How are we storing and caring for our mics?

  • Thread starter Thread starter darrin_h2000
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darrin_h2000

darrin_h2000

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Reading in some of the threads here Ive seen posts saying that some of our mics have "Died"...and it makes me wonder about this.

My cousin is a "newb"...but has a good $20,000 invested in his new studio seems a bit wreckless with his Soundelux (he just leaves it on the stand all the time...he never puts it away)...so Ill bet some of us are not taking proper care of our mics too.

I keep mine in a sealed gun case packed in foam with a dissectant pouch whenever they are not in use.
 
I keep mine in their pouches with a dessicant pak in a drawer. I'm not that anal about my dynamics but I keep em covered when they're on the stands. Like maybe just an open mic pouch over top of em or a Crown Royal bag. Somethin to keep the moisture off.
 
I keep all my mics on their own stands in a ziploc bag. Just zip and unzip the bottom. Its fast, easy and cheap.
 
I normally have one condensor on a stand in my vocal booth set up ready to go.......but I do keep a palstic zip lock bag over it when not recording. Which condensor depends on which project is coming up or which project just ended.

The rest of the mics are grouped in a few sealed plastic containers (dynamics seperate from SDC seperate from LDC) - each container has a dessicant pack inside. The contaners are stored on shelves in a cabinet.
 
darrin_h2000 said:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=24981-16878-60132&lpage=none

This is a nice case for cheap...and you can get some foam and layer the case cheaply...disectant pouches seem to come in boxes of just about everything we buy nowdays...so be sure and keep them.
Click to expand...

It already has block foam in the bottom half. Just flip the tool part around and use it for holding smaller SDCs. Put a couple of foam blocks in the back to space it out from the top of the case. You're done.
 
I'm not recommending this, but I use two metal-ish boxes I got at Guitar Center that were intended for storing albums for use by a DJ - I keep the mics in pouches or bags or small plastic boxes, as the case may be, with desiccant, and then arrange them in layers in the boxes -- I have to be careful about what goes on bottom, because the collective weight of the mics above can add up - that's the drawback. So far no casualties, though.

I never leave them out on the stand, but that's just because I never leave a stand out - I have to construct and deconstruct my whole little pitiful studio each time I want to use it. I hope to change that over the next year, and then I'll probably leave my mics on stands, as long as you can't see them from outside (which might encourage a break-in :D )
 
Most of my mics came in hard cases with moulded foam, so that's where they live. The ones that didn't live in another hard case with hard foam that I've carved out to fit each one...a couple of SM94's, a few SM57's, an SM7b, a D112, an Audix D6 and an i5.

Frank
 
I only have two. I keep them on the stand. I keep the foam windscreens on them. In addition to 4 layers of fake fur. 1x rycote lavalier. 3x DIY, with some extra trimmings to pad the backside, on each mic. But mom's a smoker. And they're not mics that are frail. Or overly large/exposed.

Eventually I need to build some sort of framework for putting the windscreen fur further from the mics and creating a roof that is water proof (but covered in fur / dampened). It should provide a degree of all weather abilities. Without too much influence on the sound. I hope. And a foundation for proper shock mounts for when I get better mics.

But I'm not one for stock piling things. So if I'm not using it, it goes out the door. The foam will eventually degrade so I do occasionally take them off and blow off the dust. And my portion of Texas is quite arid, so no real humidity issues just yet for me(I don't record singers). When not in use for any duration, I put them back in their original box and the accessories that didn't come with the mics in a ziplock bag. When traveling I cover them with ziplock bags. But mainly to keep the fur from getting messed up, or the mics from rolling around much.
 
i got a brief case, put in foam blocks, and cut out the shapes...

works well, and looks swanky on the move ;)

houses the following

mxl990 (boo)
rode nt1a
sm81
sm81
sm7b
sm58
d112
 
I put the mics back in their boxes. I truly believe dust is a killer. I also cover my mixer, audio interface etc etc ...anything that can collect dust.
 
Thank you for this thread. It's making me rethink my mic storage. I only have one condenser mic, which I have regularly removed from the stand, and placed in the pouch it came in, and then placed it in a small storage box (like a photo box) with some of my cables/phones, etc. I have two Sennheiser dynamic mics that are just loose at the bottom of one such boxes, with other cables, etc.

Do I need to worry about the dynamic mics, or is the foam protection needed to protect the diaphragm in condenser mics?

p.s. I leave the shock mount/pop filter & cable on my mic stand, and it can easily be stored in a corner, so setup/takedown isn't a big deal.
 
Its not as nessessary for the dynamics to be protected as the condencers...but It doesnt hurt...I got another sealed case with a shure LDC and Im converting it over to a box for all the dynamics.
 
I use a tool case similar to Darren 2K with extra padding around the edges top & bottom with all the mics in the original bags with some added bubble packing. I use the tool tray in the top to hold reciepts, manuals and other notes and such and use the tool pouches to keep adapters, extra mic clips, batteries and other doo dads.
 
I've got a few Road Ready cases for whatever mics didn't come with flight cases or wooden boxes. All packed w/ dessicant. No mics get left out, except my talkback mic, which is expendable.-Richie
 
I've got a couple of aluminium cases in which I keep mikes when not in use, or when I'm taking them to a gig.

Most of the time there's usually two or three mikes sittting on stands around the place. I don't do anything special with them.
 
Richard Monroe said:
I've got a few Road Ready cases for whatever mics didn't come with flight cases or wooden boxes. All packed w/ dessicant. No mics get left out, except my talkback mic, which is expendable.-Richie
Click to expand...

Can you please explain the importance of storing with dessicant? Thanks.
 
prevents moisture from corroding the metal in the microphone.
 
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