To cover or not?

[IAA]

I have dust covers for all my keyboards which I religiously put on after the studio session. It’s a bit of a faff to be honest, but I just wondered if the rest of you do this or maybe just when you’re not playing for a while? I’m using my keyboards nearly everyday and whilst the extra 10 minutes ( some of the synths are racked and tricky to just put the covers on), is truly neither here nor there, I did wonder whether the dust protection is worth it?

So apologies in advance for this first world problem...

[Smellthevalve]

Most of mine either live in a flight case or have covers (some are improvised covers)

[The Elf]

I've never bothered to cover my synths. I've never experienced anything that's made me think I'm doing anything wrong.

[Folderol]

Same here. All I do is wipe over the keys with a damp cloth occasionally, and use a large soft-bristle dusting brush from time-to-time.

[Wonks]

It's not doing any harm, and benefits may vary depending on your home environment. If you've got dogs cats etc. which shed hair, anyone who smokes indoors, or any other activity going on which can produce above-average quantities of deposits, or cats with muddy paws who jump on things when you're not there, then it's probably a good idea.

[ManFromGlass]

I occasionally take the vacuum to them on low power. I also do the computer keyboard and monitor and any other gear that faces upwards. We have a woodstove so dust builds up over the colder months. Mics are kept covered in static bags.

[Ben Asaro]

Where I live is incredibly dusty (don't even want to think about where it comes from ). I don't cover my gear, but that means I have to dust every other day!

[Drew Stephenson]

This thread is really reminding me that I need to Hoover the studio.

[Eddy Deegan]

Dust was a bit of a problem for me for years as we had a large shaggy dog. My solution was to use home-made lightweight fabric dust covers in conjunction with an air purifier (the latter I talked about in more detail here).

Subsequent to losing our faithful hound I've found the dust covers are no longer necessary really, although they do offer some peace of mind with regards to coffee splashes etc.

I'd not be without the air purifier though, it does a great job!

[BigRedX]

Play them more.

I used to live in a pretty dusty environment (old building undergoing renovation with no carpets), and the equipment that got used regularly never needed dusting, but those that were in "set-and-forget" mode would quite quickly build up a film of dust.

[Martin Walker]

That reminds me that since buying my new ASM Hydrasynth I've left off my global keyboard dust cover because it looks so nice.

But I really must get it covered up again before all the dust my two dogs seem to redistribute around the house gets into its nooks and crannies

Martin

[IAA]

Thanks All very helpful. I think I’ll probably be less religious about it given we’ve no pets.

Play them more.

yeah this is the solution

[John Stafford]

I don't cover my synths, but two of them have sliders, so I really should cover those.

[IAA]

but two of them have sliders

Some of mine have too and my analog synths have plenty of buttons and knobs. Eddy mentioned an air purifier which I thought I’d check out. I remembered looking in my old computer at the dust that had gathered over the years and was taken aback! Two of my synths have fans too which makes me think the air purifier might be a useful additional studio accessory.

[BillB]

Eddy, can you tell us what kind of budget you went for with the air purifier? Google throws up anything from £50 to £1000+

[IAA]

The one I’m eyeing up is around £90. Good reviews and looks economical. Can’t really justify the price of a synth for one!

[Eddy Deegan]

Eddy, can you tell us what kind of budget you went for with the air purifier? Google throws up anything from £50 to £1000+

Certainly.. I'm visiting a friend at the moment but as soon as I get home in an hour or so I'll post the details.

[BillB]

I was just thinking about dust covers etc, found this again and...

Eddy?

[James Perrett]

I have this one, which was mainly bought as an anti covid precaution -

https://www.electriq.co.uk/p/eap300pm2. ... r-purifier

It seems to work well and is certainly effective at removing kitchen smells.

[Eddy Deegan]

I was just thinking about dust covers etc, found this again and...

Eddy?

Oops, I obvious completely forgot to update at the time

I used one of these (£80) in the smaller studio which was roughly 12.5 square metres in area and 25 cubic metres in volume. It worked well and we have a couple in the house now

[BillB]

Thanks Eddy and James - very useful references.

[Hugh Robjohns]

I have a Homedics version in my studio.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/HoMedics-AP-T3 ... psc=1&th=1

[Martin Walker]

Thanks for those purifier links Eddy and Hugh - I might just get one for my studio.

Although I have two large dogs, their coats are wool and don't shed a single hair, but they do bring detritus including occasional twigs and leaves into the house on their coats. I do already have a small ioniser to help the dust drop to the floor, rather than float about in the air.

By the way, previously int he thread I fogot to mention my solution to keyboard covers - I visited my local LIDL and bought a 'yoga mat' that I've cut into two. The larger part covers my Prophet 12 and Hydrasynth, and the rest covers my Korg MS-20 neatly. Total cost? £6

[BillB]

That's a bargain, Martin, but I'm struggling to imagine how a padded (1cm thick?) mat makes a good dust cover. If it's not a rude question, is it more floppy than one might expect?