crowley and tripps naked eye versus royer 121 for guitars, overheads, etc.

[heybulldog]

crowley and tripps naked eye versus royer 121 for guitars, overheads, etc.

I plan to buy one of these and use it for
recording electric guitars-will be my main microphone for this applications paired with a 57 or 609.
recordings acoustic guitars- paired with a 451b or peluso p12.
might pick up a pair for overhead duties.
will use ocassionally for vocals

I have the budget to pick up a royer, but for the price of a royer I could get 2 naked eyes. I also have used the royer in the past but it was a bit suspect on acoustics and overhead duties, not really a good fit. I liked it on guitars quite a bit, but it wasn't quite the holy grail for me, although it was close.

I have done a search on this but did not find much of a comparison.

[heybulldog]

bump

[billgennaro]

don't know about overheads and guitar cabs, but for acoustic guitars and vocals i found the naked eye and 122 to be pretty much the same. the naked eye has the added advantage of dual voicing (if memory serves), depending on which side of the mic you use. this can be very helpful.

hope this helps.

bill

[drBill]

It might be worth your time to check out the cascade fathead II free cd that compares the FH II, 121 and R84. There's a thread about it going on here:

Fathead vs. 121 vs. 84 Shootout CD

I found I liked the fathead over the 121 on several sources. The guy that recorded the cd and his 3 engineer friends all chose the FH over the royer. I liked the royer on a couple of the sound clips, but honestly, the difference is minimal. If you demand the best, you'll need both mics. If you're on a budget.....check out the cd.

[nomatic]

Just waned to give my two cents....

I recently completed a session with both the royers and the crowley and tripp's

I found the C@T's to be slightly bigger sounding and more vesatile.

[warhead]

I could offer comparisons between the Naked Eye and many other ribbons, but not Royer at this time. Did a ribbon shootout on drums on Friday but the guy with the R121 didn't show up...!

War

[alcohol]

I just did a comparison between the Royer 121 and the Naked Eye. I've had the Royer for almost a year and I just got the Naked Eye yesterday. Anyway, they both sounded good with the Royer sounding significantly darker. I think the Royer might need a new ribbon. The Naked Eye sounded really good though, about a foot away, slightly tilted directly in front of the speaker, capturing how the guitar amp sounded in the room. So far I love it. I'm not disappointed in buying the Naked Eye at all.

[heybulldog]

just got a naked eye and a pair of fatheads. anyone else have any opinions on the naked eye, fathead, or royer...

[Roc Mixwell]

Hey guys,

The Crowley and Trip "Naked Eye" is a really great ribbon for Electric GTR applications. The front pickup lobe has a wonderfully "thick", traditional response and works incredibly well on rhythm tracks!!. The rear lobe is the brighter side that might be better suited for vocals, drum kit elements, horns, etc...etc... The Dual Voicing makes the Naked Eye a really versatile choice.

I have not tried the Naked Eye on overheads but i have used The Sound Stage, the Proscenium and the Studio Vocalist, and have loved each one in a much different way.

During a session with a top-notch drummer (JAY!!) I had some other ribbons on the overheads (ride side, hat side, about 4 to 5 ft above the kit placed in a parallel manor) and found that it was WAY too harsh, so we swapped them out for "Sound Stage's" and found that it rolled off the annoying harsh brightness and gave great clarity and definition to the cymbals and the overall picture of the kit.

They were very clear and present without mucking up the rest of the picture.

The Royer 121 has a much less "thick" texture, unless you smash it up against the grill of a REALLY loud amp. The 121 has a really full response and can seem dark on sound sources that are further away. I would recommend that you bring the pair closer to the kit so as to capture more of the direct sound.

hope this helps
peace
mixwell

[C/G]

Originally Posted by Roc Mixwell

... The Dual Voicing makes the Naked Eye a really versatile choice.

Aren't all ribbons technically voiced different when comparing the front and rear pick up patterns?

The 121 is brighter on the back no?

My fig. 8 Fostex ribbons sound different front to back as well.

I realize the Dual Voicing is marketed by C&T as an inherent benefit, but I was under the impression all fig. 8 ribbons sound different when comparing the front and back lobes.

[SpiderM69]

Anyone tried the Naked Eye on vocals? If so, what's your impression? How is it in comparison to the other C&T's if you've heard those on vocals as well?

It would be nice if it can effectively do double/triple duty.

Thanks,

[billgennaro]

Originally Posted by SpiderM69

Anyone tried the Naked Eye on vocals? If so, what's your impression? How is it in comparison to the other C&T's if you've heard those on vocals as well?

It would be nice if it can effectively do double/triple duty.

Thanks,

i auditioned the naked eye and the studio vocalist on my vocals and found the naked eye to be competent but the vocalist to be outstanding. the vocalist has a bump in the 4-5k range but still retains that "ribbony" sound (as opposed to a condenser sound if you know what i mean). i find the upper mid bump on the vocalist to be handy on some acoustic guitars as well (imho). very nice mic.

[StefanColson]

Haven't heard any of the C&T mics, but I'd reach for a shinybox 46 (with any of the transformers), Beyer M160 or M260, AEA R84, or Sennheiser e609 before the Royer when it comes to elec guitar duties. Maybe it's just me, but the Royer definitely does not do it for me on GTR as compared to any of the above mics.

[warhead]

Originally Posted by C/G

Aren't all ribbons technically voiced different when comparing the front and rear pick up patterns?

The 121 is brighter on the back no?

My fig. 8 Fostex ribbons sound different front to back as well.

I realize the Dual Voicing is marketed by C&T as an inherent benefit, but I was under the impression all fig. 8 ribbons sound different when comparing the front and back lobes.

Most ribbons provide a different sound front to back, but not all are very noticeable. The Beyer M130 I find to sound very similar front to back, as well as the Crowley and Tripp Proscenium. There are a few exceptions out there. C&T goes out of their way to change the rear response on the Naked Eye and make it more pronounced.

War

[Dan]

Yes, the Royers also have an asymetrical response from front to back. Not all ribbons do, such as the Coles 4038, or the Beyerdynamic. This makes them theoretically better for mid-side applications. I'm in the process of comparing the Fat Head II next to a 121. I'll have to check out the C&T's also. How are these newer manufacturers selling these mics so cheap?

[warhead]

Same reason you can buy a VCR @ Wal Mart for $22.99:

CHINA.

War

[heybulldog]

dan let us know how your shootout goes. I am curious.

hey warren, thanks for being a killer dealer. My first experiance was with you about a week ago and it was fantastic. Buy from warren guys he is a great guy. my naked eye i got from him.

[SpiderM69]

Originally Posted by warhead

Same reason you can buy a VCR @ Wal Mart for $22.99:

CHINA.

War

Not the case with C&T

[herecomesyourman]

How does the Crowley and Tripps stand up against the AEA r92?

(after loads of sound clips I'm really digging the the r92 a lot.)

But they're in the same price range about...? And this would be mainly for Electric Guitars and Acoustic Guitars (Strummed more than picked.)

I've kind of ruled out the Royer 121...but I own an AC30 with blue alnico's...so whichever would really shine on that amp.

[espen askelad]

Originally Posted by herecomesyourman

How does the Crowley and Tripps stand up against the AEA r92?


I've kind of ruled out the Royer 121...but I own an AC30 with blue alnico's...so whichever would really shine on that amp.

My AC30 is currently in one state, and me, my 121, and my NakedEye are in another, so I can't do a direct comparo for you - I will say though that the 121 + AC30/EL84-VOXy amp combo records amazingly well in my experience.

[warhead]

Originally Posted by heybulldog

hey warren, thanks for being a killer dealer. My first experiance was with you about a week ago and it was fantastic. Buy from warren guys he is a great guy. my naked eye i got from him.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by SpiderM69

Not the case with C&T

I didn't mean to lump them in and they are anything but cheap. I was referring to the Fathead which I guess is another low cost Chinese built ribbon.

War

[NineteenBillion]

Originally Posted by warhead

Thank you!



I didn't mean to lump them in and they are anything but cheap. I was referring to the Fathead which I guess is another low cost Chinese built ribbon.

War

Yeah, I heard that interview with Bob Crowley and Lynn Fuston and I nearly did jumped up with a fistpump when I heard Crowley respond to the question "Is the Naked Eye made in China?" Almost verbatim he said, "No, never. Never in my lifetime." Fantastic commitment to his work and product.

Gordon

[Grizzly]

Originally Posted by heybulldog

crowley and tripps naked eye versus royer 121 for guitars, overheads, etc.

I plan to buy one of these and use it for
recording electric guitars-will be my main microphone for this applications paired with a 57 or 609.
recordings acoustic guitars- paired with a 451b or peluso p12.
might pick up a pair for overhead duties.
will use ocassionally for vocals

I have the budget to pick up a royer, but for the price of a royer I could get 2 naked eyes. I also have used the royer in the past but it was a bit suspect on acoustics and overhead duties, not really a good fit. I liked it on guitars quite a bit, but it wasn't quite the holy grail for me, although it was close.

I have done a search on this but did not find much of a comparison.

For all of these applications, I'd go for an AEA R-84 - it shines on most sources and kind of makes me wonder why I bought an R-121 sometimes, although this latter still gets used on guitar cabs and Hi-Hats...

Olivier.

[Cascade Mic's]

For the record,

Before each and every Cascade Microphone is shipped from our shop, it is inspected and checked to assure that the audio quality is to specification (including checking all ribbon mic's for proper tension).

This is the difference from the pre-packaged Chinese microphones that you peddle on your site.

Originally Posted by warhead

Same reason you can buy a VCR @ Wal Mart for $22.99:

CHINA.

War

[warhead]

Originally Posted by Cascade Mic's

For the record,

Before each and every Cascade Microphone is shipped from our shop, it is inspected and checked to assure that the audio quality is to specification (including checking all ribbon mic's for proper tension).

This is the difference from the pre-packaged Chinese microphones that you peddle on your site.

Hi.

I've said nothing negative about your QC here or anywhere so I don't understand this defensive statement.

We have some lower cost ribbons available for sure, but the majority of our ribbon sales are higher end and need no re-QC'ing process.

War

[ghoost]

Originally Posted by StefanColson

Haven't heard any of the C&T mics, but I'd reach for a shinybox 46 (with any of the transformers), Beyer M160 or M260, AEA R84, or Sennheiser e609 before the Royer when it comes to elec guitar duties. Maybe it's just me, but the Royer definitely does not do it for me on GTR as compared to any of the above mics.

Hear Hear on the Shiny Box Personally, I find the SB MXL quite amazing. This guy may be making the "realist" (is that a word ) ribbon mics around

[Fletcher]

Originally Posted by Cascade Mic's

For the record,

Before each and every Cascade Microphone is shipped from our shop, it is inspected and checked to assure that the audio quality is to specification (including checking all ribbon mic's for proper tension).

This is the difference from the pre-packaged Chinese microphones that you peddle on your site.

FWIW we don't peddle any pre-packaged Chinese Microphones on our site... but I have heard the Cascade mics... and have to say I was pretty unimpressed.

Got anything new and exciting to hear or is it more of the same?

In other news and world events I got to play with a Crowley and Tripp "Naked Eye" that has a "Roswellite®" ribbon in it... definitely not finished yet but I think it will be a rather exciting product when it is.

Peace.

[Empty Planet]

You might not want to leave the Peluso ribbon out of your speculations. It's not as cheap as the Cascade, I think it's around 6 or 7 bills, but I'm getting some of the best electric guitar sounds of my life with the thing, both clean and dirty. Great smooth sound, great depth, and the most "euphonic" mic I own. I've had it for a couple years now and as long as I watch my placement and mind the low end, it's a real gem.

Best of luck with your search, however it turns out.

[Dan]

I forgot about this thread, but after trying the cascade fathead II, I found it to be very good for the money, but it didn't make me want to sell off the usual suspects. Even though the price makes it difficult for me to not pick up a pair for giggles, and the somewhat rare occasion when I just need more ribbon mics, I had to pass. I just have my eyes on some 44's or maybe 122v's.

[Lynn Fuston]

Not exactly on topic but closely related. I tried the Recordist pair on EG just last week, right up on the speaker grille. I was very pleased with the sound. Between those through a GR NV and the alternate pair of 57s through the Neve 81XX, I could get just about any sound I needed.