Ribbon microphones

[Enchilada]

The microphone forum is closed so I think that this forum will do.
Does anyone have any opinions on ribbon mics? How do the vintage ribbon mics like RCA or Lustraphone go.
Are cheap ribbon mics like Nady or Beyerdynamic and good?

[AGCurry]

Opinions? Sure. Love 'em. I have more ribbons than condensors, and I use them as much as possible.

[LRosario]

The thing with ribbon mics is they are an expensive piece to have, but not really needed.

They are fragile, but not sensitive.

They won't pick up sound as well as dynamic and condensers will.

Usually with the freq response they have, they tend to be good vocal mics.

[Han]

The Beyer ribbon mics are fine mics, like any ribbon they combine the benefits of both condender and dynamic mics.

Like any ribbon they have a very low output, which has nothing to do with sensitivity, but you better use a decent pre.

You'll get wonderful sound from acoustic instruments like trumpet, guitar, violin cymbals and you name it, a mellow tone, not harsh at all, it feels like a bonfire.

[Blue Bear Sound]

Originally Posted by Enchilada

Are cheap ribbon mics like Nady or Beyerdynamic and good?

Bwa-ha-ha! Since when is Beyer lumped-in with crap like Nady?!

Beyer's M160 ribbon is hardly "cheap" ($900+ cdn)........ and Beyer makes excellent mics overall.............

[Enchilada]

Originally Posted by Blue Bear Sound

Bwa-ha-ha! Since when is Beyer lumped-in with crap like Nady?!

Beyer's M160 ribbon is hardly "cheap" ($900+ cdn)........ and Beyer makes excellent mics overall.............

I can get a Beyer M160 for US$499 or a Nady RSM-2 for US$329. Compared to a Royer R-121 for US$1,195.00 or an AEA R84 for US$1100 the Beyer is cheap crap like Nady.
From what I've read the Nady RSM-2 sounds better than the AEA R84.

[Harvey Gerst]

Originally Posted by Enchilada

From what I've read the Nady RSM-2 sounds better than the AEA R84.

Well, there ya go!!!

[Enchilada]

Originally Posted by Harvey Gerst

Well, there ya go!!!

I read that on a forum that I've never heard of and found with google. There is bugger all on the net about these Nady mics. I didn't ask "Hey, who hates Nady?" If you were on a very tight budget and had a small home project studio I'm sure that you wouldn't shell out US$329 (for me around AU$575) for a mic that you've read 1 opinion about. What's so wrong with geting multiple sources. To me every mic choice is critical. Not everyone can afford to own 104 mics and a megaphone
I have done a lot of research for the mics I have
I have a MXL V67g, 2 ecm8000s, a SM57, a Sennheiser e835 and a Pro 25.
I want a ribbon mic to record didgeridoo (lay off the Australian jokes), maybe some brass and possibly give it a go on vocals

Has anyone actually used this mic or any other cheap ribbon?

[Blue Bear Sound]

Originally Posted by Enchilada

I can get a Beyer M160 for US$499 or a Nady RSM-2 for US$329. Compared to a Royer R-121 for US$1,195.00 or an AEA R84 for US$1100 the Bayer is cheap crap like Nady.

You think price dictates "merit"........ you must be new........

The M160 has an excellent reputation as a high-quality ribbon and is very common in studios of any decent calibre... the Nady - er... not-so-much.....

[Enchilada]

Originally Posted by Blue Bear Sound

You think price dictates "merit"........ you must be new........

The M160 has an excellent reputation as a high-quality ribbon and is very common in studios of any decent calibre... the Nady - er... not-so-much.....

I never said that price dictated merit. I have recorded in a studio with a U87 and I prefer my V67g on my voice. However, price does dictate what I can and cannot afford. That lumps the beyer and the nady into the same category being my price range.
There's no way you can tell me that a Beyer mic is better than the Nady unless you used the Nady mic. I understand that you think the M160 is a top mic and I'm taking that into consideration because these are two mics I'm tossing up over.
Please don't post assumptions about mics you haven't used and if you have used it, make a constructive comment instead of simply labeling it "crap"

[spinynorman]

Try Coles Ribbon Mics ,fantastic drum overhead - Matt

[Blue Bear Sound]

Originally Posted by Enchilada

Please don't post assumptions about mics you haven't used and if you have used it, make a constructive comment instead of simply labeling it "crap"

I don't need to be familiar with the entire Rolls or Phonic product line to know that it's junk -- just seeing one piece is enough. Same with Nady.............

[Harvey Gerst]

Originally Posted by Enchilada

Please don't post assumptions about mics you haven't used and if you have used it, make a constructive comment instead of simply labeling it "crap"

In an earlier post, you said:

"the Beyer is cheap crap like Nady."

I can only add your own comment as an answer:

"Please don't post assumptions about mics you haven't used."

[Enchilada]

Originally Posted by spinynorman

Try Coles Ribbon Mics ,fantastic drum overhead - Matt

Yeah I checked out the coles mics but they are a bit out of my price range.

How does the OktavaML52 pan out???

[mshilarious]

I think the consensus on the mic board was that nobody's tried the Nady yet. Still, the Nady ribbon is a very odd departure for Nady, usually they limit themselves to cheap copies of other companies' products (see my thread 'All-Nady Studio' for many examples), not their own designs.

Given the above, none of us apparently have been willing to risk $300 on a mic from a company with a bad reputation when you can buy a nice used Beyer for the same spread.

[petimar]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...749094478&rd=1

You can almost always find Beyer ribbons on Ebay for decent prices. I have personally used the M160 and I currently own and love the M500.

Other fav ribbons are the R121 Royer, Coles 4038, RCA44bxs. All great but expensive ribbons. get a clean, high gain pre.

[darnold]

Wasnt there also a thread here with the guts of the Nady microphone and the assumption that it is poorly designed because of the placement with the ribbon and magnets?

It might end being an alright sounding mic, but im too scared to fork out $300 to check it out for those reasons. Maybe i will shoot Nady and email seeing if i can demo one of them against my Royer 122. Maybe not a good A/B comparison but should beable to give a comparison. Maybe someone will let me borrow a Beyer also for a A/B purposes to the Nady?

Ill shoot an email right now.

Danny

[Enchilada]

Originally Posted by Harvey Gerst

In an earlier post, you said:

"the Beyer is cheap crap like Nady."

I can only add your own comment as an answer:

"Please don't post assumptions about mics you haven't used."

I said that the nady and beyer were in the same category, the bear named that category crap.

[Enchilada]

Originally Posted by darnold

Maybe someone will let me borrow a Beyer also for a A/B purposes to the Nady?

That'd be tops darnold. Keep me posted.

[Blue Bear Sound]

Originally Posted by Enchilada

I said that the nady and beyer were in the same category, the bear named that category crap.

That's my point - they're in the same category about as much as a Behringer mic pre compares to a Massenburg.

A little thick, eh?

[mixmkr]

I've got a Beyer m160 and is probably one of the best sounding mics I have used on my Deering banjo, save the $85 Shure SM57.

I also used a Nady wireless unit in my church on a bass rig (<$100) and it worked great. I wasn't about to spend $400 or more on a wireless, and the el cheapo Nady was just fine for that situation....and I used it twice a week if not more.

I also drive a shit Crown Vic circa 1988 and it works good too.

However, my Jack Russells are worth a million bucks and worth every penny.

[mixmkr]

oh....the Beyer ribbon isn't so "fragile" either. Kicks booty on a snare too. The drummer hits it, I'll break his knees though. Crap drummers don't get the pleasure of using my good mics, however.

[Enchilada]

Originally Posted by Blue Bear Sound

That's my point - they're in the same category about as much as a Behringer mic pre compares to a Massenburg.

A little thick, eh?

Well that's your highly generalised opinion of Nady. An example where I'm comming from.
The Hyundai Excel IMO was one of the most unreliable and all around "crap" cars of its time, then Hyundai make the Getz and Accent and wins 1st AND 2nd best small car of the year. Who would have thought that Hyundai would compare to Peugeot, VW, Ford or Holden?
You can't always judge a product its manufacturer.

[Enchilada]

Originally Posted by mixmkr

oh....the Beyer ribbon isn't so "fragile" either. Kicks booty on a snare too. The drummer hits it, I'll break his knees though. Crap drummers don't get the pleasure of using my good mics, however.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Might do well on the underside of a snare

[darnold]

Is the Beyer m160 figure 8 or cardiod pattern though? i would be a little hesitant to use it on snare if it was classic figure 8. I have heard it works well on snare though so im guessing its cardiod (or hypercardiod)?

I would love to get a few of those down the rode. One of my favorite engineers uses Beyer 201s on his toms and i love the way they sound.

I just checked the specs of the m160, guess it is hypercardiod after all. Double Ribbon, thats really cool.

Danny