Mic storage for mobile recordists?

[The Spark]

Hi everyone.

Ive been putting together a mobile recording setup to record bands at their practice areas or homes (or wherever). Im wondering how do you store your mics? I currently have a cardboard box that all my mics are stored in, separated by the smaller boxes I purchased the mics in. Does anyone have any recommendations on a better method of storing my mics? As it stands now Im worried they will get damaged or lost in transit or on location.

Thanks.

[dominic hoenig]

i used to have a guitar case with foam inside cut out bays for the mics... worked well...

made sure i had a check list as well so i always made sure they were all there...

[hbphotoav]

I use the silver tool attache cases from Lowe's for my recording mics (see: Shop Task Force 6" x 13" Classic Tool Case at Lowes.com). I have three of them... LDC (Rode and AKG, with shock mounts and foamies); SDC (Gefell, Sennheiser, DPA, with shock mounts, stereo bars and foamies); and handholdable (Shure Beta 87A, Beyer M500, Sony C55 FET, and a couple of AT891 boundary mics with shock mounts and foamies). At $25 a crack, I figured a couple of years' service would make me happy. That was six years ago. Still going strong.

SKB 12-holer for stage mics... SM58s, SM57s, OM2s, D6s, D112, AGK C419s, short goosenecks, DIs and mic clips. It weighs a flippin' ton, but aside from replacing the handle, it's been going for a decade. Rode NT4 and Cascade Fatheads in their OEM cases.

[hbphotoav]

Here's the Lowe's case... I keep the mics in their respective zipper bags, except for the Gefells, DPAs and Sennheiser MKH... they are zipped into Ziploc snack bags and then put either in their OEM cases (Gefell and Sennheiser) or an extra Shure bag (DPAs). These are the mics I fly with... I figure anything I can do to help with moisture can't hurt. My cases don't have the pickable foam in the bottom, but have divider panels.

[karp47]

I just bought a bunch of new gear for my portable recording setup and was trying to work out the best method to get it all around. I ended up buying cheap plastic storage boxes and they have been doing the job perfectly so far, they are easily stored in my cupboard and easy to lug around, i'll send a picture tonight. I have 1 for leads, 2 for mics, 1 for bits and pieces, and then I have my gator case (which my interface and pre amps live in), I am looking at purchasing a drum hardware bag for all my mic stands because at the moment they are a huge hassle to carry around. i also just recently bought a 'mic thing' from sm pro audio, its a pretty worthwhile investment for portable recording, you may have one, but if not I definitely recommend checking one out!

[boojum]

^^^^^^ I, too, get some of my gear in the housewares department. Mics I drag into the field, SDC, are in ZipLoc baggies and stored wrapped in a towel in a sealed plastic container. I do not travel for to record so this works just fine for me. I have some DPA's that I carry in the Samsonite case they came in along with their assorted accessories.

All of my gear gets stuffed into an Irwin soft side canvas tool bag (on sale, $19.95, regular $29.95). The Irwin bag has two sides, a large canvas shouder strap and two sturdy canvas handles. Thieves find the fancy bags more tempting than a ratty old tool bag, I am hoping. thumbsup

[John Willett]

Customised rigidised aluminium flight case for all my main mics.

[loujudson]

I use rolling suitcases like carryon bags - $15 at the local Berkeley Flea market. One for mic cables, one or two for mics, etc. Really easy to get to the van and the venue.

[The Spark]

Awesome! Solid ideas all the way around!

Thanks!

[JonesH]

I've purchased a peli/harddigg case with pick'n'pluck foam. It's a very solid case. I dont have a load of mics; for now just a pair of 4006-TL with accessories and a pair of swedish special mics. I keep the 4006 in their original packing, the foam plucked out to fit them, and the swedish Thuresson mics are standing up in the foam. For now I could also fit my edirol R-44 and headphones in here, haven't decided whether to make room for them yet.

Also include some silica bags to absorb some moist.

[David Spearritt]

I separate all my pairs into little padded camera bags and put them all different main bags. I figure if they were all in one bag and this bag got stolen, you lose a hell of a lot. Also a shiny, fancy aluminium briefcase is crying out to be stolen.

[Audiop]

I cut some from the foam in one of my Sennheiser alu-boxes so I can fit four pairs in one box and it goes with other similar solutions in one bigger "look like nothing" plastic box with some other stuff as laptop power supplies, firewire cables and such.


/Peter

[karp47]

These are the storage boxes I use, they fit everything really well and can stack on top of each other which is pretty handy for when I'm not using them.

A focusrite octopre mkII is normally on top of the m-audio interface, so this is perfect for recording up to 16 channels and having good portability.

i leave any mics in big cases out, no point in having 1-2 in a box.

[Corran]

Office Depot and Office Max have these document lock boxes that are just big enough for manila folders, and about 6 inches wide for the folders.

I use it to store mics in their respective cases. I can fit a couple pairs of Schoeps mics in there with a few LDCs and ribbons depending on the gig.

It's a nice box and works great for carrying around enough mics for a general gig. And it locks, though that doesn't really help since you can just carry it away anyway.

For other mics I have a Gator case that has 15 drops in it for mics about the size of a 57.

[fifthcircle]

Pelican cases here. I have combined most of my mics into like collections that fit in the Pelican small cases. They aren't expensive ($20-$30 if memory serves plus foam if you want it) and they are really strong. I've had stagehands drop the cases full of mics (I can fit 9 schoeps in one of them so an expensive drop) and everything survives fine. I then pack my mic boxes along with the accessories needed in a normal sized pelican case. I have a couple of varying sizes that I use depending on the size of the gig.

In the end, the more bullet-proof, the better. I treat my gear well, but accidents happen. My pack saves my butt.

--Ben

[zoom]

for storage and transportation I use an old and very ugly laptop case for most of my mics which are carried around in their original packaging.
most important for your traveling-circus: your mic case has to be as ugly and cheap as possible (from outside)...

[hbphotoav]

Originally Posted by zoom

for storage and transportation I use an old and very ugly laptop case for most of my mics which are carried around in their original packaging.
most important for your traveling-circus: your mic case has to be as ugly and cheap as possible (from outside)...

This is one of my "beautiful" $25 aluminum cases from Lowe's. In the first photo... the gorgeous exterior. Reuseable bits of gaff tape are optional. And very helpful if one forgets one's new roll of PermaCel...

In the second... shock mounts, Gefell cases (wooden); Sennheiser case (under the stereo bars); DPAs (black Shure bag... very handy, when all the Shures live in the SKB 12-holer); and a piece of 1" aluminum bar marked for ORTF and NOS, out to 40cm.

Haven't lost it yet! (Even with the descriptive tape... to help my addled brain discern it from the identical case with the hand-holdable mics in it).

[gareth.h.rees]

Originally Posted by Corran

Office Depot and Office Max have these document lock boxes that are just big enough for manila folders, and about 6 inches wide for the folders.

Any pictures (or a link)?

Sounds like a good, cheap solution.

Cheers,
Gareth

[Corran]

Originally Posted by gareth.h.rees

Any pictures (or a link)?

Sounds like a good, cheap solution.

Cheers,
Gareth

Yep, here it is at Office Depot:

Vaultz Locking File Tote Letter 12 1 4 H x 13 3 4 W x 7 1 4 D Black by Office Depot

For a bit more than $30 it's great, and I get coupons for Office Depot all the time for 15 or 20% off too. They also have a couple of bigger ones for more storage, though I thought those were too big for easy carrying.

I'll try to get a picture of my box tonight.

[Remoteness]

Here's a thread that includes my mic storage solutions...
Carrying case for mics?

[gareth.h.rees]

Originally Posted by Corran

Yep, here it is at Office Depot:

Vaultz Locking File Tote Letter 12 1 4 H x 13 3 4 W x 7 1 4 D Black by Office Depot

For a bit more than $30 it's great, and I get coupons for Office Depot all the time for 15 or 20% off too. They also have a couple of bigger ones for more storage, though I thought those were too big for easy carrying.

I'll try to get a picture of my box tonight.

Nice compact little box that! I'm guessing you put the mics vertically inside?

Cheers for that
Gareth

[studer58]

All good ideas....but what do you guys do with the mics in that critical period between taking them out of the box/bag/flight case and installing them on the stand on location....and same in reverse at the end of the gig ? Say you have 5 or 6 to place and 2 or more of them are on a tall suspended bar from the ceiling, or across a stage quite distant from aforementioned case/bag ? I'll bet they end up in a shirt or jeans pocket, perhaps scratching against your keys or coins ? Here is my quick and dirty solution...see pics. The mics are NT5's in my example, but it's relevant for any SD mics around 22-25mm diam. Get some clear acrylic pipe from a plastics supplier (not too expensive if you buy offcuts), plus 2 sets of plugs. First are the hard plastic or nylon bungs that are hammered into chair legs or tables etc to serve as hard 'feet' ...these are the darker ends in the pics that I've hammered into the tubes to make the non-removable ends. Then you buy rubber feet/plugs...again from a furniture or rubber/plastics store and twist this firmly into the end of the tube after the mic is in it so that it pushes lightly against the mic, forming a snug, rattle free bond with it...it's also tightly bonded via friction to the sides of the acrylic tube. There you have easily transportable, and pocketable, mic carriers which take up little more space in your mic case than the mics themselves. If you're really keen you could even put some bags of dessicant 'silica gel' drying crystals in one hollow end of the plugs to keep the mic diaphragms moisture free (just like the mic instruction book told you so !) The small tube in the pic holds a pair of alternate pickup pattern capsules for the NT 5, which are too easy to lose otherwise on location !. Hope this helps,
Ray

[JonesH]

Here's how it looks now in a quick iPhone shot. It holds 2x DPA 4006-TL with all APE:s, 2x Thuresson CM402, a pair of Sennheiser HD650, an Edirol R-44 and still have some space left for smaller mics up in the corner . Too bad I couldn't fit the recording rack in it as well..:

[Jimbo]

Someone here recommended this to me a couple of years ago:

Twelve Hole ATA Microphone Case by SKB Cases

I've been very impressed.
-The lid holds a bunch of cables.
-The case seals really well when closed
-The latches are high-quality
-The open storage in the main compartment holds DIs and larger mics (ribbons, etc) that don't fit into the individual mic slots.

It's really much nice in person than than what you see in the picture.

Worth every penny.

[hbphotoav]

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Someone here recommended this to me a couple of years ago:

Twelve Hole ATA Microphone Case by SKB Cases

...

It's really much nice in person than than what you see in the picture.

Worth every penny.

As I said in an earlier post, I love the case (10+ years in my truck, and bought used) for "low end" dynamics and DI's (in the lid). But the foam is an issue (particularly with some age and lots of I/O) and anything but 58s, D6, D112, get stored in Shure mic bags and laid over the cable/mic clips area to the side of the cut foam, to seal out the microdust. Ziploc bags are employed for all my "better" mics (DPA, Gefell, Sennheiser SDCs) inside their OEM cases/boxes/Shure bags. Great, cheap protection from humidity and all sorts of dust.

OT, I'm coming to Northeast Jersey on Tuesday for a video/photo thing... how's the weather?

HB

[Petrus]

Originally Posted by karp47

These are the storage boxes I use, they fit everything really well and can stack on top of each other which is pretty handy for when I'm not using them.

A focusrite octopre mkII is normally on top of the m-audio interface, so this is perfect for recording up to 16 channels and having good portability.

i leave any mics in big cases out, no point in having 1-2 in a box.

This is almost exactly what I have, cables, headphones, stereobars etc. in translucent storage boxes, mics in aluminium boxes (like Audiop, all Senns in one box) carried in a backpack, some stuff in a midsize Pelicase if needed (special mics, SD722, SD 302 etc).

Same 3-U rack case also, exept with Orpheus at bottom & Maselec 4 channel pre on top, good for 8 tracks total. Laptop travels in an Osprey laptop backpack with mics.

[fifthcircle]

Has anybody ever used these folks?

CaseCAD Custom Foam Inserts for Hard-sided Carrying Cases

Looks like an interesting alternative to the pick and pluck foam options.

--Ben

[JonesH]

Originally Posted by fifthcircle

Has anybody ever used these folks?
CaseCAD Custom Foam Inserts for Hard-sided Carrying Cases
Looks like an interesting alternative to the pick and pluck foam options.
--Ben

Ah, yes, there are companies in Sweden that do that as well and I was thinking about going that route. Doing it online seems very convenient.

[Nobilmente]

A long time ago I had an aluminium flightcase made. There is a flightcase manufacturing company just a short walk from where I live, which is really useful.

Looking at it now, I perhaps should have opted for something a bit smaller as it is quite heavy and awkward to carry when it's full of microphones.

I don't keep stereo bars and suspensions in it, they go separately.

I may use this case for other things at sometime in the future and have a case made that was shown to me by Anthony Howells, the UK recording engineer.

He had a "several" layer case, with lift out floors. The pencil microphones occupied the lower floor and were located in their own individual ridges, then larger microphones were kept in the other layers. It think there were three layers to the case. It meant his case had less area to it and so easier to carry around.

My case has only one layer, so that everything is there when you open the lid. Just considering it further, I think that separate smaller cases with single layers might possibly be the best solution.

[WVUtubadude]

I just put everything in my 17 gallon box...and I mean everything. All of my mics came in hard cases, or are durable enough for me not to worry, so I just toss em in with the cables.