Royer Ribbon mic

[Briody]

Hey Andy,

I'm wondering if you've tried a ribbon mic on guitar? These new Royer ribbons are supposed to sound incredible on a Marshall, but stand the punishment.

Mark

 

[egan.]

I know the Royers (and Ribbons in general) can sound great on clean guitars, but I honestly didn't think that any ribbon mic could handle a distorted stack....are the Royers really that tough?

 

[Kevin Kitchel]

Ribbon mics actually do better with louder sources. Its the moving air thats really the problem. I have two 4038s, and they can really rock with loud signals. Hell, I've even used one on snare because of the great transient response. You have to watch out for superloud signals like 150 dB levels. Your ribbon will start to distort before it stretches or breaks though, and it sounds like farting. If you hear that noise, back off a little. And the Royer 121s are really tough, moreso than other Ribbons. They are all different though...read the specs. The 4038s, the AEA 84s, and the Royer 121s can all handle really loud sources. The Beyer tiny ribbons are pretty cool too.

 

[Briody]

I know the Royers (and Ribbons in general) can sound great on clean guitars, but I honestly didn't think that any ribbon mic could handle a distorted stack....are the Royers really that tough?

One of the selling points from Royer is that the mic will handle a distorted guitar.

I typically use 57's (through a VIntech mic pre). The sound is good, but I'm looking for something different.

Mark

 

[Kevin Kitchel]

Whatever you do, try not to buy a used Ribbon mic that you haven't had a chance to hear, esp next to another Ribbon mic, and then some mics that you consider standard. I'll tell you all damn day that ribbons are more robust than most people think, but they still do stretch/break. Royer includes the cost of one re-ribboning in with the purchase price. Pretty cool. And then again, even if you do rip it, its only like $100 from Stephan Sank or Wes Dooley to get it redone. I say use them on all the loud stuff, get great sounds, and if it breaks, just get it redone! It might not be an exact freqency match, but the ribbons sound killer, and this might sound weird saying, but they "hear" the same way that your ears do, IMO.

 

[TheSweetener]

The Oktava mL-52 (or so) may be an alternative.
It is around 300.-€ in Germany

 

[egan.]

One of the selling points from Royer is that the mic will handle a distorted guitar.

I typically use 57's (through a VIntech mic pre). The sound is good, but I'm looking for something different.

Mark

I checked out the Royer site and you're right (not that I didn't believe you). It sounds like it could really be cool if used correctly. With a 135 dB rating I would still be careful, but it seems like Royer's whole deal is building ribbon mics that don't break when you look at them the wrong way. My only experience with ribbons has been with classical recordings and they sound wonderful for that but I've never used them in a rock settings. If you get one, please share the results as I'm really interested.

 

[Andy Sneap]

Did anyone check this out on the Royer site

http://www.royerlabs.com/ross_hogarth/guitar_rig_LG.html

I know people that like to combine a couple of mics but... do you think Royer endorse Ross???

Im interested in trying these mics out so keep the suggestions comin.

 

[gunpoint]

Nice forum here!

Hi Andy! hi everyone!

I have bought a R-121 about half a year ago. As someone mentioned before - this ribbon seriousely kills on clean guitars! So far on distorted stacks... I love it on Marshalls (together with a 57) and I think it would also work pretty well with 5150s and similar amps.
I never got a good sound with "gritty" distorting amps like the Mesa Rectos. Maybe it's just me...I never got these to sound cool (even with standard mics like 57s or 421s). Any tips about amp settings and mic position here? I know you work a lot with these amps and on the records they really sound cool... just wonder why. (last time I tried a rectifier, I ended up using a JCM800 / Valvestate combination instead)

...and off axis placement of this mic is the best eq money can buy...

Btw. it also sounds brilliant on drums too (used it on room/hat... would love to try it as OH if I had 2)

..and yes, it stands the volume of loud,distorted stacks... ... so far...

..and no, I don't work for them...