Mics and coldness question.

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drummerboy_04AP

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Hi,

I ordered some mics, and they just came in, and I was wondering if I should let them warm up before pluggin them in, cuz I live in Upper Michigan, and its freezing. Just wondering if its a good idea, or if it doesnt matter.

Theyre dynamics and omni condensors.

Thanks!
 
As someone who uses DSLRs and telescopes outdoors in winter, I would NEVER open a condensor mic that was extremely cold indoors in a warm environment. If there's any real humidity in the air, any exposed surface in the mic (diaghragm) will immediately be coated with condensation.
 
billisa said:
As someone who uses DSLRs and telescopes outdoors in winter, I would NEVER open a condensor mic that was extremely cold indoors in a warm environment. If there's any real humidity in the air, any exposed surface in the mic (diaghragm) will immediately be coated with condensation.
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you think that is bad, try doing an expedition in central america while living on a ship. i mean, IMMEDIATELY upon leaving the air conditioned cabins, the almost always 100% humidity fogs the hell out of optics. it can take nearly an hour to clear. felt kind of weird leaving my cameras and binocs out in the hallway for obvious reasons, but almost everyone on the boat did it from necessity, and one of the folks who didnt had some kind of catastrophic failure of his digital SLR rig (about $1000).

so yeah, condensation is a beach.
a
 
toobalicious said:
you think that is bad, try doing an expedition in central america while living on a ship. i mean, IMMEDIATELY upon leaving the air conditioned cabins, the almost always 100% humidity fogs the hell out of optics. it can take nearly an hour to clear. so yeah, condensation is a beach.
a
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Handy tip #765.3 NEVER change lenses until the camera reaches equilibrium with the ambient temp. Otherwise the interior mirror, CCD, shutter, etc, all get a nice coating of water...
 
Is it true that if you record in warmer temps ...

.. that your mixes will come out sounding "warmer?"
 
Daisy said:
Is it true that if you record in warmer temps ...

.. that your mixes will come out sounding "warmer?"
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Obviously...

Don't turn it up too much though, this is known as "recording too hot" and it will sound crappy.
 
maybe not the right place for it, but all my gear is in a cold garage,

i store the mics in their boxes with silica etc, but lately i've noticed that the outside of my mackies are coated with moisture every morning.

nothing else is damp (not even the other speakers) so im assuming its to do with the mackies heating up, but i was wandering if theres an obvious solution to this.

are covers worth having?
or will the moisture still get in?

thanks in advance.
 
Steenamaroo said:
all my gear is in a cold garage ......

... the outside of my mackies are coated with moisture every morning.

.... i was wandering if theres an obvious solution to this.
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Yes, there is. Don't store your valuable equipment in a cold, damp garage?

:D
 
Steenamaroo said:
maybe not the right place for it, but all my gear is in a cold garage,

i store the mics in their boxes with silica etc, but lately i've noticed that the outside of my mackies are coated with moisture every morning.

nothing else is damp (not even the other speakers) so im assuming its to do with the mackies heating up, but i was wandering if theres an obvious solution to this.

are covers worth having?
or will the moisture still get in?

thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Some surfaces seem more susceptible to condensation than others. I would cover everything, and the condensation will tend to form on the cover, not what's inside. Cold storage isn't bad at all --- it's the warm up that has to be done right.
 
see,that's the thing i don't get. it never gets warm, at all. at least,,,not this time of year.

at the moment i've moved everything inside, but it's just not practical.

i'll maybe try some of those covers.
 
Steenamaroo said:
see,that's the thing i don't get. it never gets warm, at all. at least,,,not this time of year..
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It's not about warmth per se, it's about the dew point, the temperature at which water in the air begins to condense on exposed surfaces. You can have dew on the grass in fairly cold temperatures. Going from a lower to a higher temperature in Arizona would be much less likely to result in condensation than in Florida. Using my scope outside in winter, if the humidity in the air is high enough, sooner or later you wind up with condensation on the glass.

If taking everything in is impractical, just keep it covered in loose plastic that allows a bit of circulation. Don't seal things unless you can insert gel packs that remove moisture.
 
thanks for the reply there! i'll try that,

you reckon its not so much moisture circulating that's the problem, as, moisture settling on surfaces? kinda like dust?

i figured if i wrapped everything in loose plastic,, the moisture would still get in,,, but it sounds like it's worth a go now!

thanks again.
 
Steenamaroo said:
thanks for the reply there! i'll try that,

i figured if i wrapped everything in loose plastic,, the moisture would still get in,,, but it sounds like it's worth a go now!

thanks again.
Click to expand...

Moisture will get in, but if it does, you need to let it get out too.

If your area is prone to high humidity, then cold or warm, I wouldn't store gear in that environment. Ultimately it's the moisture, and changing temperature, that's the issue.

One other possibility is to pack/unpack your gear INSIDE the house, in dry conditions, using sealed containers for storage. If the containers (plastic bins), have a good seal, then you'll actually be storing your equipment in dry air.

Essentially, exposed surfaces are prone to condensation... Telescopes often have a "dew shield" which isn't actually a cover, but like a shade around the glass. This accessory alone can postpose dew forming on the front glass for quite a while...

People who HAVE to take a camera into a warm humid environment, after freezing outside, will put the camera into a zip-lock bag and seal it while still outside. It warms up still inside the bag (with dry air), and when it reaches room temperature, it's taken out of the bag, no condensation!
 
i do not have a problem with temps, as my space is climate controlled. it is, however, almost completely underground with a concrete slab as the floor base. damp basements are not uncommon in my area (NC), so i have a 40 qpd dehumidifier hardpiped to the plumbing. in wintertime, in comes on infrequently unless its raining. during the summer months, it runs approx 40-50% of the time. obviously, it gets shut off while recording.

the point? nice and dry down here!

a
 
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