Unidirectional Ribbon Mic Options

[Marc Alan Goodman]

[blungo2]

[ivanovich]

the m160 is a tight pattern for sure. unidirectional cardioid ribbon mic that comes to mind? rca 77dx. classic multipattern ribbon. safe space travels!

[Justin Foley]

Assume that you want a ribbon microphone. And that you don't want a beyer.

There are several examples of non-fig8 pattern mics. Other than the M160 (and 260 and 500), Fostex made at least two models (M77RP and M11RP), RCA made the KU-3A (basis for the AEA KU-4A) and there's the Shure Model 330. RCA also had the BK-5 design, which inspired the Silvia SC-5C (later the Telefunken RM-5c) (and maybe also the Oktava ML19). There's also a few specifically stereo models out there that aren't exactly bi-directional - Coles and Royer come to mind.

I have personal experience with none of these, so consider the source.

All of these mics are either a) not made anymore and therefore subject to the care of previous owners or b) really expensive.

Most ribbon mics are bi-directional. Consider - STRONGLY consider - how you can treat to opposite side of the mic's pickup area with sound deadening. Because bi-diretional ribbon mics simply use physical response to deliver their information, the pickup isn't screwy with off-axis treatment the way that cardioids are. So pile up that sound deadening (blankets, insulation, etc) on the opposite side of that fig-8 and enjoy the results.

Or just get some more beyer mics. The m160 (which has better rejection at, say, 120 degrees off axis than it does right behind it, like all hypercardioids) is about the last mic I'd want to give up out of my mic locker. Better than a 4038 or 121, in my opinion.

= Justin

[tonewoods]

[The Scum]

[E.Bennett]

You might be interested in some of the fostex "printed ribbon" microphones from the 90's. They are very well built and sound quite good.
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[Marik]

Indeed, there are not too many choices of modern unidirectional ribbon microphones. The only ones in current production I can think of are Beyer, Silvia SC-5C, and KU4, which are all small ribbon designs.
Hope, this is OK to mention that at 133 AES we will be presenting two new models of unidirectional mics (both large geometry ribbons). One of them is a passive design, and another is the world's first combination of fig8 ribbon and condenser omni capsule to create a cardioid pattern:

http://recordinghacks.com/microphones/Samar/TF08

Best, M

[cgarges]

My favorites are the Beyer M500, M160, and RCA BK-5a. The RCA 77 is a great mic, too, but I'm not sure if I've ever used one in cardioid.

Oktava ML-19 is also a cool mic, although I've had very little experience with them.

I've used Reslos and Shure 330 neither or which were terribly exciting to me.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC
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Bunky Moon, The Public Good
Playing drums with Mitch Easter

[cgarges]

My favorites are the Beyer M500, M160, and RCA BK-5a. The RCA 77 is a great mic, too, but I'm not sure if I've ever used one in cardioid.

Oktava ML-19 is also a cool mic, although I've had very little experience with them.

I've used Reslos and Shure 330 neither or which were terribly exciting to me.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC
_________________
www.chrisgarges.com
www.oldhousestudio.com
Bunky Moon, The Public Good
Playing drums with Mitch Easter

[elbows]

Not trying to veer off topic, but, why do you need ribbons?

If you're trying to keep a shitty sounding room out of your mics as much as possible, and track multiple instruments at once, why not opt for some oddball [moving coil] dynamics? Is it the "flavor" of ribbon mics that attracts you?

Look around for some older Altec, Sennheiser, and EV mics. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Also, try putting a thick sock or two over a cheap condenser.
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[tonewoods]

[cale w]

On the tangent of figure 8's...

I multitrack my 9 piece trad ska band's practices all the time. We're jammed into a pretty small space with low ceilings and minimal treatment, without a lot of physical separation between players. I struggled for a while trying to keep certain sounds out of certain mics until I employed my fatheads in the right way.

On the drums: e602 inside the kick, 635a in the heart position, and a fathead a couple feet above the snare, aimed between the hats and snare, tilted to keep the bass amp (which is a few feet from the floor tom) in the null. The back of the fathead aims at the cloud above the drummer. The bass is DI'd, the guitar has an e609 right on the grill, the Leslie gets a PR40. The singers use handheld AKGs through a vocal PA. The horns play at a fathead a few feet in front of the kit, flugel and bone on one side, and sax on the other. The nulls of that fathead face the kit on one side and the vocal PA on the other. We don't have enough room to individually mic each horn. I used an omni for a while but the bleed was horrendous. The fathead made so much more sense.

Using those nulls on the fatheads allows me to keep the bass out of the drums, and the drums and PA out of the horn mic. I get enough decent separation to make dub mixes out of the tracks (also with judicious use of the AIR Kill EQ in protools). I fell in love with figure 8 ribbons once I understood how to use them! Plus, with all the dynamics and ribbons, and everyone going at it in a small room, the sound is pretty legit for the style of music we're making right off the bat!
_________________
-Cale


low-fi dub! http://soundcloud.com/calewilcox/sets/district-dubs#

[ott0bot]

this just popped up on recording hacks:

http://recordinghacks.com/2012/10/24/unidirectional-ribbon-mic-shootout/
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Rare Currency Recording
Music? Resting Centuries & Archelon
New Project: Jeff Gonzalez "The Lights Just Went Out..."

[tonewoods]

[blungo2]

Can't remember if i posted somewhere else about this, i think not?

That Samar ribbon does look incredibly interesting to me, i played the recording hacks samples over my crappy imac speakers and still hear something cool. I'm starting to save my pennies...