To condom or not to condom, that is the question. No.. this has nothing to do with sex... I'm talking about wireless mic packs.
This is a much bickered over topic, and both sides have points, but in my experience of the musical, weather you prefer condoms, choose to construct gortex sleeves, or rig mic belts with plastic wrap or sandwich bags, you've go to take some protective measures where mic packs are concerned, because sweat kills. So - bag that puppy - ESPECIALLY with dancers or individuals who sweat a lot. For the average actor, putting a condom or gortex sleeve over the mic pack and folding it over is enough. If you have a profuse sweater however, you're going to need to take greater steps. If you're using condoms, you may want to double bag a pack, since you're using a something tubed shaped on something square, they're far more prone to tear or pop than in their "intended" application. We'll get back to protection in a minute...
Sweat is most damaging at two points - the mic connector (where the mic element connects to the pack) and at the end of the element itself, where the mic actually is. Next is the internal components of the mic pack itself - depending on how the pack is constructed depends on how much moisture is likely to end up on the inside. Finally, sweat can damage the exterior of the mic element itself. The immediate danger is the moisture itself. Water and electronics do not mix, and mic packs are no exception to the rule. Sweat can also short out the mic element, or if the pack becomes saturated enough, do lasting damage to the pack's circuit boards. Even if you're equipment doesn't fail immediately, problems and damage can result from the salt and minerals that sweat leaves behind. The minerals can build up on the connector, or on the mic itself, restricting the movement of the mic element and changing its sound. The connector can be cleaned out with a good contact cleaner, the head of the element, however, tends to be damaged for good once minerals have built up. Over several shows, the salt and minerals can actually be deposited in such quantity that the mic element can't even move.
Don't believe me? Here's a little experiment to show you what sweat leaves behind. Get some saline solution (over the counter, regular contact solution) which is actually LOWER in salt and mineral content than sweat, and a metal container, like an Altoids box or candy tin. Tinfoil in a small Tupperware container works too. Next, fill the bottom of the container with just enough saline to cover the entire bottom. Let it evaporate. When the water part of the solution is gone - you'll find a lovely white crust at the bottom. That's just with one dose. Imagine how much would be left if you refilled the container every day? or three or four times over a weekend like a mic pack is used during a show! The white crust - that's exactly what sweat can leave on your element connector and INSIDE the mic head. Bad enough when it's in solution, in a dry form it's even worse. The build up itself is physically a problem, never mind salt's long term corrosive effects on metal can be disastrous. Seen what a car long exposed to salt on the road looks like?
Protecting mic packs.In all honesty I don't have a "favorite" method - the two options I'm going to talk about are more workable options that ideal solutions. Each have their shortfalls, but in my experience one of them is a necessary evil. The first is the non-lubricated condom. The pro's of the condom is that they're readily available, sanitary, and require next to no preparation to use. If you're buying in bulk, you can get condoms for under 20 cents a piece. The down sides are, that as mentioned, you're literally , putting something square or rectangular into a tube. Ruptures are going to happen, regardless of brand. Even in bulk, if you have a long running performance with lots of mics, you're looking at a pricey expendable. Although you may be able to reuse a condom once, I wouldn't recommend it - based on the breakage issue, not to mention hygiene. The other option is building re-usable gortex sleeves. These cost more out of the gate, but the whole point is they're reusable. I have made these in the past - the idea constructing a pouch that's just big enough to slip your mic pack in without a hassle. The down side is even though the material is waterproof, you'll still need to waterproof the seams, and will probably need to re-waterproof them anytime the sleeve is washed. Sleeves also are not the most hygienic option as the outside will become repeatedly soaked with sweat. (When I use them I label or otherwise track them so the same actor gets the same sleeve every time rather than passing germs around via mic accessory.)
Precautions often need to be taken with mic elements as well. For the average actor, a piece of medical tape under the head of the element may be all the protection you need. For a profuse sweater, more measures may need to be taken so you're not going through an element every few shows. If you're using a headset or over-ear mic, you are a step ahead as the element 'should' sit away from the skin. However, if the actor wears the element too close to his/her cheek, or is the kind of person who produces a lot of moisture around the hair line, you may still have a problem. Again, step one is a small piece of medical tape under the head of the element to separate it from the skin. For the bucket sweater, you may need to wrap the earpiece with cotton or another absorbent material (like a sweat band for your mic) to keep moisture from running down the length of the element itself and pooling at the end.
Inevitably, even with precautions, elements and packs are going to get sweaty. If you discover a mic element or a pack is soaked, the best way to address it is to get as much of the sweat out as you can BEFORE it dries - and the best way to do that is hit the element or pack with some canned air. If you get the sweat out while it's still liquid, the white gunk has less of a chance to form. If you have someone who is a profuse sweater, you may want to have a mic wrangler, dresser, ASM, or ask the actor themselves to hit the element with canned air at intermission, or even between scenes to keep it from sweating out.
All for now cats and kittens. Next time I'll show you some low cost, low tech methods of waterproofing mics and elements. Until next time!
Chapter 3 of the Care and Feeding of Wireless Mics... Protecting Mics
by Richelle Thompson
Jan 11, 2011
To condom or not to condom, that is the question. No.. this has nothing to do with sex... I'm talking about wireless mic packs.
This is a much bickered over topic, and both sides have points, but in my experience of the musical, weather you prefer condoms, choose to construct gortex sleeves, or rig mic belts with plastic wrap or sandwich bags, you've go to take some protective measures where mic packs are concerned, because sweat kills. So - bag that puppy - ESPECIALLY with dancers or individuals who sweat a lot. For the average actor, putting a condom or gortex sleeve over the mic pack and folding it over is enough. If you have a profuse sweater however, you're going to need to take greater steps. If you're using condoms, you may want to double bag a pack, since you're using a something tubed shaped on something square, they're far more prone to tear or pop than in their "intended" application. We'll get back to protection in a minute...
Sweat is most damaging at two points - the mic connector (where the mic element connects to the pack) and at the end of the element itself, where the mic actually is. Next is the internal components of the mic pack itself - depending on how the pack is constructed depends on how much moisture is likely to end up on the inside. Finally, sweat can
damage the exterior of the mic element itself. The immediate danger is the moisture itself. Water and electronics do not mix, and mic packs are no exception to the rule. Sweat can also short out the mic element, or if the pack becomes saturated enough, do lasting damage to the pack's circuit boards. Even if you're equipment doesn't fail immediately, problems and damage can result from the salt and minerals that sweat leaves behind. The minerals can build up on the connector, or on the mic itself, restricting the movement of the mic element and changing its sound. The connector can be cleaned out with a good contact cleaner, the head of the element, however, tends to be damaged for good once minerals have built up. Over several shows, the salt and minerals can actually be deposited in such quantity that the mic element can't even move.
Don't believe me? Here's a little experiment to show you what sweat leaves behind. Get some saline solution (over the counter, regular contact solution) which is actually LOWER in salt and mineral content than sweat, and a metal container, like an Altoids box or candy tin. Tinfoil in a small Tupperware container works too. Next, fill the bottom of the container with just enough saline to cover the entire bottom. Let it evaporate. When the water part of the solution is gone - you'll find a lovely white crust at the bottom. That's just with one dose. Imagine how much would be left if you refilled the container every day? or three or four times over a weekend like a mic pack is used during a show! The white crust - that's exactly what sweat can leave on your element connector and INSIDE the mic head. Bad enough when it's in solution, in a dry form it's even worse. The build up itself is physically a problem, never mind salt's long term corrosive effects on metal can be disastrous. Seen what a car long exposed to salt on the road looks like?
Protecting mic packs.In all honesty I don't have a "favorite" method - the two options I'm going to talk about are more workable options that ideal solutions. Each have their shortfalls, but in my experience one of them is a necessary evil. The first is the non-lubricated condom. The pro's of the condom is that they're readily available, sanitary, and require next to no preparation to use. If you're buying in bulk, you can get condoms for under 20 cents a piece. The down sides are, that as mentioned, you're literally , putting something square or rectangular into a tube. Ruptures are going to happen, regardless of brand. Even in bulk, if you have a long running performance with lots of mics, you're looking at a pricey expendable. Although you may be able to reuse a condom once, I wouldn't recommend it - based on the breakage issue, not to mention hygiene. The other option is building re-usable gortex sleeves. These cost more out of the gate, but the whole point is they're reusable. I have made these in the past - the idea constructing a pouch that's just big enough to slip your mic pack in without a hassle. The down side is even though the material is waterproof, you'll still need to waterproof the seams, and will probably need to re-waterproof them anytime the sleeve is washed. Sleeves also are not the most hygienic option as the outside will become repeatedly soaked with sweat. (When I use them I label or otherwise track them so the same actor gets the same sleeve every time rather than passing germs around via mic accessory.)
Precautions often need to be taken with mic elements as well. For the average actor, a piece of medical tape under the head of the element may be all the protection you need. For a profuse sweater, more measures may need to be taken so you're not going through an element every few shows. If you're using a headset or over-ear mic, you are a step ahead as the element 'should' sit away from the skin. However, if the actor wears the element too close to his/her cheek, or is the kind of person who produces a lot of moisture around the hair line, you may still have a problem. Again, step one is a small piece of medical tape under the head of the element to separate it from the skin. For the bucket sweater, you may need to wrap the earpiece with cotton or another absorbent material (like a sweat band for your mic) to keep moisture from running down the length of the element itself and pooling at the end.
Inevitably, even with precautions, elements and packs are going to get sweaty. If you discover a mic element or a pack is soaked, the best way to address it is to get as much of the sweat out as you can BEFORE it dries - and the best way to do that is hit the element or pack with some canned air. If you get the sweat out while it's still liquid, the white
gunk has less of a chance to form. If you have someone who is a profuse sweater, you may want to have a mic wrangler, dresser, ASM, or ask the actor themselves to hit the element with canned air at intermission, or even between scenes to keep it from sweating out.
All for now cats and kittens. Next time I'll show you some low cost, low tech methods of waterproofing mics and elements. Until next time!
Cheers! ~R