Ribbons take EQ extremely well because they generate virtually no self distortion. When you boost any frequency, even by extreme amounts, you increase only the musical response you’re looking for, not unpleasant distortion artifacts. Well designed ribbon mics all share … Read More
We call this “The Horsepower Race.” That 165 dB SPL rating is a bit misleading – it’s for signals at 1 kHz. While that is very loud, it’s not generating a massive amount of sound pressure. Our 135 dB SPL … Read More
One of the advantages of our active microphones (R-122 MKII, R-122V, SF-24) is their ability to drive long cable lengths, up to 100-200ft. without signal loss. The limiting factor would be the quality of the phantom power being supplied to … Read More
We’ve kicked that idea around because ribbons handle EQ so well. Ultimately a decent outboard EQ unit or a good EQ plug-in will do a better job of shaping your tone, while giving you more options. Always remember the value … Read More
Good ribbons generate a signal that is extremely low in distortion artifacts and transformer ringing, so A/D converters have an easier job tracking and translating the signal. The frequency response of ribbon mics is also important. Ribbons are naturally warm … Read More
Under normal working conditions, phantom power will not damage a Royer ribbon. Phantom power is actually required for operation on our active R-122 and SF-24 microphones. The two exceptions are miswired cables and “live cross patching” on a patch bay. … Read More
Use a quality pop screen. Our PS-101 metal pop screens are excellent choices, but any quality pop filter will do. Nylon popper-stoppers and foam mic covers are pop filters. They often affect high frequencies. PS-101’s are pop screens and have no appreciable … Read More
The bass response of most ribbon microphones on guitar cabinets is much better than that of dynamic microphones. Traditional ribbon microphones will be damaged if you position them too close to an extremely loud guitar cabinet, but our R-series mics … Read More
Ribbon mics can be excellent for voiceover work. Their proximity effect gives the big bottom that VO artists love and their smoothness and lack of sibilance make the engineers happy. Due to their consistent off-axis response, ribbons are especially useful … Read More
While most engineers automatically reach for a condenser mic for recording vocals, you can get excellent results from using the right ribbon microphone. Many of the great classic vocal performances were captured on ribbons. Ribbons are great for sibilance problems, … Read More