Dirty Diaphram...

[Slowjett]

Hello,

I just recieved a 2nd hand mic. Upon openin the chassis to inspec the mic, I noticed the diaphram has crud on it =[ I havent even tried it yet. Who knows, the crud could enhance the character... lol. I should really try this mic befor assuming its going to have a degraded sound quality.. Anyway is there anywhere I could send it to have it cleaned (russia's a long way)? My assumtion is that there was no pop filter used. On the good side. The mic was very well packaged, the guy was good to deal with, and the mic was quickly shipped. Oh and the price was right.

mkl-2500

Josh

 

[valverec]

It's probably not a big deal. You should test out the mic and see what it sounds like before you do anything. Unless the mic is worth a lot of money, cleaning it will probably not be a good idea. I would not recommend that ANYONE attempt to clean a capsule. They are extremely delicate and are ruined quite easily. I had a friend that put rubbing alcohol on a capsule for a Rode NT1 once. He totally destroyed the capsule and rendered the mic useless.

I've heard some people suggest compressed air, but I think that's a recipe for disaster as well.

Again, a lot of mics have some crud on the capsule and work just fine.

 

[lucky13]

Another reason controlling the environment in your studio is important. That mic probably came from a smoker. Cigarette smoke builds up a residue after time, that's why the walls in smokers houses are kinda dull in color. I'm a smoker, but when I put my studio in, I started smoking outside. Another good thing to do is always put your mics in their sleeves/cases when you're not using them. This will help protect them from dust and other airborne particles.