Which budget ribbon is best for Acoustic, Cab miking, and room miking (drums)?

[heisleyamor]

I think I'm going to get a ribbon mic soon. I really want a nice smooth sound for guitar that isn't as bright and crunchy as the 57. I want one that is a nice all-arounder for drum room, guitar cab, and acoustic. I'm trying to spend less than 300$. Apex? CAD Trion? Fathead? Let me know what you think. Thank you

Jeff

[iomegaman]

Originally Posted by heisleyamor

I think I'm going to get a ribbon mic soon. I really want a nice smooth sound for guitar that isn't as bright and crunchy as the 57. I want one that is a nice all-arounder for drum room, guitar cab, and acoustic. I'm trying to spend less than 300$. Apex? CAD Trion? Fathead? Let me know what you think. Thank you

Jeff

Fathead w/cinemag transformer...nice detail, plenty warm...just at $300.00

[tomdarude]

Originally Posted by heisleyamor

I'm trying to spend less than 300$. Apex? CAD Trion? Fathead? Let me know what you think. Thank you

Jeff

Don´t !! for only 400,- you can get the real deal from jon @ shinybox...they don´t look like an RCA but they def. sound better than any chinese wannabe lookalike!!

Shinybox Ribbon Microphones

hell his transformerless version even goes for 250,-....speak to jon and ask him about ribbons...he might have forgotten more about them than we both´ll ever know!

and he´s a nice guy

[muziekschuur]

The Superlux R102 seems overlooked.




Ribbon, the classical style, R102

[JChap]

PhatHed

[Marik]

Originally Posted by tomdarude

hell his transformerless version even goes for 250,

Are you sure this is a transformerless ribbon?

Best, M

[chrysb93065]

Fathead or Apex 210.

[tomdarude]

Originally Posted by Marik

Are you sure this is a transformerless ribbon?

Best, M

NO of course you´re right...I mean the standart version....with the "standart" transformer.....(which one ever that is)

though I think the 400,- is worth it

[Slave8]

Originally Posted by chrysb93065

Fathead or Apex 210.

Not trying to hijack here and the answers might help the OP in this case.

How does to Apex 210 compare to the Fathead? I had narrowed my search down to these two. Having heard the 210 in FEA Tue. testers. But not hearing the Fathead.

Pros Cons on each?

[LeMauce]

For that range, i would look for the Sontronics Sigma, one of my favo ribbon mic's ever. Great reponse, nice eq not to harsh, and good dynamic's.And if you are short on budget the T.bone RM500 is a really nice nice mic!

[Marik]

Originally Posted by Michael_Joly

The Apex 210 is a "long ribbon, short path" mic, the Fathead is a "short ribbon / long path" mic.

This classification seems wrong. While it is true, the Apex 210 is a long ribbon, the path is not short, but actually variable. That is, it is short only in the middle, getting much longer towards the ribbon ends, creating a complex acoustical response.

It is very strange to call the Fathead a "short ribbon". Historically, the short ribbons are those of about 1" long. In this group we could put Beyer 130, 160, Shure 330, Coles 4038, among others. It seems quite wrong and incorrect to put into the same group ribbons, which are as much as 45mm (!!!) long, as it gives a wrong message to readers.
If anything, the ones, which according to Joly’s classification are “short ribbons” should be called “medium ribbons”, instead.

Best, M

[reddirt]

A Michael joly modded apex 205 is very speccy on cabs and out front of drums. Also acoustic with a touch of good eq and terrific on clarinet.
Very'plosive sensitive for vox but some of the best money I've spent in audio. - Search Dr Bill's piano recording.
Cheers, Ross

[SayoNara]

Originally Posted by Marik

It is very strange to call the Fathead a "short ribbon".

Out of the context of the analysis referred to above, the term "short" might indeed be misleading. The term was intended only in reference to two of the three China-made ribbon motor designs; the "long" ribbon is 66mm, and the "short" ribbon is 45mm. (The third design uses dual ribbons.)

The point of the article is that there are only three basic Chinese-made ribbon motor designs, each of which has characteristic sound and performance. There's a table that breaks out dimensions at the bottom of that page.
Chinese ribbon microphone buyer's guide | recording hacks

That said, if someone wants to write a fuller analysis that describes and classifies every ribbon motor ever made, I'd love to publish it on RecordingHacks.

[Marik]

Originally Posted by SayoNara

Out of the context of the analysis referred to above, the term "short" might indeed be misleading. The term was intended only in reference to two of the three China-made ribbon motor designs; the "long" ribbon is 66mm, and the "short" ribbon is 45mm. (The third design uses dual ribbons.)

:-)

For example, we know there are large diaphragm and small diaphragm condenser microphones, and there are two kinds of large diaphragm Chinese capsules--32mm and 34mm. To distinguish between them it would be wrong and incorrect to call the 32mm as a "small" diaphragm.

I am surprised that you are defending the wrong use of term, which gives wrong idea to readers, who will clearly think that 45mm ribbons are “short" ones.
I fail to see what is wrong with calling them their names (i.e. medium), which is appropriate technically, while still clearly distinguishing those two Chinese types.

Best regards, Mark Fouxman