Ribbon MXL R144 Microphone Preamp?

G

Geezerhorn

New member
Hello,

I just bought a Ribbon R144 recording microphone. The owners manual says to NOT use a preamp with phantom power or I can damage the mic. Yet, every preamp I look at boasts of having phantom power. What affordable preamp do I use for this microphone? I want to record brass instruments.

Thanks,
Geezerhorn
 
Just turn phantom power off then plug in the mic.
If you want to be super safe, plug in a condenser mic first, turn off phantom power, and wait until there's absolutely no signal.
That will ensure that all power has been completely drained.

Most preamps / interfaces will have a switch for it.
 
And many preamps aren't quite strong enough for ribbons, so you might want to pick up
a Cloudlifter or Fethead pre-preamp (they provide an extra 20-25db of gain). These units
are powered by phantom power, but don't pass it along to the mic.
 
Thanks for the responses. As you might have noticed, I am a total noob at recording. I (try to) play trombone. I have been recording myself with a Zoom. It's okay, but just okay. Now I want to step up to a real mic, since I bought Band-In-A-Box 2013. The Ribbon mic was highly regarded on another forum where us brass players lurk. :) :) :) :)

So, I looked on The 'Zon and found the Cloudlifter listed for $149, which I presume is a reasonable price. I''m hoping I can cable my Ribbon mic into it and then the Cloudlifter directly into the soundcard on my PC? I have cabled the mic on my Zoom to a DAK mixer and on to my PC, so I know I can record on my PC.

Question: will I need a certain type of cable to go from the Cloudlifter directly to my PC? It's really difficult for a noob to find out that kind of info by looking at manufacturer sites and the like. They just assume one knows, I guess.

Thanks again for your help; it's appreciated.

Geezer
 
The cloud lifter requires, but doesn't pass through phantom power.

You'll need to go mic - cloudlifter - device with phantom power.
Ideally and most simply, that device would be a usb audio interface.
 
Thanks. Boy-o-boy, there is just all sorts of those out there and I haven't a clue which one is right.

Well, turns out I can't post links to the two I looked at on Amazon yet cuz I haven't been around here long enough. Anyway, I could get either an in-line simple deal for $41.00 - such as "Blue Microphones Icicle XLR to USB Mic Converter/Mic Preamp" - or a mixer for $50 - such as "Behringer 302USB Premium 5-Input Mixer with XENYX Mic Preamp and USB/Audio Interface".
I don't need the software. I think I could use the DAK software or Audacity that I already have. So, I'm thinking the simple in-line "Blue Microphones Icicle XLR to USB Mic Converter/Mic Preamp" would work?

Geezer
 
Hmmmmmmmm.

I'm wondering if I could go with this: Ribbon R144 recording microphone >>>> Cloudlifter >>>> DAK PC Interface Mixer >>>> sound card on my PC.

I use that DAK mixer now to interface my DAK turntable with my PC soundcard and it works great.

Any information on that or another PC interface?

Thanks,
Geezerhorn
 
Hi,
I don't know anything first hand about that DAK unit, but a quick google seems to label it as a device for backing up old analog media or cds or whatever.

Generally speaking those things aren't especially good quality.
Beyond that, the soundcard that comes with a PC usually isn't of very high quality either.
Quite often people complain of electrical interference when using build in sound cards.
Sometimes the input is mic level; Sometimes it's line level.
It's almost never balanced (stereo over TRS) which can contribute to interference and noise issues.

If it's not the right level you can end up with all sorts of hums/buzzes/hisses.

What you've described will work, but it really will be hit or miss whether it sucks or not.

Anything that connects via usb/firewire or anything like it will completely bypass your built in sound card, which is the way to go.
Maybe take a look at units from presonus, tascam, etc?

Getting audio into your computer is very much a chain in which each link is (arguably) equally important.
 
Make sure that whatever you buy, completely erase 'sound card on my PC' from the list. You want something that does not use your internal soundcard. You want either a USB or firewire interface, to replace the internal card. Trust me, your internal sound card will do nothing good for you. Ignore that it even exists....
 
Great answers guys!

So I'm thinking "Ribbon R144 recording microphone" >>>> "Cloudlifter" >>>>"TASCAM US-200 2-in/4-out USB 2.0 Audio Interface" to PC USB port.

I think that basic TASCAM would be okay? I assume I can turn off the mic pre-amp on it?

Thanks again,

Geezerhorn
 
That looks good.
You can't 'turn off' the preamp; You need the preamp to amplify you mic signal.

That cloud lifter is just a booster because ribbons usually have a lower output than many other mics.
 
You may not need the Cloudlifter with the US200. If it has comparable preamps to the US1800 anyway. For the price of the US200 and the Cloudlifter, you could just buy a US1800. Definitely don't need a Cloudlifter for the ribbon mic with it.

I did some testing of the now discontinued US800. It looked just like the US200, and the preamps tested as strong as the US1800. I would feel safe in recommending the US200, and try it with the ribbon, before buying the Cloudlifter.
 
Good to know, Jim.

OP, just have a think about your future plans for recording. If you think you might track multiple musicians simultaneously or record a live drum kit or anything, go with the 1800.
If you know for certain that stereo or single channel is going to be enough for your needs, 200 it is.
 
Okay guys. But the Ribbon mic I bought clearly states that is should NOT get any phantom power - which is why I thought the Cloudlifter in-line with the other components would be the way to go. Is it safe to go without it if I use the TASCAM 200?

OBTW, it will be just me recording in my little musak studio - AKA - unfinished basement. :) :) :) :)

Geezer
 
Just flick back to my first reply. That'll cover you. ;)

Could be wrong, but just incase there's a mixup of terminology going on, phantom power and preamp are not the same thing.

Your mic (any mic) needs a preamp.
The tascam preamps are capable of providing phantom power also, but you can turn it off.

Just make sure it's completely drained before plugging in your ribbon mic.
 
Okay Steenamaroo. I kinda thought that would be the answer. I'm not sure how to tell if it's completely drained before plugging in the Ribbon mic, though. Maybe just always keep the phantom power switch in the "off" position? That's why I thought the Cloudlifter would be a good thing to have between the interface and mic - as a safety device to make sure that no phantom power ever gets through. Maybe I'm over-thinking this...

Geezer
 
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