How necessary is it really to put dust covers over your hardware synths/samplers etc? I notice when people are selling on ebay they always mention gear being protected by covers.
As I’ve now started to build up a bit of gear I’m now wondering is minimal dust gathering over time likely to have any significant damage to for e.g my OT and Synths?
Can anyone coin in on this?
My OT is three and looks flawless, never really been covered. I think they’re more trying to be all “no pet hair inside it or scratches on it because I kept it covered.”
Dust has the same letter of Danger when it comes to hardware…imho
I use this mini vacuum & the plastic wrapping the equipment came in. I’m even considering a air purifier/filter, but I need to do a bit of research as I believe some can have an affect on electrical equipment.
I have a Blueair purifier and still have dust/odor, but I think my apartment is oddly shaped against best efficiency of it (I’m right around max size for the model I have, too). It’s ironically Swedish, as well. lol…
Not as much dust/neighbor odor as I used to have, at least, but Blueairs are too expensive to buy another for the other side of the apartment.
What do you mean?
Dusty pots is the Danger
yeah I heard he was a bad dude
I have to cover my stuff, its a friggin dust bowl where I live, leaving them un-covered even for day sees noticeable dust!
I always cover my more expensive, vintage gear, and gear with lots of top sliders/pots (arp odyssey, 707, jd800, etc). I don’t always cover my elektrons as they get a lot of use, but anything that isn’t in use is typically covered with at least a towel or some other cover. It definitely helps with older gear that may already be scratchy from previous owners. I also own a cat that loves to sit on my stuff when I’m jamming. Pet fur is much more a concern that dust to be honest.
It’s a personal choice really and I wouldn’t say your stuff will be ruined if it’s not covered for a few weeks, but some gear is an investment piece and not just an instrument. Treat it as so and someday you might have a minty mduw that could be worth 4000$ As opposed to 500$ Becuase the knobs won’t track due to dust and hair.
Easy DIY Dust Covers… Not mine…
http://www.livepa.org/board/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7321
DIY Gear Covers
here’s my quick and dirty gear cover tutorial.
what you need:
what you do:
in this example, i used ‘6mil black and white poly’ aka ‘panda film’, which is a heavy plastic sheeting that is sold by the foot at most grow shops here in Colorado. so this one cost like .30 cents and only took a minute to make.
it doesn’t look particularly nice or fancy, but it should protect your gear from accidental spills or cat pee LoL Sorry hahaa. i have a much thicker translucent / clear shower curtain and a plastic heat sealer that i plan to use to make some nicer looking covers.
I consider all the On-Stage Keyboard Dust Covers that I have, one for each keyboard synth, as part of investment in keeping the instruments trouble free from the absolute bane to our instruments; dust, dander, and yes, as gross as it sounds, all the skin cells all of which we humans are constantly shedding.
Consider how only say a $15. or $20. cover of the caliber aforementioned costs weighed against how much it would cost JUST for one optical encoder to be replaced on my Waldorf Q or two different older non-Ti Access Virus Keyboards, it pretty much answers itself.
Even non-optical encoders and pots attract dust, etc. within the electrical component grease/lubrication within pots, then there’s what dust will do to both push buttons and then there’s the actual contacts for the keys and if you have after touch on those keys, it makes it even more of a quintessential minor investment.
Just try to get in habit of whether buying instrument new or used, purchasing a proper cover for it at same time.
I have a very good quality HEPA filter air purifier in my place and even with that, and keeping things pretty neat and clean, you would be amazed how much dust and what have you ends-up easily blocked and you can see it working when you look under and on black surface of Virus under same area, there’s no dust, etc. at all.
Note: these stretchy covers made of black Lycra have an additional benefit in that they allow you to wrap around back/sides to prevent that same crap from getting into area have yet to even mention, the electrical boards/components.
Also, it takes no time at all to use an attachment on your vacuum and suck all that trapped stuff that’s on top of your cover, even the stuff that’s very hard for the eye to see. It’s also very quick removing and replacing covers.
Would you even consider placing a $2000+ instrument on a wobbly second or third tier keyboard stand? Or, another analogy; would you place sub par crappy tires even on a used Lamborghini?
Lastly, if you live where you have central air in your townhouse or apartment as I do, it’s equally important to change that air cleaner element in the basement for your apartment with a high quality one on a regular basis for obvious reasons. This goes for just a regular furnace blower element.
I just counted, and just in all keyboard synths in my set-ups, 9 in all; that’s 9 x $20. = $180. , which you would easily pay for shipping/insurance to and from a reputable repair place for an out of warranty instrument with keys and we have not even considered that technician’s hourly rate and cost for proper part(s). Not to mention lost time from beloved instrument.
Consider always using “Keyboard Kondoms”, as I sardonically like to call them!!
Also, always getting the correct size for application is paramount because they are made to be incredibly fine woven in that if you are trying to save $5. by stretching the heck out of a 25 or 49 key cover to make it fit on your 61 key cover, it’s only making that fine mesh open-up by doing so and being a pound or two foolish and definitely not a penny wise in grand schema of things.
If money is really an issue and you are living on noodles in order to have those awesome instruments, at least for now place a heavier beach towel over when not in-use and retiring for evening.
