Topic: how anal are you about storing your microphones?

[DSatz]

NOLAfishwater, if you use condenser microphones in a smoky environment, some basic kind of pop screen is advisable. The operating principle of a condenser microphone involves placing a electrostatic charge on the backplate and/or membrane. This attracts any small particles from the surrounding air.

In fact, one common type of indoor air cleaner works on this exact same principle, although I doubt that the reverse is true--most electrostatic air cleaners probably wouldn't work so well as microphones. But if you don't use a pop screen or windscreen in a smoky or dusty environment, you are using your microphones as air cleaners, too.

Actually since pop screens and windscreens use open-pore foam, they're not hugely effective as dust and smoke shields. But anything which would be much more effective would also kill the high frequency response of your microphones and affect their directional pattern adversely, too.

--best regards

P.S.: You don't happen to bring your lungs and bronchii along when you make recordings, do you? They use a different method of attracting and keeping small particles from the air. For appropriate protection I recommend wearing something as shown in the attached photo.