Testing Royer R-101 and R-121

Melodeath

Melodeath

Moonbow
Feb 6, 2004
3,045
2
38
Northern VA
Ok so I got the chance to use the Royer R-121 and Royer R-101 ribbon mics this weekend, and thought I'd share some clips with you all since I was doing comparisons for myself anyway.

Electric Guitar

I reamped a DI track (thanks lolzgreg!) through my old, out of shape 5150 with the R-121 and R-101 as close to each other as they could be on the upper left speaker of my Splawn cab, which I believe is an Eminence Governor speaker. The mics were angled about 45 degrees, close to dead center of the cone (both were slightly off center bc I wanted them to be evenly off center, as opposed to one dead on, and the other 3 inches off) and roughly 4-6 inches away from the cab at the closest point. I also had an SM57 on the lower left speaker, which is a Eminence Man-o-War. It was also roughly 6 inches away to better match phase. Sounds terrible on its own, but it blends better with non-close ribbons than if you shove the 57 up to the grille.

The R-101: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1579861/Reamp5150_101.mp3
The R-121: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1579861/Reamp5150_121.mp3
A blend of both ribbons and a SM57. not the best tone, but just for reference: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1579861/Reamp5150.mp3

And for fun, the same DIs through an HM-2 with the 5150 on green channel: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1579861/ReampHM2.mp3

Which do you prefer?

I then used Ozone to match EQ the 101 to the 121. Which is which?
A: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1579861/EQMatchA.mp3
B: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1579861/EQMatchB.mp3

Voice

Quick spoken test. Probably 8-10 inches away from mics

R-101: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1579861/Spoken101.mp3
R-121: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1579861/Spoken121.mp3

Quick singing test. Note: singing. Not growling. Made in about 3 mins, so excuse if the mix is awful or something. Random sad song. Not my own.

SM57 on acoustic, EQ and Reverb. R-121 and R-101 on voice. No EQ or Compression, but reverb. Same take, R-121 and R-101 were coincident. Whole mix through FG-X.

R-101: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1579861/Acoustic101.mp3
R-121: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1579861/Acoustic121.mp3

What do you think?
 
Nice, thanks for the cool shootout! I was looking at the R-101 recently and wondering if it was any good.
Can't listen to the files right now because it's 2 in the morning and I have to get up early but I will do so tomorrow. Thanks for your efforts :)
 
The last time a comparison of these 2 mics came up, I figured they were different sounding, but basically identical in terms of sound quality. This test confirms it. Either could work just fine depending on what you're going for. The R101 seems much more balanced, whereas the R121 has this low mid scoop thing that, honestly, turns me off a bit. That said, this small scoop obviously works in a mix given how popular and highly regarded they are. Considering the price, I'd definitely go for the 101 first. If they were the same price, I'm honestly not sure which one I'd pick.
 
Cool comparison, I also think they're similar but especially with the voice recording you can hear a difference. That said I liked the R101 a little better on vocals / speech. On acoustic guitar they both sound nice, don't really prefer one to the other there. For electric guitars I'd definitely prefer the R-121 judging from your clips.
I'd also be interested in a little more direct micing technique with them, to hear a little of the different sound they're capable of (only slightly angled downwards to prevent damage).
By angled you're talking about angled to the left / right, not up- and downwards? Having a hard time imagining how you miced the cab - language barrier probably :oops:
There's also quite a few samples on the Royer page for each microphone, plus a comparison: http://www.royerlabs.com/R-101.html (for those interested)
 
which side of the 121 did you use?
the back is a bit brighter.

I MUCH prefer the 121 in this one...smoother high mids, less grainy.
GASsing hard for one, but they're just too expensive...would love to compare it directly to my beloved m160
 
I love Ozone in this test the most... :D ...the ozone matching eq just rox. But yeah... 121 on the guitars,vocals and 101 on acoustics! Tnx for the test!
 
Hey guys, the acoustic is miked up with an SM57 in both takes. The Royers were on the vocal! (Technically there's a tiny bit of acoustic bleed in each royer though)

The mics were placed vertically, angled 45 degrees. I'll post a pic later today if I can
 
Melodeath said:
Hey guys, the acoustic is miked up with an SM57 in both takes. The Royers were on the vocal! (Technically there's a tiny bit of acoustic bleed in each royer though)
Click to expand...
Haha omg! Guess that's why the acoustic guitars sounded the same to me :lol:
I somehow assumed the Royer was placed in a way you could record both sources decently, with the figure-8 pattern and everything :D
I actually wondered how you did that, because if the singer was also the guitar player, it would be nearly impossible to get a useable signal from one of the sources.
Could be possible with the guitarist sitting in front of the singer (facing him) and placing the microphone in the middle I guess

Surprisingly good acoustic sound with the SM57 btw.
The mics were placed vertically, angled 45 degrees. I'll post a pic later today if I can
Click to expand...
That'd be awesome :popcorn:
 
fenixdoido said:
Well, as an 121 owner, i give an advice:
This mic 'sweet spot' for guitar cabs are 30 cm from the grill. Otherwise, they will sound boomy.
Click to expand...

By default this is true, however if you angle it a bit, and have a variable impedance preamp, in combination with using phase from other mics you can get it sounding quite killer right on the grill.
 
Lasse, I used the front of the mics - didn't test the back on guitar. The rear might have been pretty useful on singing voice.

jipchen said:
Haha omg! Guess that's why the acoustic guitars sounded the same to me :lol:
I somehow assumed the Royer was placed in a way you could record both sources decently, with the figure-8 pattern and everything :D
I actually wondered how you did that, because if the singer was also the guitar player, it would be nearly impossible to get a useable signal from one of the sources.
Could be possible with the guitarist sitting in front of the singer (facing him) and placing the microphone in the middle I guess

Surprisingly good acoustic sound with the SM57 btw.

That'd be awesome :popcorn:
Click to expand...
:lol:
Yeah I angled the mics in a way to get the most rejection possible actually.

Thanks for the compliment. EQ was a quick HF shelf, HPF, and a dip in some of the lows, IIRC. I use an SM57 on acoustic quite a bit actually, though mainly because it's my main mic haha

Here's a pic that shows the mics and my homemade pop filter I've been using for years :lol:

HorrendousHM2Promo.jpg
 
Ok I wanted to see other people's thoughts before I posted my own. Anyway, I much prefer the R-121 on everything. It's much smoother on the guitar. The R-101 has this upper mid grain that I don't like when compared to the R-121, and I like the bigger bass of the R-121. That being said, if there was no R-121 in sight, I'd probably think the R-101 was pretty sweet. The R-101 is still much smoother than an SM57, not that I have any problems with the SM57.

Same thing with vocals. The R-101 has this weird metallic ring/harshness to it. Almost sounds like a low quality mp3 on certain "S" sounds. I don't mean to sound so negative, but does anyone else feel that way? The R-121 sounds more "pro," and more "finished/polished." It has this more "realistic sheen" to it, even if it may not actually be more accurate/realistic. Perhaps it's just my particular voice where this metal ringing is prevalent, but the SM57 sounds less "metallic" and harsh on my voice than the R-101, even though it's way brighter.

I'd have to test some EQ before I used a ribbon on singing vox. Sounds fine for speech, though.
 
i'm still so saddened we had to give our 121 back to it's rightful owner :(

i was JUST getting into using it on guitars.... FUCK that thing rules. and yes, i always used the back for cabs when trying it out.... much better... the low end on these things can get crazy but they take to EQ better than any mic I've ever run across.

in these clips, the sound difference in undeniable quite massive and apparent. i MUCH prefer the 121 based on these clips. I'm sad the 101 sounds like it does (even thought its not BAD) but I want that 121 sound :(
 
I know this is a pretty old post, but I wanted to say, first of all thanks for making it - and keeping the sound files active. And I think I'm going to go against the grain here and say I actually like the 101 better, it just sounds meaner to my ears. I'm not sure if those added mids would be good in a mix though, but I suspect they would be, if not it's better to cut frequencies with digital eq's than to add them so taking them out wouldn't be a problem.

I've worked with the R-121, and I love that mic, so here's a suggestion. If you have a vocal shield like the SE Electronics Relfexion Filter, try putting that behind it as these mics tend to pick up A LOT of room sound, being figure 8 mics. Also, like someone else mentioned, these things respond to impedance loading very well, and help to cut out a lot of that low end that you get and cut out the extra bass. Both mics sound excellent as they just sound very natural to my ears and take EQ - even digital, very well!
 
What reverb (hardware or software) are you using? That acoustic + voice sounds nice!
 
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