to ribbon or not to ribbon

maestro · 27th July 2006

I want to buy a ribbon mic i think. I have been reading about AEA and Royer. DO my pres (listed below) have enough gain to power the R88 for example. Sometimes the music can be very quiet.

I usually record on location (church with great acoustic)

I mostly record male voice choir and solo classical piano (9ft Steinway in church) and some solo vocal

I have

Microphone Locker

AKG414B-ULS
AKG Solidtube
Neumann SKM140 (Cardioid) Stereo Pair
DPA stereo 4006 (Omni) stereo set
Shure Beta 58a x2
Shure SM57

Outboard

Manley VoxBox Voice Channel
SPL Gold Mike Pre Amp
Millenia HV3D 4 channel mic pre
CraneSong Spider 8 Channel mic pre

Fletcher · 27th July 2006

I know the Spider will have more than enough gain for an R-88 or SF-12... but it will depend on how quiet the music gets to determine whether or not the level of self noise is acceptable for your specific applications.

I would suggest you give one a try and see [hear?] how it goes.

FWIW I've kinda found the R-88 to be a bit more musical than the SF-12 and the SF-12 to be a measure closer to "being there"... as always, YMMV.

Peace.

heyman · 27th July 2006

Not to Hijack- but the Great River MP2nv and the Royer 122 is a great combo..

maestro · 27th July 2006

Thanks

I wouldn't be able to rent either out where i live. Since i already own 4006s perhaps a 'musical' mic would be a good investment. Is the R-88 suitable for recording classical piano?

maestro · 27th July 2006

Also i will be travelling to New York in a few weeks. Where could i listen to a Royer SF12 or AEA R-88. Are they special order?

If anyone can recommend pro audio stores in New York i'd be grateful

Sui_City · 27th July 2006

The R88 is incredible on piano. A client of mine said she had never heard her piano sound so real.

Fletcher · 27th July 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by maestro

Also i will be travelling to New York in a few weeks. Where could i listen to a Royer SF12 or AEA R-88. Are they special order?

If anyone can recommend pro audio stores in New York i'd be grateful

3 hours North [by car] I know of a shop that has both in stock and a pretty good sounding piano along with house drums, guitars, percussion instruments and a pretty fvcking accurate control room... but it is 3 hours north of Manhattan [4 hours by train]

27th July 2006	#1
maestro Gear addict Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 419 Thread Starter	to ribbon or not to ribbon I want to buy a ribbon mic i think. I have been reading about AEA and Royer. DO my pres (listed below) have enough gain to power the R88 for example. Sometimes the music can be very quiet. I usually record on location (church with great acoustic) I mostly record male voice choir and solo classical piano (9ft Steinway in church) and some solo vocal I have Microphone Locker AKG414B-ULS AKG Solidtube Neumann SKM140 (Cardioid) Stereo Pair DPA stereo 4006 (Omni) stereo set Shure Beta 58a x2 Shure SM57 Outboard Manley VoxBox Voice Channel SPL Gold Mike Pre Amp Millenia HV3D 4 channel mic pre CraneSong Spider 8 Channel mic pre

27th July 2006	#2
Fletcher member no 666 Joined: Jun 2002 Location: Durham, NC Posts: 10,108	I know the Spider will have more than enough gain for an R-88 or SF-12... but it will depend on how quiet the music gets to determine whether or not the level of self noise is acceptable for your specific applications. I would suggest you give one a try and see [hear?] how it goes. FWIW I've kinda found the R-88 to be a bit more musical than the SF-12 and the SF-12 to be a measure closer to "being there"... as always, YMMV. Peace. __________________ CN Fletcher Professional Affiliations: R/E/P Professional Recording Engineer and Producer forums - serious hobbyists welcome SoundPure.com mwagener wrote on Sat, 11 September 2004 14:33 We are selling emotions, there are no emotions in a grid Roscoe Ambel once said: Pro-Tools is to audio what fluorescent is to light

27th July 2006	#3
heyman Lives for gear Joined: May 2005 Location: Providence, RI Posts: 2,769	Not to Hijack- but the Great River MP2nv and the Royer 122 is a great combo.. __________________ Best quote ever....! Posted by Infernal Device.. "Guitar Center.... Even the good news is in the moan zone."

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27th July 2006	#6
Sui_City Lives for gear Joined: Aug 2004 Location: South of South Posts: 820	The R88 is incredible on piano. A client of mine said she had never heard her piano sound so real.