How to Store a Mic Right

[awjoe]

Do you store your mics with dessicant? If yes, what's the average relative humidity in the vicinity of your mic locker?

[James Perrett]

Nowadays I don't store mine with desiccant but I keep capacitor mics covered or boxed when not in use to prevent contamination. According to the display on the air filter that I have here, the humidity is usually around 50-55% but I'm not sure how accurate that is. The LDC mics are also used with a pop shield in front of them to reduce the amount of spit and saliva reaching the mic.

In the past I have used a rechargeable desiccant module when I wasn't totally sure of the storage conditions.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/RECHARGEABLE-D ... 002SHJRMU/

which seemed to work.

[Hugh Robjohns]

Yes.... at least, I have dessicant packs in some of the larger cases. All my mics are kept in plastic (freezer) bags to keep dust out, too.

I store my mics in cases in the house where the humidity is probably 40-60%, and I'd expect closer to 50% most of the time.

[Wonks]

Silica gel desiccant doesn't last for very long. E.g. the packets you get with electronics products are enough to protect the product on its journey in a container across the sea, but that's about it. You can normally dry them out in an oven and reuse them, but don't expect them to work wonders and continue to be effective if you stick a small packet in a pouch or bag with a mic and leave it in a cupboard in a damp or humid environment for 6 months.

[awjoe]

Thanks very much. The RH is about the same where I am, too.

[resistorman]

I've long ignored all the usual advice on storage of gear except for storing ribbon mics vertically. I've live in the tropics with no AC and sopping salt air and in the north with freezing temps and no humidity. Yet all my instruments, mics and equipment have survived these many decades.

[Drew Stephenson]

I've long ignored all the usual advice on storage of gear except for storing ribbon mics vertically.

According to Stewart Tavener of Extinct Audio and Xaudia there's really no reason to do this. He's never seen sag on a ribbon that hasn't already been damaged in some way.
But it probably is good practice when temporarily putting them down on a surface to keep them upright with the ribbon farthest away from the surface - just to stop the magnet picking up any tiny metallic fragments or dust that may be lying around.

[Hugh Robjohns]

AFAIK the saggy thing only affected mics with 'long' (2-inch) ribbons, and I've never experienced it myself. AEA recommend storing their long-ribbon mics vertically (and I do) but my (short-ribbon) Royers are stored horizontally and I've not noticed any sagging side-effects. The STC 4038 ribbons at the beeb were always stored horizontally too.

[resistorman]

So I could have ignored that advice too