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detuned6
Metal dude
Ive noticed in the classifieds when someone is selling a mic they mention "used in a smoke free studio". Is smoke bad for microphones? What harm does smoke cause on mics?
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bizarre
New member
smoke cause harm on every little electronic gadget you have. It leaves a greasy trace ( this is said in lack of the right words - hope you get the idea ) further more you can smell if the microphone has been used by a smoker, the non smoking singers I have worked with has always complained 'bout this - I wouldn't know as I smoke heavily myself
bizz
bizz
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TimOBrien
New member
Have a smoker pull in a big drag and then blow out thru a tissue or cloth. Take a good look at the big sticky stain and then ask yourself if you want that on your mic (or your lungs)........
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Gargamel
New member
This reminds me of the Topol Smokers Toothpaste Commercial
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Mark H.
New member
I recently purchased a second-hand tube mic from a dealer on eBay that turned out to be a pawn shop in Nashville. The entire package reeked of cigarette smoke, including the box and packing materials it was shipped in. The mic is fine and lost any trace of smell within a couple of days, but the foam inside the protective box that the mic comes in still smells like the mens room in a bar. I now know why "non-smoking home studio" is a selling point for used mics. I've got the foam liner in my car, trying to bake the smell out of it, hoping I don't just have to throw it away.
Generally, smoke isn't going to hurt a mic (although what others have noted above is certainly true). It's mostly just the aesthetics, especially for a vocal mic, which is going to be right under your nose. I suspect a lot depends on whether your state has outlawed smoking in public places (yet); if you perform in a venue that allows smoking, chances are everything you own will smell the same.
I can't believe I used to smoke....
Mark H.
Generally, smoke isn't going to hurt a mic (although what others have noted above is certainly true). It's mostly just the aesthetics, especially for a vocal mic, which is going to be right under your nose. I suspect a lot depends on whether your state has outlawed smoking in public places (yet); if you perform in a venue that allows smoking, chances are everything you own will smell the same.
I can't believe I used to smoke....
Mark H.
pchorman
New member
not a mic, but....
my only pawn shop purchase was an acoustic 12-string that had high mileage in smokey clubs and probably the original owner's smokey house. For one, the guitar case had to be thrown away because it stunk so badly and the guitar itself had to be polished repeatedly to eventually rid the stench. Over the course of many months the stink eventually faded. I can't imagine if that were a mic under my nose. This is really noticeable for non-smokers.
my only pawn shop purchase was an acoustic 12-string that had high mileage in smokey clubs and probably the original owner's smokey house. For one, the guitar case had to be thrown away because it stunk so badly and the guitar itself had to be polished repeatedly to eventually rid the stench. Over the course of many months the stink eventually faded. I can't imagine if that were a mic under my nose. This is really noticeable for non-smokers.
alanhyatt
PMI Audio Group
Actually smoke will hurt a mics performance. Once the residue sticks on the diaphragms, you can kiss it goodby. The mic will never be the same. While you may not notice it as your using the mic all the time, but the mic will loose high frequency based on how much build up has occured.
There are people who like to smoke while singing and recording, so when that happens to me in a session, I make sure the mic is not mine!
There are people who like to smoke while singing and recording, so when that happens to me in a session, I make sure the mic is not mine!
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Mark H.
New member
Wow~! Then I wonder if our preferences for certain vintage mics might be colored by whether the particular unit has been subjected to this sort of abuse or not. Hmmm...
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kristian
New member
smoke sucks! every article of clothing im wearing down to my underwear, socks, and shoes reek like all hell because of cigarettees. and weed residue smells like animal shit.
MrZekeMan
New member
I, in my entrepraneural spirit, am offering a new "mic smoking" service. Send me your C1's, Marshalls, and Shures and I will bake them in my specially designed "SMOKER" (converted from my meat smoker)Mark H. said:
Get that vintage "smoked sound" Why pay $6,000 for a C12 that has been "smoked in" through years of use, by singers long gone from lung cancer. Get that same vintage sound at a fraction of the cost. For only $400 per mic, I will "smoke in" your mic and tame that high frequency harshness you hate so much.
Be one of the first to avail yourself of this revolutionary new technique. Get a leg up on all your recording cronies.
Zekeman