How To Clean Professional Audio Equipment
Professional audio equipment is used to describe any audio equipment that is used for a professional purpose. Loudspeakers, microphones, mixing consoles, amplifiers, recording and playback devices like turntables and even telephony devices are all considered to be professional audio equipment. Whether it’s a college PA system or a DJ’s professional audio mixer, professional audio equipment is comprised of components that are complex and specialized, meaning maintenance is key to getting the most use out of them. Fortunately, cleaning and caring for audio equipment is not complex and only requires regular household items and some TLC. Don’t continue being afraid to approach those dusty speakers and amplifiers you’ve been meaning to clean for the last 6 months. Today, we’ll provide you with some tips and warnings to take care of your beloved Behringer pro audio and other audio equipment.
Some things you’ll need: Vacuum with hose attachment Soft cloth Window cleaner Small paint brush (unused)
After you’ve gathered these items, follow these instructions:
1. First things first, disconnect and unplug all audio equipment you want to clean, including all quarter-inch jacks. You don’t want to damage anything, or even worse, hurt yourself.
2. Using a hose attachment, lightly vacuum the front grill of all your audio equipment. If there isn’t a grill, just vacuum the sides, top and bottom surfaces.
3. Using an unused paintbrush, dust all the crevices the hose attachment can’t reach. This might be knobs, any indentations, deep recesses, etc. Don’t use a used paintbrush you might end up making more of a mess than what you initially started with.
4. Spray a small amount of window cleaner onto the soft cloth (terry cloth or even an old cotton shirt will do) so that it is damp. Wipe all the exteriors of your equipment in small and solid motions. It helps to firmly hold the cloth while simultaneously applying slight pressure on your audio equipment to get that brand-new shine. Repeat as necessary.
5. Dampening one corner of the cloth with window cleaner, roll a small section and insert the damp area of the cloth into a quarter-inch jack and quickly remove. Repeat this process for all jacks, dampening only when necessary.
After you’ve followed these steps, you should notice a drastic improvement on the appearance of your audio equipment and later, possibly an improvement on the sound quality, functionality, etc. Maintaining and caring for your audio equipment is crucial to getting the best audio results. Also, remember not to go overboard with cleaning. Clean only when necessarythis will depend on use frequency as well as the air quality of surrounding environments.