Topic: Waterproofing Gear...

[~sin213~]

I went to an outdoor festival last night, it was supposed to rain, so I didn't take my gear cause I didn't know how I would keep it dry.  So here's the kicker...it didn't rain, but the venue was spraying water on the crowd with firehoses, so the water was coming in from the top, sideways, the left and the right...how would you be able to protect gear under those circumstances?  I was soaked within about 10 mins - it wasn't cool, but there really wasn't anywhere to go.  Umbrellas wouldn't work, unless you had them all around you...gear bags would work to a point but probably couldn't have kept out that amount of water...and what about your mics?  They can't be in the bag too...

Any tips or tricks of the trade would be very helpful.
Also, feel free to post about shows you've been too that you were under severe conditions and tell me how you tried to work with what you had.

Thanx in advance!

[BWolf]

connect all gear > start recorder > place in garbage bag > twist top and tuck under.

thats about all you can do for rain or bad conditions.

[boojum]

connect all gear > start recorder > place in garbage bag > twist top and tuck under.

thats about all you can do for rain or bad conditions.

. . . umbrella or cover over mics???

[landshark]

"it didn't rain, but the venue was spraying water on the crowd with firehoses"

Where the heck were you?  Waterworld? <grin>

Of course, it could be a new anti-taper technique....

Mike

[anodyne33]

You could pull a Jon Merin with your mics.

[~sin213~]

"it didn't rain, but the venue was spraying water on the crowd with firehoses"

Where the heck were you?  Waterworld? <grin>

Of course, it could be a new anti-taper technique....

Mike

I'm in AZ and it was Ozzfest, so it is pretty hot and the people are crazy.  It wasn't even that hot that day...
I was thinking the same thing as you, though, that it was a technique...not so much for tapers as there never seems to be more than 4-5 tapers at any show (usually less), but rather for discouraging moshing, joints and fires.  I don't smoke, but I also had the theory that they were soaking everyone's cigarettes and then selling packs for like $20 at the stands.

Luckily, I had left my gear at home and my cellphone in the car...other people weren't so lucky (with cellphones, not gear)

Thanx for all the suggestions so far!

I've heard of the condom trick, but have heard that it messes up the sound by making it too bass heavy.  Go for the ultra sensitive...for my pleasure, of course. 

[F.O.Bean]

You could pull a Jon Merin with your mics.

this DOES NOT work great at all. he did this last moedown and the tapes came out subpar......

get an umbrella with wind pockets so the wind can go THRU the umbrella somewhat instead of wind knocking it over

also, carry metal tent stakes to stake down your stand I have recorded in the worst conditions EVER and my gear has been BOEN DRY at the end of the night. I also carry 5-6 heavy duty garbage bags like moke suggested. I carry extras for circumstances like all good two weeks ago, where otehr tapers arent prepared and you can help them out

[junkbondking]

mtnsmith cairns have the waterproof pocket as well.

sombrero crew always rolls at red rocks with a plethora of garbage bags.

[BWolf]

connect all gear > start recorder > place in garbage bag > twist top and tuck under.

thats about all you can do for rain or bad conditions.

. . . umbrella or cover over mics???

yes, small clamp on umbrella, with wind pockets and made of light material so you can't hear the rain. 

i dont' like using condoms (if you do decide to go this route, make sure to get the unlibricated kind).  while this works, you have to add more gain because of the decrease in sound pressure to the mics.  with the gain up so high, its likely that the tape will not sound as good as it would have without them.

[db]

I went to an outdoor festival last night, it was supposed to rain, so I didn't take my gear cause I didn't know how I would keep it dry.  So here's the kicker...it didn't rain, but the venue was spraying water on the crowd with firehoses, so the water was coming in from the top, sideways, the left and the right...how would you be able to protect gear under those circumstances?  I was soaked within about 10 mins - it wasn't cool, but there really wasn't anywhere to go.  Umbrellas wouldn't work, unless you had them all around you...gear bags would work to a point but probably couldn't have kept out that amount of water...and what about your mics?  They can't be in the bag too...

Any tips or tricks of the trade would be very helpful.
Also, feel free to post about shows you've been too that you were under severe conditions and tell me how you tried to work with what you had.

Thanx in advance!

for this situation you shut down and cover everything with plastic to the point where no h2o gets in...then you sit back and enjoy the music. there's always another gig to record. 

would you really listen to a tape made from condom covered mics? ever? nah.

[Corbin]

yes, small clamp on umbrella, with wind pockets and made of light material so you can't hear the rain. 

I've never tried it but I read here that you can place a rag or cloth on top of your stand's umbrella to lessen the sound of the rain drops as well..

What are these wind pockets for the umbrella you're talking about?  So the umbrella doesn't catch the wind?  Is it a DIY jobbie?

[~sin213~]

yes, small clamp on umbrella, with wind pockets and made of light material so you can't hear the rain. 

I've never tried it but I read here that you can place a rag or cloth on top of your stand's umbrella to lessen the sound of the rain drops as well..

What are these wind pockets for the umbrella you're talking about?  So the umbrella doesn't catch the wind?  Is it a DIY jobbie?

Yeah, windpockets would be small openings in the umbrella to allow the wind to pass thru so your umbrella isn't pulled away by the wind.  I think you can get umbrellas like that, but would be easy to do yourself as well.

I bet cloth on the top of the umbrella would help with noise from the rain...

[travelinbeat]

another important thing to consider when waterproofing (which unfortunately I can't take credit for-- someone else mentioned it first on some other, similar thread), is to be sure that any / all wires dip low before plugging into any other electronics, this is to make sure that any water which is on the wire will drip off of the wire rather than being channeled directly into your other gear.

[Javier Cinakowski]

The condom trick if done properly works really well.  The ENG/broadcasting/movie people use this all the time.  The trick is getting rubber to stretch across the front of the cap real tight.  The best solution I have found is using really thin finger cots used in electronics labs.  These are the "old man" condoms found at Spensers at the mall.  These are so small that when stretched accross the cap they are extreamly thin and don't interfere with the frequency response or air pressure too much...  A dead rat will make your recordings sound much worse than a tightly stretched condom.   

my $0.02

[Nick's Picks]

rain = dont tape
thats my rule. 

there ain't anything out there I'd risk my gear for.

[F.O.Bean]

rain = dont tape
thats my rule. 

there ain't anything out there I'd risk my gear for.

bleh just come prepared for the worst and you'll be ready for anything

[F.O.Bean]

I don't think that I've ever been to an outdoor concert where it rained?

really mok3st3r? thats crazy. it usually rains at least 1 day per festival I go to Lets just say Im overly prepared for the worst

EDIT: ONLY time ive ever torn down was moedown 2001 first nite. I had to setup by myself and i got the umbrella up first but gear was getting soaked, and that was the first time i ever recorded in rain, so I tore down. I think tearing down was a bad idea tho because gear got SOAKED tearing down, and then once everything was wet and sitting in my trunk overnight, the D-8 wouldnt work the next day because of moisture. Luckily, someone lent em their spare D-8 for the next 2 days of the festival

If you are setting up or tearing down in teh rain, its almost GOT TO BE a team effort. last year at moedown, second day, TJ and I setup in some pretty bad rain, but because we helped each otehr out, NO gear got even a drop on it

[Gordon]

I don't think that I've ever been to an outdoor concert where it rained?

ONLY time ive ever torn down was moedown 2001 first nite. I had to setup by myself and i got the umbrella up first but gear was getting soaked, and that was the first time i ever recorded in rain, so I tore down. I think tearing down was a bad idea tho because gear got SOAKED tearing down

only taped in bad rain (cats and dogs, dumping!) once.  last year at bele chere steep canyon rangers.

http://www.archive.org/details/steepcanyon2006-7-28.flac16

had I not been set up and rolling I wouldn't have braved it.  it was one of those come and go summer thunder storms.  but man did it come down!  no way in hell I was gonna break down cause there was no way I could have kept everything dry.  garbage bags under and on top of gear bag and umbrella did just fine.  but I had to hold onto the stand/umbrella to keep it from flying away.  thank god the lighting didn't strike it

[boojum]

I don't think that I've ever been to an outdoor concert where it rained?

Folks, check where Moke lives.  LOL

[T.J.]

I don't think that I've ever been to an outdoor concert where it rained?

really mok3st3r? thats crazy. it usually rains at least 1 day per festival I go to Lets just say Im overly prepared for the worst

EDIT: ONLY time ive ever torn down was moedown 2001 first nite. I had to setup by myself and i got the umbrella up first but gear was getting soaked, and that was the first time i ever recorded in rain, so I tore down. I think tearing down was a bad idea tho because gear got SOAKED tearing down, and then once everything was wet and sitting in my trunk overnight, the D-8 wouldnt work the next day because of moisture. Luckily, someone lent em their spare D-8 for the next 2 days of the festival

If you are setting up or tearing down in teh rain, its almost GOT TO BE a team effort. last year at moedown, second day, TJ and I setup in some pretty bad rain, but because we helped each otehr out, NO gear got even a drop on it

that umbrella you have is a CHAMP!

the absolute worst i ever experienced was jam on the river this year. 3 tapers for the biscuits: me, jesse and george. it was a beautiful day all day and not a hint of rain in the forecast. right before the biscuits set the skies looked ugly, but i kept an optimistic outlook. i was WAY underprepared (no umbrella or trashbag) so the band sarts and about 20 minutes into the set the monsoon starts...jesse tears down and george jimmies this rain jacket over his mics. i use the rain flap on the nova 5 for my bag (KEEP IN MIND I JUST GOT THE 722 THAT DAY AND IT WAS MY FIRST TIME OUT WITH IT)

then it comes, REAL HARD. we were set up on this pillar with a base. luckily they were giving out these big foam captain morgan's pirate hats for promotions. i quickly climb the pillar and hold these foam hats over the mics for about 1/2 hour...it was so bad the show was cancelled and they had to quickly lower the lighting rig. somebody found me a trash bag that i threw over everything still recording and run to shelter, which was a good 500 yards away. i broke everything down there and dried everthing to the best of my ability, got home and laid everything out to dry.


the only casualty was my cell phone that was destroyed from water damage in my pocket. i will never be underprepared again  

the recording sounds great, all things considered. (you can hear fans going ABSOLUTlEY NUTS during robots)

[F.O.Bean]

I don't think that I've ever been to an outdoor concert where it rained?

really mok3st3r? thats crazy. it usually rains at least 1 day per festival I go to Lets just say Im overly prepared for the worst

EDIT: ONLY time ive ever torn down was moedown 2001 first nite. I had to setup by myself and i got the umbrella up first but gear was getting soaked, and that was the first time i ever recorded in rain, so I tore down. I think tearing down was a bad idea tho because gear got SOAKED tearing down, and then once everything was wet and sitting in my trunk overnight, the D-8 wouldnt work the next day because of moisture. Luckily, someone lent em their spare D-8 for the next 2 days of the festival

If you are setting up or tearing down in teh rain, its almost GOT TO BE a team effort. last year at moedown, second day, TJ and I setup in some pretty bad rain, but because we helped each otehr out, NO gear got even a drop on it

that umbrella you have is a CHAMP!

the absolute worst i ever experienced was jam on the river this year. 3 tapers for the biscuits: me, jesse and george. it was a beautiful day all day and not a hint of rain in the forecast. right before the biscuits set the skies looked ugly, but i kept an optimistic outlook. i was WAY underprepared (no umbrella or trashbag) so the band sarts and about 20 minutes into the set the monsoon starts...jesse tears down and george jimmies this rain jacket over his mics. i use the rain flap on the nova 5 for my bag (KEEP IN MIND I JUST GOT THE 722 THAT DAY AND IT WAS MY FIRST TIME OUT WITH IT)

then it comes, REAL HARD. we were set up on this pillar with a base. luckily they were giving out these big foam captain morgan's pirate hats for promotions. i quickly climb the pillar and hold these foam hats over the mics for about 1/2 hour...it was so bad the show was cancelled and they had to quickly lower the lighting rig. somebody found me a trash bag that i threw over everything still recording and run to shelter, which was a good 500 yards away. i broke everything down there and dried everthing to the best of my ability, got home and laid everything out to dry.


the only casualty was my cell phone that was destroyed from water damage in my pocket. i will never be underprepared again 

the recording sounds great, all things considered. (you can hear fans going ABSOLUTlEY NUTS during robots)

I heard that recording. not bad for a monsoon

my umbrella is HUGE, but GREAT for festies we can get 5 pairs of mics under it easily might be time for a new one tho, a few small duct tape patches are keeping it going strong tho!

[Nick's Picks]

I was conditioned by the soundfield.
1.  you dont risk a $5k mic in the rain.  or, I dont...any way.
2.  humidity reeks havoc on mic diaphragms.  ESPECIALLY the Soundfield line...which makes recording in even a light mist not worth it.
3. AKG c34.  try replacing it if you cook it in the rain.

maybe i'd run my 460s in the rain...I dont know.  they are replaceable.
then again...almost all of the outdoor shows I do involve a shed.  and I wont even bother to go unless i'm DFC under it.

[heath]

aside from a lot of garbage bags, when the weather is bad I would often put my gear into a rafting/kayaking "dry pack" backpack.  Not only did it have tons of room to carry gear to a show, but it's also 100% waterproof.  I figure if it can handle whitewater, it can handle a little rain

http://www.rei.com/kayak/TOC/Dry+Bags?cm_re=toc*toc*dry_bags&vcat=REI_SSHP_PADDLING_TOC

[momule]

6mil plastic, both bags and sheeting.

Just FYI Moke I think 6mil might just be a bit thick  .

A trash bag considered "heavy duty" is only 2-3mil and as a whole the thickest plastic we Stock in Sherwin Williams stores is 4mil.   Thats some thick ass plastic.  I would think 6mil might be a bit thick just to cover some gear and it aint gonna fold real nice. 

[JackoRoses]

I have to give kudos to the lowepro AW line of bags.
I use the AW magnum and it has really kept my equipment safe in some pretty wild situations.
Looks like I will be testing it again tonight as it's scattered storms through the area.
For the most part my general rule is if it's pouring before I set up, I don't. If it's misting I will set up the stand and umbrella and work under that.
The bag Heath mentioned is a great idea and the past festival I went to I think it was Nick and I were discussing those.
Lots of good input in this thread, just need to pick the one best for your situation.
All of my equipment has it's own bag/case that than goes into the lowepro, so there is somewhat of an added layer of protection. But adds bulk as well...


edited to add I have not ever had any help setting up/tearing down in bad weather the equipment and I have weathered the storms quite well by myself. You do not need a team effort to set up in bad weather, you just need to be efficient and plan your steps.

[~sin213~]

aside from a lot of garbage bags, when the weather is bad I would often put my gear into a rafting/kayaking "dry pack" backpack.  Not only did it have tons of room to carry gear to a show, but it's also 100% waterproof.  I figure if it can handle whitewater, it can handle a little rain

http://www.rei.com/kayak/TOC/Dry+Bags?cm_re=toc*toc*dry_bags&vcat=REI_SSHP_PADDLING_TOC

Hmmm...never thought about a rafting/kayaking dry pack...I think my buddy has one of those he doesn't use!  Great suggestion!

[heath]

i'm here to help

[halleyscomet8]

Watershed drybags!!!
http://www.drybags.com/home.html

drybag of choice. small company out of asheville. they do a lot of military orders now, for their "fireworks". best bags on the market now. worth every dollar.

[j.mart]

"it didn't rain, but the venue was spraying water on the crowd with firehoses"

Where the heck were you?  Waterworld? <grin>

Of course, it could be a new anti-taper technique....

Mike

normally to cool out the crowd. they did that shit on me once... people were laughing all around me because i was freaking out on getting water on my mics