flutes strings and ribbons?!?

[josha]

ribbon mics- how are they for flute and strings recording?

[tamasdragon]

Many times they are better than any other solution.
Regards Tamas Dragon

[classicalrecord]

definitely agree-- can take the "edge" off and let you get closer often times. gotta love ribbons on brass and winds, strings... ok, well a lot of stuff.. anyway, you get my point.

[josha]

cheers guys-appreciate it.

[ISedlacek]

I tried a pair of Royer SF-1 for the same instruments and compared them to my Schoeps. I quickly returned the ribbons - they sounded very flat, small and lacking the depth and detail (comparing to Schoeps).
And the output is SO low ...

[josha]

how about the crawley and tripp studio vocalist?...........

[henryrobinett]

Ribbons make me nervous for flutes. I suppose with a stedman or the like. How do you guys do it?

[mosrite]

I tried a pair of Royer SF-1 for the same instruments and compared them to my Schoeps. I quickly returned the ribbons - they sounded very flat, small and lacking the depth and detail (comparing to Schoeps).

Being used to high quality condensers and then trying out a ribbon mic can be very odd. First impressions can be what you describe. BUT (and of course this is purely subjective) nothing gives the balance of smoothness and detail like a good ribbon and for that reason I often choose my Coles 4040 on sources that would otherwise sound a bit 'spiky' with a condenser (e.g. steel strung guitar, close violin). They are a great addition to my mics and while they dont have the air or clarity of a good condenser they can sound perfect on some sources. Of course I havnt tried the Royer you refer to so that might be different...

[Bat Head Sound]

Originally Posted by josha

how about the crawley and tripp studio vocalist?...........

The Soundstage Image might actually the best for this situation in their line.

[Baithak]

Originally Posted by henryrobinett

Ribbons make me nervous for flutes. I suppose with a stedman or the like. How do you guys do it?

Hi Henry,

I did a few bamboo flute recordings with an SF-12 in XY mode. I got the best tone in my room with the mic on the side of the flautist, about 3 feet above the instrument and 3 feet away, facing downwards on the flute. I too would hesitate to use a ribbon if it were to be placed in front.

To Joshu,

On strings I have had mixed results so for the time being I am sticking to the Schoeps CMC6 MK41 combo.

Baithak

[jajjguy]

i've definitely had mixed results with my cello through ribbon mics. could be just the thing, if smoothness and weight were called for, but not at all if quickness and bite were needed. i think these impressions were formed mainly from coles 4038 and rca 77, though i have used others as well.

[ISedlacek]

Well, I still have a temptation to try another ribbon (like AEA R84) and combine it with a pair of Schoeps ... (to put it in front of or behind them). Just for a tiny "sweet" touch ... for violin etc. What do you think ?

[classicalrecord]

that has worked well for me-- well, my version of that idea anyway-- put a ribbon (i have a beyer m130) close to a violin and mix some of it in with a main pair of condensors (josephson c42's for me). i think the ribbon/condensor balance gives a nice sound. i did this in a recital setting recently.

[dizziness]

Originally Posted by ISedlacek

Well, I still have a temptation to try another ribbon (like AEA R84) and combine it with a pair of Schoeps ... (to put it in front of or behind them). Just for a tiny "sweet" touch ... for violin etc. What do you think ?

Yes, I have had great success with strings with Royer SF-12 with a 40 cm pair of CMC6/MK3 flanks. A touch of the Schoeps sweetens the deal but the ribbon is far tastier in texture. Between the two, results are great.

Chris

[Jim vanBergen]

I had great results with Coles ribbons thru a Grace pre though I needed every dB of gain I could get, so next time I brought my AEA R84 and an Aurora pre, got PLENTY of gain for solo flute, a fabulous tone and it sounded even nicer, IMHO. R84 sounds great, needs no tube pre for its warmth.

[ghellquist]

My experience is with Royer SF24 on classical on-location recording. I have been very pleased with brass, flute and piano. Not very pleased with strings so far.

As they are crossed figure 8 they are very sensitive to placement in the room, even more so than omni mics in my experience.

In comparison, cardioids you can simply slap up somewhere and point in the general direction of the instrument and get a useful signal. With the figure 8 mic I need to get much closer and also take careful consideration of the back lobe. And even close the room has a large influence on the sound.

To me they clearly are specialist tools, giving that extra in some circumstances. When used like that they can be heavenly. More often though I do not find the mic to be the right tool. The SF24 is definitely not the general purpose solution you get from cardioids in ORTF, which works in almost every circumstance. Generally though my goto solution is a pair of omnis with outriggers.

Gunnar

[ISedlacek]

Originally Posted by dizziness

Yes, I have had great success with strings with Royer SF-12 with a 40 cm pair of CMC6/MK3 flanks. A touch of the Schoeps sweetens the deal but the ribbon is far tastier in texture. Between the two, results are great.

Chris

It looks interesting. I tried a pair of SF-1 ...

Maybe AEA R84 could be even better for this purpose ? (combining Schoeps with a touch a ribbon sound for solo instruments )