Mic Capsules and Moisture

[mentalattica]

Hello and Happy 4th to everyone!

I have a question regarding moisture and condenser mic capsules.
Has anyone been affected by this and what were some of the signs shown to diagnose this problem?

I understand the concept of moisture building up on the capsule and acting as a conductor, but wouldn't this affect other electronics as well as mics (not necessarily studio gear but regular consumer electronics phones etc..)?

Lastly are some mics prone to attracting moisture vs. others?
The reason I ask, is because I am back in the market for a LDC, and out of pure curiousity I would like to know.

 

[littledog]

Yes - it is more of a problem with condensers than dynamics.

Could manifest itself as distorted sound, or as intermittent clicks and pops.

Giving the mic a chance to "dry out" usually solves the problem.

 

[BigRay]

http://groups.google.com/group/rec....damage+mic&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&safe=off&rnum=7

 

[kahuna]

http://groups.google.com/group/rec....damage+mic&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&safe=off&rnum=7

Useful link, thanks Ray.

 

[mentalattica]

Great link Ray, very informative. I've never attempted to open a mic nor clean a diaphram. Sounds kinda scary after reading that ...lol

 

[Gamelan]

Moisture can do all kinds of whacky things. I had an Oktava mc012 that sounded awful. There was a constant low rumble, as if someone had turned the low bass up to 11. Unuseable. I opened up the capsule and everything looked fine. So, not knowing what else to do, I put it in a plastic bag with a dessicant packet and forgot about it for about 6 months. When I pulled it out to see if there was some way to salvage the mic, it sounded fine. No more rumble. Apparently, there was some spit or whatever in there and it just needed to dry out.

 

[bubbagump]

This thread is a bit old, but I thought I would throw this in. I was stumbling through Meijer's the other day (Meijer is a Wal-Mart competitor in the mid-west) and I noticed this Meijer brand silica gel cat litter. Well, the cheap DIY bastard in me started to think..... silica gel is silica gel, right? So I bought a 4lb container of the unscented stuff. I popped it in the microwave when I got home to dry it out as you normally can with silica gel. 6 minutes later it had steamed off all the trapped vapor. I then put the silica in a used yogurt container and did the rubber band and panty hose thing (not THAT rubber band and panty hose thing ) to cover the top of the container. I then took a hygrometer and Tupperware container to test my hypothesis.... 1 hour later the humidity in the container had dropped from 65% to 30%. So for a whole crap load of dessicant that is reusable on the cheap ($6.99 for 4lbs versus $14 or $15 for special reusable dessicants from the hardware store or $5-8 for a dozen of the little crappy ones you get in suitcases.), check out that 100% silica gel cat litter. I am six weeks into this experiment and all is well according to the hygrometer. Beware as the "better" stuff has scent crystals and other junk in it that you don't want as I have no idea as to how reusable that stuff will be. The Meijer brand stuff listed ingredients as silica gel and water.

 

[Scottgman]

I've always been curious why radio people like Howard Stern or Imus use those high-dollar LDC mics without any pop filters. If I'm understanding the information BigRay provided, those big radio celebs probably have their mics maintained (cleaned and tested) on a fairly regular basis. I used to be scared about using my condensers without any protection from spit. Now, I'm not so scared anymore.