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Why play in the rain?
Well of course the first thing that I am going to tell you is don't do it. Don't play you really expensive instruments anywhere there is going to precipitation.
But the reality is that sometimes you just cannot avoid playing in the rain. It wasn't raining when you started, but between going on stage and finishing the heavens open. Then you are into damage limitation, finishing the set and trying to protect you equipment.
Personally I have ended up playing in the rain a few times when I was younger, stupider and less concerned about the equipment that I owned backed then.
Tips for Protecting Your Keyboard
Investing in keyboard covers preferably waterproof cover
If you are going to be playing outside on a regualar basis then you should invest in good keyboard covers. These should prefereably be waterproof.
Your covers will not just be used to keep the rain off your electronics, but also other environmental elements e.g. the sun overheating the keyboard internals forcing thermal protection to kick in before components start to melt or dust and debris being blown into the vents of the keyboard, accumulating over time on the electronic and potentially shorting circuits.
And of course the subject of this article stopping water getting into the electronics and shorting the keyboard.
Overhead shelter
Consider investing on a small shelter that can be setup over your rig. These small shelters can colapse down to a compact unit for storage and transportation.
Unfortunately they thend not to protect you from the elements for very long. Once the material gets saturated it will start to leak. The lenght of time between the rain starting and the shelter leaking normally depends on two factors: The build quality of the shelter and the intensity and duration of the rain.
I use to use one of these even if it wasn't raining to allow me to see the lights and displays on my equipment when there was bright sunshine. But it also gave me the chance to get my electronics protected in cases when it did rain and the gig was abandoned!
Electricity and water do not mix
This should go without saying!. How many of your band mates have managed to get an electrical shock off a mircophone in damp and wet conditions? I know quiet a few, especially if baffels are used to reduce wind noise, which just hold moisure, which intern conducts electricity.
Being the keyboard player you are probably the member of the band with multiple instruments and equipment (keyboard mixer, effects, possibly amplification) plugged into the sites electrical supply. And in most cases the method of connecting into the sites supply is a single, if you are lucky a double socket, which everyone else in the band is going to plug into as well.
Put a device between your equipment and the site supply e.g. a power conditioner. This makes sense even if it is not raining because you have no idea how good the site electricity supply is or even if it is earthed.
When it starts to rain isolating your equipment from the electricity supply is essential. Even if your equipment is running of 9v supplies, disconnect it.
Mains supplies can electrify the case especially if it is metal and poorly earthed, see my earlier comment about the earthing of the site supply. Even plastic cases can become live when wet as the water will become a conductor.
Water can also short circuit components on the circuit boards in your equipment. This type of damage can be extensive and potentially a keyboard killer. But with no electricity, no shorting can occur. Just remember to dry the equipment out before you power it up again.
Don't plug diretly into the site PA
Again this is just good practice. Use a DI (Direct Inject) box between your equipment and any house or site system. These units work by electrically isolating your outputs from the inputs to the house or site system.
What does this mean in practice. Well if the house engineer forgets to turn the phatom power off on your input channels it will not fry your keyboard's outputs.
But in wet or damp conditions this becomes more important as the conditions could mean that not only could phantom power be transmitted, but in certain circumstances mains power could also be transmitted.
What happens if the keyboard gets wet?
Assuming that you have switched it off, initially leave it alone.
Drying out a keyboard is not a quick process. Believe me I have done this a few times.
If you are unlucky enough to get your keyboard wet then as soon as you can get it into a dry environment. It doesn't have to be warm, although this helps, but dry and damp free.
Wipe all the surfaces with a dry lint free cloth. The aim is not to get the surface completely dry, but remove the majority of the moisture.
Next you need to get into the internals, whether that is from underneath the keyboard or by removing the top control panel. All keyboards are not constructed equally. Again using a lint free cloth wipe all the visable surfaces.
Then leave the keyboard with the internals exposed for about a week, to let the moisture evaporate.
You might be tempted to use a hairdryer or fan heater on the internals of the keyboard. Believe me this is not a great idea. You could do more damage than the original water has done. To aceelerate drying you might want to locate the keyboard in its open state to a warm (not hot) room.
But it will still take about a week!
Conclusion
While these are just some good practice suggestions, my overall advice is if it is raining leave the keyboards in the van!
And my final peice of advice is think about having spares. Now I know for most keyboard players this is a real luxury, but friends of mine that have lost the use of their primary keyboard have claimed the spare has saved their lives and their income stream.
Until next time....
About the Author
Jon describes himself as a frustrated musician with a passion for the electronic instruments that help him and other musicians be creative. He started playing keyboards in his late teens and re-ignited his passion and built a new studio following his seperation.
About the Blog
The Music Tech Guy UK's Blog, Website and YouTube channel were started to share Jon's experiences and views on the industry at large and how these effect the small musician. Plus technical tips how to configure and maintain the equipment he owns.
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