doing some recording over the holidays. The only problem is: no heat in the recording room! It looks like it will be a cold one this year, so I need to know this kind of thing before exposing my precious mic collection to the bitter cold...any advice?

Thanks!
 
For most mics including condenser the minimum temperature when stored is about -20degrees celcius, and when used 0degrees celcius. Now I've never seen a mic at -20degrees celcius but I'm sure not going to experiment with mine.

I do leave the mics that are on moving productions in the flightcases in the truck. Overnight it gets really cold inside the truck (just a couple of degrees above freezing) I never had any problems with any of the equipment as long as I gave it enough time to aclimate before usage. The only problem I ever saw was the display of my o2R which needed an hour orso to be read. After that time the problem was gone.

Freezing will be no real problem as long as the humidity is not to high. best however is to be sure and not taking any risk. Take your best mic with you in bed.
 
Cold mics

Thanks, man.

I guess humidity is the main concern. The place I record is almost like being outside. No insulation to speak of, just protection from wind and a roof over me. But it sounds great.

As you might imagine, this means that when it's sub-freezing outside, it's sub-freezing inside, too.

One little problem w/ upgrading gear is the worry of keeping it all safe! My mic collection is just barely approaching a semi-respectable level, so I need to take care of them!!

It's weird, the cold seems to give the performances a little edge or intensity. But that's probably just imagined.

Have you ever left everything set up in the cold? Bad idea?
 
The place I record is almost like being outside
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I think leaving your gear stored or setup in such a place, you won't have to worry about humidity or cold, but you do have to worry about some Reindeer pissing all over your equipment.

If the place is so badly isolated, it's probably also so bad secured.

Were are you recording? Near Santa's house on the NorthPole ?
 
that cold edge

It's weird, the cold seems to give the performances a little edge or intensity. But that's probably just imagined.
Click to expand...

I don't think so, actually. The crisp / cold air distorts your voice and (guitar? or whatever) less than if it were say, 90 degress fahrenhight and 80% or more humidity. Also, I think the temp and humidity affects your microphones and speakers in more direct ways also, but it depends on their type and material composition and a bunch of other hard-to-quantify-factors unless you get out your slide-rule and all your owners manuals.

Of course being a cold performer probably helpps some too!

-Shaz
 
Downside, Yeah, the reindeer piss can be a problem sometimes, but I make the best of it by breaking off pieces after it freezes, and using them as ice cubes in my apple juice. Gives it a little zing. (Sorry, that's really disgusting) It's a barn, and funny you should mention deer, because there are a lot of them around. Don't worry, I have locks on the doors, one of the neighbors has a watchful eye and I'm always on the lookout as well (insomnia).

Shazukura, are you serious about the distortion comment? I'm trying to imagine why. Does cold air stay more still, allowing sound to pass more freely? Or is it more about less humidity in the air to get in the way? This is interesting.

Anyway, since Downside has experience in this area, I went ahead and braved the cold. It got down to below 30 degrees fahrenhight on one of the nights. I didn't leave the mics set up overnight, tho (For fear of deer piss). Seems like it went OK, although a couple of the dynamics seemed to sound a little different, maybe? I haven't dumped the tracks into my computer yet, but playback from the recorder in the barn seemed fine. I'll be able to tell when they're in my main rig with better monitors.

My other main concern was bringing the mics into the house for the night. I was worried about the cold-warm-cold transitions. I stored them in the coolest room in the house with moisture paks in the cases, and gave them plenty of time to acclimate before use. So far, so good.
 
it got really cold here the weekend before christmas and the heater in my studio was off (same thing with me...big building...no insulation...wood burning heater)... my little girl says "daddy, can i have this popsicle?" and i look around and she had my studio projects C-1 mic..LOL..i cut guitar tracks with it that night and it sounds good as ever. Im not gonna leave my stuff in that kind of cold anymore from now on though....just don't want to take any chances
 
I believe the ECM8000 can be used to measure temperature. I looks like that thing my mummie used to stick into my ass when I was a little kid.

Imagine a U87 being stuck up your ass !!!

OUCH
 
ouch

yep...that takes me back to my days in prison with my roommate...who said his name was Ben Dover
 
Hey-C'mon!

Geez, we were having a fine time with frozen reindeer piss, but with you it always has to be the "microphone-up-the-ass" thing.

If bathroom humor is a requirement, then let it be lemonade jokes ONLY on this thread! No fudgehole jokes!!

Microphones, no matter how low-end, are very serious business and precision instruments and your recommended uses of these delicate tools of the trade would be damaging, disgraceful, disgusting and just plain dumb.

No one, I repeat, NO ONE should attempt anything even remotely resembling one of Downside's suggestions of this kind.

And if you stupidly end up doing what he says to do, definitely DON'T report back with your findings!!!

Thanks a load.
 
non-scientific answer

I am not a scientist, and can't provide a nice scientific answer, but I think you can compare warm and cold nights (and their effect on sound-waves) to looking at the bottom of a pool of water; when the water is still it is distorting light, but you can see clearly what is at the bottom of the water; when the water is more active (or, in contrast, when it is warm outside, and there are more convection currents and such) you may be unable to identify something under the water (or a sound on a warm night will be more distorted.) The air around us is the "conductor" of the soundwaves our ears interpret as noises, but the quality of the conductor is not absolute. I hope that makes some sense.

One other point on the original topic -- extreme cold, or extreme temperature and/or humidity fluctuations, have a certain amount of wear-and-tear on *anything* let alone precision microphones. Excersize caution, and be aware that your mics are aging faster than they would in a controlled environment, regardless of how well they may operate under extreme conditions.

-Shaz
 
Shazakura-again, very interesting.

Light & water...sound & air.

I wonder how much these two relationships really have in common. Fun to think about anyway..

And thanks to your warning, you've influenced me to try next time w/ just a 57, a couple ECM8000's and a Beta52. Although the Beta52 just baaaaarely makes it on to the "won't break the bank if they bust" list.

I'll enjoy trying to squeeze out the best results possible, given these limitations. It might actually sound derned good, now that I think about it! Especially since it'll have "that cold edge". ;)
 
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