Shinybox Ribbon Mic in TapeOp

[Shandy]

TapeOp wrote up a fairly glowing review of a Shinybox Ribbon mic, the 46 series. The prices are WAY low, and they seem like a pretty sound investment for the ol' mic cabinet. Any of you ever use one? Own one?

They ship in a, not surprisingly, nice shiny metal box.

[GPl]

Do a search here, you'll find lots of info. I'm looking forward to getting a 23l and maybe match pair 46mxl.

[stevennn]

I've been very happy with mine. I'm a little too new to mics to compare it to something else, but I've found it useful.

[PoorGlory]

Homerecording.org I believe has a group-buy going on with the suppliers of Shinybox mics... in other words, Shinybox buys their mics from Alctron (Chinese mic manufacturer) and stamps their name on it. However, the 2 Shinybox models that have upgraded transformers really are modded by Shinybox. So unless the mods are that important to you, I would check out this group buy to get the exact same mics that Shinybox, Apex, and Nady are using for cheap.

[Pohaku]

Because of issues raised by the rebranders who aren't enthused about direct purchasing, the group buy is being run out of a private Yahoo group as opposed to a public BB.

Go here and join:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/The_Gr...ophone_Import/

Mic catalogs are available through the group.

[bigbone]

I did buy 2 of those on a group buy on another forum
and so far i love them , i use them as OH's and they
sound full. and the hi are smooth............. like ribbons...
Here a sample of a groove.just a liile compressor on the OH's

[peeceebee]

I've used a pair of Nady's for a while, great sound for the price- I recently upgraded the trannies to cinemags in response to the good reviews of the shinyboxes- Definitely opened up the sound, but surprisingly lost a good bit of level compared to the stock chinese trannies-

[Giganova]

How much gain is actually needed to be able to use one of thes ribbon mics? 45 db? 50 db? even more??

[SRR]

I have the ShinyBox 23 stock, and she needs 66dB~ of gain for "pop" female vocals. The upgraded ShinyBox mics are supposed to need less.

[ShinyBox]

Someone revived one of my old ribbon mic threads, which caused me to peruse the related threads at the bottom).

That last statement is not true actually. The upgraded transformers do not necessarily mean an increase in gain. It's more about changing the frequency response than gain.

As far as gain requirements go, on softer sources (vocals, acoustic instruments, etc.), you'll want a good 60-70dB of clean gain.

Regards

ju

[orange]

and just to point out that this is true of most ribbon mics - it's not some kind of 'fault' of the shinybox ones.

[firby]

When you group buy guys got your ribbon mikes what did you pay ? I need a ribbon and I wonder if it is worth the bother to do a group buy.

[bigbone]

Originally Posted by firby

When you group buy guys got your ribbon mikes what did you pay ? I need a ribbon and I wonder if it is worth the bother to do a group buy.

We can't talk about prices on a public forum, this is what start that war......:P
but let just said that i coul'd not belive how inexpensive that was......

[uncle duncan]

I saw a less than enthusiastic review of the Nady ribbon mic a while back (the same one that is modded by Shinybox, and perhaps the same one that is in the group buy?), which would indicate to me that the Shinybox mods make the mic sound a heck of a lot better. So now you gotta ask yourself is good sound worth paying for? Or, conversely, is investing in less than good sound a good idea?

[pilioha]

I record a lot of Falsetto singing and was told that a Ribbon Mic would take away the edgyness from the piercing tone that we (my group and I) produce. I want a warm toned vocal mic. Which Ribbon Mic is the ultimate best for this?

[camus]

A new voice.

[pilioha]

Wow, what a genius!

[vtone]

I've got a pair of the shiny box 46mxl. I have additional ribbon mics-- royer 121, 122, sf12, and aea r84.

the shiny box mics have replaced the royers as my default oh mics-- they just really soften the cymbals up, capture the kit in a flattering way, and I'm not worried about the mics being accidentally hit because they weren't a huge investment (a part of me was always paranoid about that when I would put up the royers!).

they take eq very well, I almost always have to add a little high shelving to the overheads when mixing. but I've never had such a smooth, pleasing cymbal sound!

I think these are great tools at a very good price. highly recommended.

[tubedude]

Originally Posted by vtone

I've got a pair of the shiny box 46mxl. I have additional ribbon mics-- royer 121, 122, sf12, and aea r84.

the shiny box mics have replaced the royers as my default oh mics-- they just really soften the cymbals up, capture the kit in a flattering way, and I'm not worried about the mics being accidentally hit because they weren't a huge investment (a part of me was always paranoid about that when I would put up the royers!).

they take eq very well, I almost always have to add a little high shelving to the overheads when mixing. but I've never had such a smooth, pleasing cymbal sound!

I think these are great tools at a very good price. highly recommended.

Coolness. Have you tried them on dirty guitar cabs? If so, elaborate. Hopefully mine will be here tomorrow.

[vtone]

Originally Posted by tubedude

Coolness. Have you tried them on dirty guitar cabs? If so, elaborate. Hopefully mine will be here tomorrow.

I haven't tried them on dirty guitar cabs yet-- the royer + a 57 sound so good to me I haven't messed with anything else (and the r84 sounds better than the royer for clean guitar stuff imo).

let me know how it goes and enjoy your new mic! I think you made a wise purchase.

[bigbone]

Originally Posted by vtone

I've got a pair of the shiny box 46mxl. I have additional ribbon mics-- royer 121, 122, sf12, and aea r84.

the shiny box mics have replaced the royers as my default oh mics-- they just really soften the cymbals up, capture the kit in a flattering way, and I'm not worried about the mics being accidentally hit because they weren't a huge investment (a part of me was always paranoid about that when I would put up the royers!).

they take eq very well, I almost always have to add a little high shelving to the overheads when mixing. but I've never had such a smooth, pleasing cymbal sound!

I think these are great tools at a very good price. highly recommended.

Same thing with the ribbon from the group buy ....they are the same model
as the shiny box. i just modified them, (take out the mesh bag inside )
and they sound sweet on OH'S ....with a little EQ, they make your
kits sound full and smooth...........

[jeremysdemo]

I know this is an old thread....but some useful info on these cheap ribbon mics.

Originally Posted by SRR

I have the ShinyBox 23 stock, and she needs 66dB~ of gain for "pop" female vocals. The upgraded ShinyBox mics are supposed to need less.

One question, with all that gain wouldn't that cause possible problems with feedback in a live situation.
The reason I ask is people have said these are great on overheads, and it has been my experience that overhead mics have a tendency to feedback since you have them so high and often have to push the gain to get a usable volume.

On that note, the Universal Audio 2-610 which is what I would use on a pair of overhead ribbons only offers 61db of gain, so what pre- would ya'll suggest to get 66?

keep shinin

jerm

[PID]

Jerm,

The high gain everyone talks about is needed to boost the low output level from the ribbon mics to get a to a good level to tape/disc. I believe people have been talking talking about recording a band "live" in the studio and not a gig, however I could be wrong. I'm using ribbons more and more. I have a couple on overheads right now, and the use another for guitar and other things...I think I want a couple more!

If you're thinking of using ribbons for concert situations bear in mind that they are figure eight and hence more problematic than the cardioid or narrower directional mics you usually see being used at live venues.

Paul

[tapehiss]

i think shinybox ribbons have changed a bit since the 2006 posts above...

they now make their own ribbons..... selected for their response to the transformers...

they also come with a nice spider shockmount....which usually cost around $100-150 when bought after market....
and i think the whole package for a cinemag/lundahl is now $400..

but it appears that zen-pro is selling pairs at $699, which seems like a great deal IMO!

[Michael_Joly]

Originally Posted by jeremysdemo

...One question, with all that gain wouldn't that cause possible problems with feedback in a live situation.
The reason I ask is people have said these are great on overheads, and it has been my experience that overhead mics have a tendency to feedback since you have them so high and often have to push the gain to get a usable volume...

Actually this is not a problem - there is a historical precedent of using figure 8 ribbon mic in live PA applications. The nulls of a true figure 8 ribbon are very deep. With careful mic and loudspeaker placement it is possible to use a great deal of gain before feedback because the loudspeakers are often operating in the null of the mics. There are also classic illustrations of RCA 44 mics being the preferred mic in early film soundstage recording because they would both pick up the actors dialog and simultaneously null out camera noise.

[jeremysdemo]

Originally Posted by Michael_Joly

Actually this is not a problem - there is a historical precedent of using figure 8 ribbon mic in live PA applications. The nulls of a true figure 8 ribbon are very deep. With careful mic and loudspeaker placement it is possible to use a great deal of gain before feedback because the loudspeakers are often operating in the null of the mics. There are also classic illustrations of RCA 44 mics being the preferred mic in early film soundstage recording because they would both pick up the actors dialog and simultaneously null out camera noise.

OK, my careful speaker placement would be four sets of 18" Peavey subs (two on each side) standing in front of the stage pointing forward with four 12" JBl's on top of them, no on stage speakers/monitors, just use wireless in ear system.

I actually have a chance to pick up a pair of the TapeOp group buy ribbons to use for OH's at a steal which is why I am debating it.

keep shinin

jerm

[Michael_Joly]

In-ears for the drummer two? Sounds like a great opportunity to use ribbons as OHs

[jeremysdemo]

Originally Posted by Michael_Joly

In-ears for the drummer two? Sounds like a great opportunity to use ribbons as OHs

It is my general understanding from reading this thread that a lot of these group buy ribbons are the same as the name brand ones.

Is that correct?

I do not know if the two I am trying to pick up have the older ribbons before the switch over or if they are the newer ones the manufactures themselves now make, the seller may, I will ask him.

keep shinin

jerm

[ShinyBox]

If they are made by me, new or old, you can always send them in to me and I can check them out, if there is any question.

Regards

Jon

[jeremysdemo]

Man, kicking myself now for not picking those two up, they went for $70 each, granted they were not the mods, if I would have known customer service was so close by (lurking) I would not have had second thoughts.

HEy Michael, I did pick up the Apex 205 you suggested for entry level vox ribbon in the other thread....but still contemplating the Oktava ML53 for guitar cabs since I could get one now for $100....but I am worried about an older used ribbon at this point.... that even at that price it may cost more than buying new to fix.

keep shinin

jerm