is it safe to burn incense near a condenser microphone?

[kaotic]

i'm considering buying incense for my home... is it safe to burn them in the same room as the microphone?

or how about in a separate bedroom while leaving the door open (which will eventually travel into the room with the microphone)

[dgatwood]

Why do I feel like making a crack suggesting you quit smoking pot inside the house so you don't need the incense?

But seriously, no, burning anything near microphones is a bad idea. The particulates in the smoke have a tendency to tick to microphone diaphragms, forming a greasy film that damages the sound of the mics. There's a reason people selling mics emphasize that they were used in a non-smoking studio, and it's not just because the mics smell bad otherwise....

[kaotic]

yeah, i knew smoking near the mic was a no-go but i was hoping it might be different with incense.

and no, i'm not using it to mask the smell of weed, though that would have been a good trick back when i lived at home with my parents and got caught on a daily basis lol

i have a traditional fireplace in my apartment and i plan to get some incense as well so would you just recommend storing the mic in a case until the smoke has cleared?

[wreckd504]

Burn scented oil instead?

[gecko zzed]

dgatwood and the rest are right . . . eventually the particulate matter in airborne pollution will have a detrimental effect on your mike.

on the other hand . . . you need to think about what extra deterioration your incense is going to do in addition to the stuff already in the mike's environment.

i don't think you will do it a lot of harm, other than what it is going to get by just being in an ordinary environment.

[dualflip]

Originally Posted by dgatwood

Why do I feel like making a crack suggesting you quit smoking pot inside the house so you don't need the incense?

LMAO!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA

[dgatwood]

Originally Posted by dualflip

LMAO!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA

Is it bad that this is the first place my mind went? You know you've been in California too long when....

My advice would be to just keep the thing in a case except when you're using it. That's really probably a good idea in general even in the absence of added airborne contaminants.

I also am a fan of these:

OnStage QK2B Microphone Clip Quick Release
http://www.zzounds.com/item--MUPQK2

They're great for being able to quickly yank a mic clip/shock mount off a stand without spending too much time.