Ribbon mic specifics...

S

saxman72

New member
Hey Everybody!

Long time since I've been here... Anyways, I'm thinking of adding a ribbon mic (or two) to my collection. Does anybody have specific recommendations or info?

What's the difference between the Beyer models? Is the M500 better than the M160 or M260?

What's the difference between the RCA models? (44, 74, 77)

And how different does a Royer sound from a Beyer?

I knew they are great for horns and guitar, but I just found out that they also seem like a good choice for drum overheads! (which is why I might want two)

Well, let me know what you think!

Thanks,

:>saxman72<:
 
"What's the difference between the Beyer models? Is the M500 better than the M160 or M260?"

They are very different mics, but consistant. Each has it's purpose, and all are very useful...you kinda need to hear them in context...


"What's the difference between the RCA models? (44, 74, 77)"


These mics are very inconsistant, as opposed to the Beyers. Each one is unique depending on age of ribbon, who rebuilt it, etc. The BK11, by the way, is my fav of the RCA bunch--a great mic, and underrated...


"And how different does a Royer sound from a Beyer?"


Two different animals...
A more interesting question is how different does a Royer sound from a B&O, on which the design of the Royer is based?
Again, two different animals...
Ribbons vary alot, and seem to always be useful if functioning properly, which is more than I can say for the family of dynamics and condensers (OK, the Reslo does suck...)


"I knew they are great for horns and guitar, but I just found out that they also seem like a good choice for drum overheads! (which is why I might want two)"


The Coles 4038 rules for drum overheads, but we all know that from every Beatles recording ever made...
2 BK11's on drums is a wonderful thing to hear...


"Well, let me know what you think!"


I think that you can get really creative in choosing a ribbon these days, and also save yourself some $$$...
For instance, Stephen Sank will take a busted M260. and load it with an RCA 77DX ribbon (he calls it the M260DX), and it will rival an RCA 77 that costs 10 times what the mod costs...
I've also got a B&O that he loaded with a 44BX ribbon that is a great mic for stand-up bass...It's a bit noisy, but so is a 44BX...
 
Thanks for the great reply, Tonewoods...

By the way, about how much does Stephen Sank charge to put the 77DX ribbon in the M260? I can find used 260s for garage sale prices so this sounds pretty cool!

Thanks,

:>saxman72<:
 
I think Sank charges about 125.00 for the mod...worth every penny...
M160s are higher 'cause they're a double ribbon affair...

Yeah, find a blown Beyer or B&O on the cheap, and have him go at it. In a lot of ways, I prefer using the M500DX than a larger 77DX in situations where a less obtrusive mic is required...

They do sound different, though, but so do 2 77DXs A/B'ed...
 
Hey Tonewoods,

Thanks again for your informative reply... I found Stephen Sank's website and found lots of useful/interesting info. Now I've got an opinion question for you:

If you had to start with one ribbon mic, would it be a royer or a M260 with the DX mod? (or some other one?)

My main purpose would be for recording horns, but I'm sure I'll use it for other things too.

thanks,

:>saxman72<:
 
I would try to find a busted RCA BK11 for say, 400 bucks, and send it to Stephen to restore for 150-200 bucks...

He has a soft spot in his heart for the mic--his dad designed it--and he will make it sing...

We share the opinion that the BK11 is the best ribbon mic that has ever been built...

They are very underrated and underpriced...

They easily rival the 77s and 44s, and are 1/2 the price...
 
saxman72 said:
Hey Tonewoods,

Thanks again for your informative reply... I found Stephen Sank's website and found lots of useful/interesting info. Now I've got an opinion question for you:

If you had to start with one ribbon mic, would it be a royer or a M260 with the DX mod? (or some other one?)

My main purpose would be for recording horns, but I'm sure I'll use it for other things too.

thanks,

:>saxman72<:
Click to expand...
I'm not Tonewood, but I'd go for the Sank 260DX for horns as probably the best low cost ribbon mic around. The 260 was available with two different bodies - a straight sided body, and a tapered body. The Sank mod works better with the straight sided body.
 
Hey Harvey, how gozit?

I wish Stephen was doing those mods a few years ago when I sent a Pair of M260s to Beyer for re-ribboning...
425.00 for the 2 mics!
And that's, as I understand it, just a drop-in procedure, unlike the labor and knowledge intensive work that Stephen does on the mic...
Que sera sera...
 
Tonewoods said:
Hey Harvey, how gozit?

I wish Stephen was doing those mods a few years ago when I sent a Pair of M260s to Beyer for re-ribboning...
425.00 for the 2 mics!
And that's, as I understand it, just a drop-in procedure, unlike the labor and knowledge intensive work that Stephen does on the mic...
Que sera sera...
Click to expand...
Yup, and considering I only paid about 60 bucks for my M260, re-ribboning it at Beyer wasn't an option. Sank hand-tunes the ribbons for each mic. It just pisses me off that Mike River's straight sided M260DX sounds better than my tapered body 260DX. But it still sounds great.

I watched Stephen redo the 260 ribbon mod for my mic when I drove thru Albuquerque on the way to the AES show, and stopped at his house for the mod. Really cool guy, and totally commitied to carrying on his dad's quest for excellence. I have pictures of Stephen doing my mic mod, which I'll put up on my web site soon.

I'm doing great down here - just got a new roof put on the double-wide after the winds pulled off most of the shingles. How are things in the great Northwest?

Harvey Gerst
ITR Studio
http://www.ITRstudio.com/
 
Just dandy...had a salmon/oyster feed the other nite, and the sun's out...life is good...
Back to topic (heh heh...) Have your heard the Sank mod on the B&O or M500? Those are the two I've got, and I haven't heard the M260 yet. Was just curious as to how they compared. I especially like the B&O with the 44 ribbon...
I'm whipping up a little demo CD for Stephen here (nothing fancy like the Royer CD) that compares all the stock mics to the Sank mods, so I'll get to hear the M260 mod here real soon...Shakers, classical guitar, mandolin, stand-up bass, and bass harmonica. Should be interesting...
 
Tonewoods said:
Back to topic (heh heh...) Have your heard the Sank mod on the B&O or M500? Those are the two I've got, and I haven't heard the M260 yet. Was just curious as to how they compared. I especially like the B&O with the 44 ribbon...
I'm whipping up a little demo CD for Stephen here (nothing fancy like the Royer CD) that compares all the stock mics to the Sank mods, so I'll get to hear the M260 mod here real soon...Shakers, classical guitar, mandolin, stand-up bass, and bass harmonica. Should be interesting...
Click to expand...
Stephen said (at the time) he wasn't thrilled with the results on the M500, but he said the B&O mods were fantastic.
 
Got a reply from Stephen Sank and he agrees that a Bk-11 is the way to go if you can find one and have the money, BUT the M260 with the DX mod is still a great introduction to ribbon mics at substatially less cost.

Harvey: Did you mean that the straight sided 260 with the mod actually sounds better than the tapered 260 with the mod? Or did you mean it is easier to modify? And how do they sound different?

Now I have to decide if I'm just gonna do this or save my money for a Royer or Bk-11!

:>saxman72<:
 
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