Gear Brat: Mic Monsters microphone covers

  Over the last couple years, Strange Weather has picked up a number of nice microphones. Most of them are vintage, and as you’d expect, the repair and upkeep costs can be staggering. So of course, I do my best to keep them in optimal condition. My favorite resource for mic maintenance is Klaus Heyne’s Mic Lab forum on ProSoundWeb.com. Time and again, Klaus has suggested keeping an open plastic bag over the microphones in order to keep dust and other particles — particularly metal — off of the capsule. Capsules are polarized and hence magnetic, which means they’ll attract plenty of things floating around in the air; having them cleaned can be extremely expensive. However, Klaus warns that if you seal the plastic bag, you’re allowing moisture to build up on the capsule and electronics, which can be just as damaging in the long run. He does suggest sealing the bag with a desiccant pack occasionally to dry out the capsule. Taking this advice, I’ve kept Ziploc bags over my mics when they stay on the stands overnight. It always seemed a bit unseemly though, especially when clients were coming in to see the space. So when I heard about a small, artist-run company making custom microphone covers with interesting designs, I had to check them out. Gear Brat’s Mic Monsters are, as far as I can tell, the ultimate mic cover. They’re made out of fabric and well designed to fit over even the largest mics and shockmounts I’ve got, and they’re lined with clear plastic in order to maintain effectiveness. When I got in touch with owner Josh Miethe, he was extremely friendly and helped me with custom covers for Strange Weather. He even went to my website to check out my mic collection to see what sizes I would need. My Mic Monsters look fantastic and do a great job. Plus, I know that my purchase is supporting musicians and artists just like myself. Every time I look at them, they make me feel proud of the studio and the community we’re all part of. ($20 and up; www.gearbrat.com)

–Marc Alan Goodman, www.strangeweatherbrooklyn.com