Royer R-121 & R-122V for Acoustic Guitar

[Chevron]

Looking for tales of recording acoustic guitar with either of these mics....

[Jason West]

Originally Posted by Chevron

Looking for tales of recording acoustic guitar with either of these mics....

If you're looking to get crisp and sparkling type of sound, you're not going to get it with ribbon mics to the same degree as condensers.

I (and many folks) like the R-121 on electric guitar cabs because it softens the highs/harshness. (Used in situations where you don't want it too bright like a condenser but not as dull as SM57 either -- something in between.) But that same attribute also makes acoustic guitars sound a little more muffled. This remains true even if you use the "brighter" back side of the ribbon.

But some folks may prefer to call the acoustic guitar sound more "laid back" instead of "muffled" because they like the softer sound of ribbons.

[travisbrown]

Never really cared for ribbons on acoustic guitar. Don't find that they give that clarity to them that I like.

[freestyle tromb]

i have used the 121 once on acoustic guitar; i found it beautiful. "mellow," but still totally clear. it was the perfect sound for what i was doing.

[rlg]

I've found the reverse side of the R-122 to be quite nice on acoustic gtr, depending on what kind of tone fits the song. The R-122's tone is not muffled, it's clear and smooth. If I could only have one mic for acoustic guitars, this probably wouldn't be it, but it gets used often enough here, where I've got a choice of KM84, KM69, the little Josephsons, LDCs... Again, it depends on the track.

[Wilburguy]

I keep wanting my 122 to sound good on acoustic guitar but every time I try it it is a boomy muddy mess.

Fiddles and violins on the other hand sound lovely!

[Chevron]

Thanks guys that info has helped a lot - thinking I'll go the small condenser route to get some ac gtr tones

[lj Potyk]

122v is different then the 122 royer.
the 122v is gorgeous on acoustics

[Tim Abraham]

Originally Posted by Wilburguy

I keep wanting my 122 to sound good on acoustic guitar but every time I try it it is a boomy muddy mess.

Fiddles and violins on the other hand sound lovely!

I agree completely.

I would add, however, that while I've never gotten a sound that I liked from any Royer on an acoustic guitar by itself, I often use a Royer with a SDC right beside it. The body of the ribbon blended in with the top end from the SDC is often a great combo. And the fig 8 pattern of the ribbon adds just a bit more depth as well.

I use this bright cardoid mic/dark fig 8 ribbon technique on many other sources too (guit amps, violin, cello, upright piano....).

[basho]

If you're looking for a good ribbon for acoustic guitar give the Beyer M160 a go. It's much lighter on the bottom end and has a nice "bite" in the midrange along with that typical mellow ribbon top. Nice mic!