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Michael_Joly · 15th February 2007

Since this is the Cheap Ribbon mic thread and I've been a proponent of the Apex 205 as a great value mic, I wanted to toss out this caveat - about 25% of the Alctron ribbon mics I've seen have ribbons that are way to slack in the gap.

When vertical, the ribbon does a sort of double bow in the gap because it is too long. The ribbon can be heard to be scraping against one of the magnets when the mic is moved back and forth in the air. When held horizontally, the ribbon bows almost completely out of the gap in the center. This would cause non-linear response and low output.

Fixing this problem is straightforward but delicate. One or both of the ribbon clamps must be loosened and removed. Then the ribbon pried gently away from the lower clamp surface. Occasionally the ribbon is fused to the clamp surface and cannot be moved without tearing. In this case the last resort is to hope the other end of the ribbon can be freed from the clamp and pulled taught.

This problem is not visible with the stock headbasket mesh and inner waffle plate installed. But it is worth disassembling the mic to inspect the ribbon placement and tension to make sure you're getting all the response the mic is capable of.

15th February 2007	#52
Michael_Joly 3 + infractions, forum membership suspended. Joined: Nov 2005 Location: Cape Cod Posts: 2,735	Apex 205 Ribbon Sag Since this is the Cheap Ribbon mic thread and I've been a proponent of the Apex 205 as a great value mic, I wanted to toss out this caveat - about 25% of the Alctron ribbon mics I've seen have ribbons that are way to slack in the gap. When vertical, the ribbon does a sort of double bow in the gap because it is too long. The ribbon can be heard to be scraping against one of the magnets when the mic is moved back and forth in the air. When held horizontally, the ribbon bows almost completely out of the gap in the center. This would cause non-linear response and low output. Fixing this problem is straightforward but delicate. One or both of the ribbon clamps must be loosened and removed. Then the ribbon pried gently away from the lower clamp surface. Occasionally the ribbon is fused to the clamp surface and cannot be moved without tearing. In this case the last resort is to hope the other end of the ribbon can be freed from the clamp and pulled taught. This problem is not visible with the stock headbasket mesh and inner waffle plate installed. But it is worth disassembling the mic to inspect the ribbon placement and tension to make sure you're getting all the response the mic is capable of.