Percussion – R-121, SF-12
Recorded, mixed and produced by Bruce Swedien.
Recorded at Presence Studios and Westviking Studios. Mixed at Westviking Studios.
From the Juna release “Les Go.”
All percussion instruments recorded with two R-121’s and an SF-12 stereo ribbon microphone.
“Mother”
“Faso Den”
Kick Drum – R-121
Drum Overhead – SF-12
Comparison Tracks
Engineer: Roger Summers
Recorded at Royaltone Studios, Burbank, CA
Session drummer Kevin Shepard playing a Gretsch kit in a large iso booth.
Recording chain: all mics through Neve console preamps, recorded directly to DAT.
1. Kick Drum/Room – one R-121 three feet from the front head.
2. SF-12 overhead, lightly EQ’d to open up highs.
3. C-24 overhead (same position as the SF-12, for comparison)
4. SF-1’s overhead, lightly EQ’d.
(The SF-1 is discontinued, but the active SF-2 sounds identical and has higher output.)
5. SF-12 overhead (lightly EQ’d) and one R-121 three feet off the kick drum.
6. SF-12 overhead and one R-121 three feet off the kick drum. Same track as #5, but with no EQ.
Kick Drum – R-121
R-121 – 10 inches high and 20 inches off the front kick drum head. The microphone was leaned forward 45 degrees to take advance of the mic’s null points and isolate the kick drum from the rest of the kit.
Engineer – Les Camacho.
Recorded at Cornerstone Studios – Chatsworth, CA.
Trumpet – R-122, SF-24V
Piano – SF-24V
Recorded at Sweetwater Studios, Ft. Wayne IN
Arturo Sandoval demonstrates his trumpet and piano recording techniques in the best way possible, laying it down in the studio. Each of these videos feature Arturo soloing on the trumpet and then doing some extraordinary piano playing. For the trumpet demonstrations, engineer Don Murray removed Arturo’s solo tracks from two recordings featured on Auturo’s record “Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You)” and Arturo recorded new solos.
Recording chain Trumpet: Royer R-122 and SF-24V into Millennia HV-3D preamplifier. Bricasti reverb. Recorded to Pro Tools.
Recording chain Piano: Royer SF-24 and two Mojave Audio MA-300’s into Millennia HV-3D preamplifier. Recorded to Pro Tools.
The instruments are miked the way Arturo records in the studio:
Trumpet – one R-122 close mic, with an SF-24V at a distance and blended for added dimension.
Piano – One SF-24V at the knee of the piano, with two Mojave Audio MA-300’s set in Cardioid and spread out.
(Arturo normally uses SF-24’s in the distant trumpet position and on piano, but we had SF-24V’s on hand.)
Trumpet: “Things to Come” (Walter Gilbert Fuller, Dizzy Gillespie)
Piano: “Surena” (Arturo Sandoval)
Trumpet: “And Then She Stopped” (Dizzy Gillespie)
Piano: “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” (Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach)
Full Orchestra – SF-12 Stereo Ribbon
Engineer/Producer: Russell Dawkins
Recorded at the studios of the Ukrainian Radio/Television Orchestra, Kiev.
Recording chain: One SF-12 stereo ribbon microphone with 35-feet of Monster cable connected to a Studio Technologies mic pre, then 6-feet of Monster cable to an Apogee A/D converter, to coaxial cable to the digital ‘in’ on a portable DAT machine. No compression or reverb used.
This exceptional recording of a full orchestra was made on one SF-12 stereo ribbon microphone, positioned over the conductor’s head, at a distance that achieved a nice balance of the orchestra and hall ambience. We use this recording regularly in seminars, as it’s a wonderful example of the amazingly natural reproduction a high-quality ribbon microphone is capable of delivering. The off-axis response is perfect, transients are natural with no overshoot or ringing, and the flat frequency response captures the full range of the orchestra with no peaks or dips anywhere throughout the frequency range.
Sergei Prokofiev – “Romeo and Juliet, Suite No. 2”
Sergei Prokofiev – “Romeo and Juliet, Suite No. 2” excerpt 2
Pipe Organ – SF-12
Recorded by Dr. Fred Bashour
Recorded at The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Denver, CO
Recording chain: One SF-12, 35 feet high, 30 feet back from the pipes, to a Millennia Media HV-3C preamp/ADC, and recorded directly to a Sony TCD-D10 PRO DAT machine.
This track was Dr. Fred’s first use of an SF-12 and was made while he was reviewing the microphone for Pro Audio Review. The final take utilized over 12 mics, but Dr. Fred provided this isolated SF-12 track to Royer Labs for demonstration purposes.
Performed by Ann Labounsky & David Craighead.
Jean Langlais, Mosaique, Vol. 3: (6) Double Fantaisie for Two Organists
Classical Guitar – R-122V
Produced and Engineered by Adam Del Monte
From the Adam del Monte Performance Series.
Guitar built by Francisco Manuel Diaz, Granada.
Recording Chain: Audio on all videos recorded with one R-122V into a Millennia Media TD1 Half Rack Recording Channel, light EQ applied, into a Lexicon reverb.
B-3 – R-122
Piano – SF-12
Electric Guitar – R-121
Engineers: Terry Howard, Al Schmitt (mix)
This extraordinary session was held in Ray Charles’ Los Angeles studio in November 2003. I was privileged to attend and was given permission to take photographs with a small pocket camera. The musicianship was incredible, with most parts of the song being done in one or two takes.
-John Jennings, Royer Labs
B-3: Billy Preston’s Leslie cabinet was miked with two R-122’s, one positioned on the top horn and one on the bottom.
Piano: An SF-12 was positioned inside Ray’s piano alongside a couple of condenser mics. The SF-12 was the main mic used in the final mix.
Electric Guitar: The electric guitar amp was miked with an SM-57 up close and an R-122 further back, blended in the mix.
Vocals – R-122
Cello – R-122
Recorded by Stephen Schauer
Recorded at Deep End Ranch, Santa Paula, CA.
Recording chain: All mics recorded straight into a Tascam HS-p82, at 96/24.
Recording notes:
One R-122 off the front of the cello, tipped up to bring the vocal into the mix.
For ambience, a spaced pair of Mojave Audio MA-101fets were positioned 5 feet back from the cello and above the frame of the A cam, set for omni and mixed back 6-7db, panned hard left and right.
Producer: Stephen Schauer
Camera: Jonathan Saunders, Lane Stroud, Stephen Schauer
Audio: Stephen Schauer
Letting Go (Ben Sollee)
Vocals – R-122
Acoustic Guitar – R-122
Recorded by Stephen Schauer
Recorded at Deep End Ranch, Santa Paula, CA.
Recording chain: R-122 and MA-101fet’s recorded straight into a Tascam HS-p82 portable multi track recorder at 96/24.
Recording Notes:
One R-122 off the front of the acoustic guitar, positioned to balance the guitar and vocal.
For ambience, a spaced pair of Mojave Audio MA-101fets were positioned 5 feet back from the guitar, set for omni and mixed back 6-7db, panned hard left and right.
My Son (Marshall Ruffin)
Producer: Stephen Schauer
Camera: Jonathan Saunders, Lane Stroud, Stephen Schauer
Audio: Stephen Schauer
