Humidity control for musical instruments

Q: Can Condair solutions be used in private homes as well ?

Yes without question and with Condair;s extensive portfolio of products it will be possible to select the correct humidifier for the specific application

Q: What are the benefits of optimal humidity levels for musical instruments?

Humidity plays a crucial role in maintaining optimal performance of musical instruments, particularly those made of wood and protecting your health. Five benefits would include: wood stability, tone quality, playability and comfort, longevity and preservation, as well as consistency in instrument performance.

Q: What types of instruments are most affected by dry air?

Pianos, violins, guitars, cellos, and other wooden or veneered instruments are most at risk, but even wind instruments with wooden parts can suffer from low humidity.

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Benefits

There are many reasons to manage humidity in environments where musical instruments are kept and used.

Maintains acoustic performance

Optimal humidity extends the period between necessary retuning and maintains tonal quality.

Prevents expensive damage

Humidity control avoids dimensional changes and damage to materials and veneers.

Provides return on investment

Maintaining optimal humidity reduces the risk of repairs and reduces servicing and tuning costs.

Humidity control for musical instruments

Top of page Benefits Use Cases References FAQs

Precision Climate Control

Designed with decades of expertise in concert halls and professional settings, our solutions create the ideal environment (40–55% RH, 20–22°C) for pianos, violins, guitars, and other delicate instruments, ensuring optimal playability, resonance, and reliability.

Protect & Preserve Instrument Value

Our humidification systems maintain the precise humidity levels required to safeguard fine tonewoods, preventing cracks, shrinkage, and sound distortion, ensuring your instrument retains both its rich sound quality and long-term financial value.

Use Cases

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Projects and references

Condair in tune with Steinway, London, UK

Steinway & Sons has been enowned for producing the finest pianos since 1853. Passion and commitment, perfection and quality, reliability and – of course – an inimitable sound are just some of the characteristics people all over the world associate with these high-quality instruments. The impressive showroom in London Marylebone was
recently refurbished. Condair’s steam humidifiers are playing a vital role in maintaining the exceptional craftsmanship involved in the production of Steinway’s famous pianos.

Royal Albert Hall

The Royal Albert Hall is probably the best-known concert building in Great Britain. Around two million guests a year enjoy acoustic cultural delights ranging from rock to classical music. Condair steam humidifiers ensure a perfect humidity in the organ chamber so that wooden parts maintain their integrity and shape, and move over each other perfectly, as they were designed to do.

Christ's Hospital Organ

Condair has supplied a Condair CP3 steam humidifier to humidify the school hall organ at Christ's Hospital School near Horsham, ensuring it resonates correctly and remains in tune whatever the weather. Large pipe organs need to have the humidity maintained within their organ chambers in order to preserve the wooden sound boards and sliders. If the air in the organ chamber becomes dry then it will draw moisture from the surrounding wood causing it to suffer dimensional changes. This can cause the sliders to warp and stick, resulting in an unresponsive instrument. By maintaining 55% relative humidity (%RH), the wood is in equilibrium with the air and it retains its moisture content and shape.

Allianz-Arena, Munich

The Allianz Arena was one of the most controversial construction projects, even prompting a public vote by Munich citizens. It has since become a central landmark in northern Munich and an architectural symbol of the city. Particularly striking is the translucent, diamond-shaped outer shell, which can glow in different colors.

Using projectors and asymmetrical parabolic mirrors developed specifically for the Allianz Arena, the diamonds can be illuminated in different colors depending on the club's colors. The stadium is around 50 meters high, 200 meters long, and can accommodate 66,000 spectators. Condair RS steam humidifiers ensure optimum humidity levels.

Thomann GmbH, Treppendorf (Germany)

In-room humidification is an integral part of air conditioning: for guitars, trumpets, customers and employees. At Thomann Musikhaus, controlled humidity guarantees protection, atmosphere and health.

Philharmonic Hall, Berlin - Germany

The Philharmonie Berlin uses the Condair DL hybrid humidifier to ensure precise, hygienic humidity control that supports acoustics, comfort and reliable hall performance.

Philharmonic Hall, Luxembourg

The Philharmonie Luxembourg uses the Condair DL hybrid humidifier to ensure precise, hygienic humidity control across its concert halls for optimal acoustics and comfort.

Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney, Australia, identified as one of the 20th century's most distinctive buildings. Though its name suggests a single venue, the building comprises multiple performance venues which together are among the busiest of performing arts centres &ndash hosting well over 1,500 performances annually, attended by more than 1.2 million people.Condair evaporative and steam humidifiers are helping to maintain the ideal indoor environment, to preserve the integrity of the wooden interiors, the musical instruments, the vocal performance of the artists and the health of the public.

Festspielhaus Erl, Austria

The Erl Festival Theatre achieves a pleasant indoor humidity level through precise steam humidification. Its diamond-like architecture blends harmoniously into the surrounding Tyrolean mountain landscape.

Musical theatre, Linz - Austria

Musiktheater Linz uses the Condair DL hybrid humidifier to ensure precise and hygienic humidity control, which promotes acoustics, comfort, and material protection.

Dusty Strings

Dusty Strings is a manufacturer of fine lever harps and hammered dulcimers, and runs a Seattle-based acoustic music retail store and music school.

The Glasshouse (formerly Sage), UK

The Glasshouse International Centre for Music is a concert and event center in Gateshead, England, and home to the Royal Northern Sinfonia ensemble and the Academy of Music and Sound. It has three performance halls that seat 1,700, 400 and 200 people respectively.

Condair gas-fired steam humidifiers ensure the optimum atmosphere to preserve the wooden interior and musical instruments, as well as creating a healthy and comfortable room air humidity in the halls.

City Recital Hall, Angel Place

Located in the heart of the Sydney CBD, City Recital Hall produces, presents and hosts a rich and diverse program of concerts and events, embracing all genres and art forms from chamber orchestras to opera, contemporary ensembles to bands, talks and debates, to festival events. The venue was opened in 1999 and is the first specially designed concert venue to be built in the city since the Opera House in 1973. Condair supplied a Condair ME evaporative humidification system is providing the mainstage auditorium low energy, hygienic humidity control and also two Condair EL electrode steam humidifiers are used to provide humidity for performance stage and instruments.

Quotes from our Customers

Forth Pipe Organs

David Page

Director

What’s important for us in choosing a humidifier partner is having confidence that they understand the application and that the solution genuinely fits the environment we’re working in. Condair’s range gives us that flexibility. Whether we’re dealing with a large performance venue or a much smaller, more challenging space, Condair’s humidifiers and application advice always help us find the right humidity solution.

Christ’s Hospital School, UK

Peter Dutton

School organist

Condair clearly had experience in working with such ancient and delicate organs and was quickly able to propose the most suitable model, as well as its positioning for installation.

It has made a real difference in keeping the humidification in the organ chamber stable and we are now able to play the organ whatever the weather is like outside; even during the cold, dry conditions of last winter.

Opera North, UK

Richard Ashton

General Manager

The orchestra spends over 20 hours a week rehearsing and performing here, so it was essential to provide a consistent level of humidity during the times when they use the space. After meeting with Condair, we felt confident that the company understood our specialised requirement, not just the level of humidity, but also the need for reliability, flexibility and cost effectiveness.

Since installing humidification, which we switch on as and when required, our musicians have felt much more at ease regarding the safety and performance of their instruments.

Steinway & Sons, UK

Craig Terry

Managing Director

Incredibly rare and expensive wood is used in some of our models – but actually any type of wood is susceptible to changes in environmental conditions. Dryness is the enemy of pianos so humidity is really important. We need 40% to 50% humidity all the time to protect the wood, whether they’re in the showroom or the workshop. Condair’s units are ideal for the job.
And because we rely so heavily on the reliability of the humidifiers, we also contracted with Condair to service the humidifiers at regular intervals. Would I recommend Condair? Oh yes, they’ve supplied great service.

Musikhaus Thomann GmbH, Treppendorf (Germany)

Florian Rittweger

Sales Management

“Optimal humidity is a must for our instruments and at the same time refreshing and health for our customers and our team.”

Frequently asked questions

Can Condair solutions be used in private homes as well ?

What are the benefits of optimal humidity levels for musical instruments?

What is the easiest way to maintain proper humidity levels for instruments?

To avoid the problem of unregulated humidity, it is important to first understand the challenges . Every room, even within a single facility can and most likely will be unique in the way the humidity varies. Initially consider investing in a hygrometer, a compact device used to measure atmospheric humidity and temperature as both are important parameters in control of humidity around musical instuments . Many instrument cases come equipped with built-in hygrometers, allowing you to stay informed about the humidity conditions within your storage case. Having data about the environment in which the instrument is stored or used is a significant step towards addressing the issue.As its important to minimise the differential to which the instrument may be exposed.

What types of instruments are most affected by dry air?

Why is it important to maintain proper humidity levels for musical instruments?

Musical Instruments particularly those made from wood or containing natural fibres require close control of humidity in the air surrounding them. These natural products are typically cellulose based so they expand and contract with changes in humidity This is essential for the preservation of all chambers, wooden sound boards and sliders that there are no dimensional changes . Dry air extracts moisture from the material causing shrinklage which not only damages the object’s sound quality but can have a huge impact on financial value of the instrument

Get free expert advice

If you want to explore your options for humidity control, Condair's expert sales engineers will visit your site, review your project and talk you through their recommendations.

Alternatively, if you would prefer a call or online meeting, our team are always happy to discuss possible solutions and offer free technical advice.

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