Sound system equipment on the playa -- questions...

Tom.Jennings · Post by **Tom.Jennings** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 9:49 pm

I'm planning on buying a sound system to use on the playa, for DJing psytrance, initially fairly modest. I'm wondering what anyone's experiences are with speakers umm communing with playa dust. It's got to be ruinous!

I'm not too worried about the rest of the electronics at this point; I know it's a serious issue also but that stuff can mostly be dealt with; it's the drivers out in the dusty/salty air that worries me.

Most of the sound camps I've looked at cover them during the day, but just leave them open during play. Are any constructed to be resistant to salty silty sand?

Post by **mdmf007** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 10:18 pm

I saw one fellas speakers that he had put in gigantic clear garbage bags completely sealed. with only the wiring protruding.

Sounded ok, as he had it pulled tight in front so it wasnt slapping around. Not sure how hot it gets inside - but its an option.

Post by **AntiM** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 7:08 am

And it is dust, not sand or silt. Much finer and gets into places you may have thought were tightly sealed.

Do a search, this has been discussed many times on this board.

Dewey · Post by **Dewey** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 8:56 pm

last year we brought a couple mackie stacks with mackie moniters. We had considered covering the speakers with sheets but thought that it might deaden the sound and could be bad with heat and all.....just wasn't sure. Ended up using a dryer sheet like cloth generously stuffed inside the cones as a sort of filter behind the speaker cover. We probably should have changed the filter more often but the speakers came out less than we expected. This didn't affect the sound and kept the guts pretty clean. Didn't take too much clean up with an air compressor when we got home. The mixer and a lot of the other gear however? That's a totally different story.....looking for ideas on that if anyone's got'm.

DrPeffer · Post by **DrPeffer** » Sun Jul 06, 2008 3:14 pm

The dust will get into everything, everywhere, no matter how hard you try to cover or seal stuff up. Having said that, our camp has brought the same rig for a few years now, and it's held up just fine, including the speakers.

Plan on buying a bunch of compressed air when you get home to give it a good dusting, or invest a bit of time or money in having the stuff 'professionally' opened-up and cleaned when you return. As long as whatever dust gets into your stuff doesn't get WET, it doesn't affect anything substantially. True, though, that a layer of dust inside your equipment makes it run hotter than it was designed to. So, some caution and maintenance while on the playa is a good thing (bring a couple of cans of air with you), but more importantly is to just make sure it gets a good once-over when you return home.

In fact, the biggest enemy to our DJ rig in the past has been the heat and sunlight: Decks get really hot to begin with, and hotter still on the playa...Even if you're under some kind of shade. Our decks got a little squirrelly here and there, but only temporarily.

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Sun Jul 06, 2008 4:15 pm

An RV or other closed space like a box van or trailer with AC on and kept closed up will keep all your stuff in fine shape. I do it every year.
The cost to run a generator and keep the AC on can be less than destroying your gear.
I have a dust filtering trick I've never heard anyone else mention; I bring an old Rainbow vacuum. Those are the ones that were sold through a door-to-door marketing scheme for a ludicrous price but can be found on Craigslist or at garage sales for cheap. They don't use a bag, you fill the bowl with water and it sucks through it, removing the crud from the incoming air and depositing it in the water. It's the ultimate playa dust air filter! I just turn mine on inside the rig and let it run a while, and it eats all the playa dust. I used the same one five burns in a row before I killed it, and just went to Craigslist for a replacement.

Speakers kinda' have to be out there in the elements, but I've done well covering my subs with plastic bags.

StevenGoodman · Post by **StevenGoodman** » Sun Jul 06, 2008 4:17 pm

You can put the speakers in big garbage bags, basically works OK. Also, outdoor speakers are more tolerant. Keep everything out of the sun.

Mostly what gets trashed are CD players! Everyone should spin vinyl!

Martini Steve

Post by **mdmf007** » Sun Jul 06, 2008 4:50 pm

You gotta be careful running an AC with no forward motion. The roof mounted types are designed for it, The engine mounted one on your car - is not.

Cars burn every year at BM from AC fires.