Can you ID this mic ?

[spantini]

 

[Track Rat]

I believe that's a Mr Micrphone

 

[spantini]

How about this one . . . ?

 

[ecc83]

How about this one . . . ?

View attachment 136685

That is a Reslo RB ribbon. They came in a variety of formats, the basic ones were 30 Ohms (designed to feed a transformer in a valve pre) but there were 600 Ohm models and, probably John's mic, a 50k high impedance type that could drive a guitar amp. The one in the picture might also have a switch (UGH!)

You might be surprised to see a ribbon being worked so closely but RBs had a special construction and 'blast pads' to allow that.

I have two 30R jobs and a Sowter 1:4 transformer to boost them into an AI. The resulting sensitivity is about that of an SM57. The mics are however prone to hum pickup.


Dave.

 

[spantini]

Thank you Dave ! I've seen pics of The Beatles in the Cave before but never took notice of this mic as I was checking out who was playing and what instruments they were playing. This is an interesting mic :

Reslo RB Ribbon Microphone

Here’s another classic Reslo ribbon microphone from the 1960’s! It’s common knowledge that these British ribbon mic’s were made famous by use of The Beatles. For modern studio uses, these ribbons have a pillowy low end and have nice results on guitar amps and in front of a drum kit. While they...

colepicksvintage.com

Hey! I found the second page to the first article posted above earlier. The text continues with more on the polar patterns :

Reslo RB Ribbon Microphone Pair

Here’s a pair of Reslo RB Ribbon Microphones from the 1950’s! These British ribbon microphones have been pictured with the Beatles and other famous acts over the years. Today, these microphones make for a great option on high SPL sources when looking to add warmth and body to a source. Both of...

colepicksvintage.com

And here is the Instructions and Technical Data Manual (cool stuff) :

https://martinmitchellsmicrophones.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/reslorb_instructions_techdata.pdf

‘The Beatles Mic’ Reslo RB/L Black Label (Circa 1961)

Reslosound Ltd were a British company based in Romford, Essex, manufacturing microphones and electrical equipment throughout the 50’s and 60’s. In recent years the Reslo RB has become known as ‘The…

martinmitchellsmicrophones.wordpress.com

More on wiring :

Reslo wiring guide

This is the 'official' wiring information from the Reslo RB brochure... As you can see, different models had different wiring conventi...

xaudiaelektrik.blogspot.com

Reslo RB 30 ohm & Hi Z mic wiring

Some Reslo RB mics have a transformer with a split secondary that gives the owner the choice of either a 30 ohm or high impedance output. Of...

xaudiaelektrik.blogspot.com

 

[ecc83]

The mics have a "modular ribbon" assembly in a plastic frame and so the semi-skilled with a steady hand can replace them but I have no idea if spares are still available.

Dave.

 

[spantini]

That and the "acoustic correction" pads interest me. Before I knew of these pads, I wondered how bad the sound would be with the polar pattern. . John singing into the front, and the audience/room-noise coming into the back. Unusual bit of gear.

 

[rob aylestone]

I found my old ones just a bit bland - there was one go for a hundred quid on ebay today, but they're just a bit 'boring'. My one had a transformer in a cable design - short barrel with a little grey unbalanced bit of coax to a jack plug. I had a perfect one and a broken swivel mount one, araldited to an upright position. One above and one below made a nice stereo pair in Blumlein - but they just sounded a bit, sort of, old? I'm always buying old mics, but I pass on these.

 

[ecc83]

That and the "acoustic correction" pads interest me. Before I knew of these pads, I wondered how bad the sound would be with the polar pattern. . John singing into the front, and the audience/room-noise coming into the back. Unusual bit of gear.

I have removed the front and back grills for you and smudged them...WHAT a bloody fiddle getting them back on!

The front pad is a whitish material, similar to speaker wadding called "Bonded Acetate Fibre" but much finer. The rear pad is black felt about 2mm tick. A stiff plastic gauze surrounds the whole magnet/ribbon assembly. No way was I removing that! You sing at the 3 magnets at the front and the ribbon element is at the back. It is this construction that allows close gob working'
Audience pickup will be minimized by the felt pad a bit but mainly due to the mics low sensitivity, even the high Z model necessitating very close working ( Google "critical distance in PA work") The front and rear polar diagrams of the RBs are in no way symmetrical!

Rob, maybe if you removed all that felt etc and used the mics 'naked' they would sound better on musical sources? But then FFS don't let a singist or a kick near them!

Dave.

 

[spantini]

Audience pickup will be minimized by the felt pad a bit but mainly due to the mics low sensitivity, even the high Z model necessitating very close working ( Google "critical distance in PA work") The front and rear polar diagrams of the RBs are in no way symmetrical!

I can see where the polar pattern wouldn't be symmetrical as in their diagram, but it does indicate maximum pickup Front/Back - most likely with front and rear pads removed. That's what got me curious about this at the start.

 

[spantini]

I found a bunch more cool info on these mics - I added more links to the original post #5. Technical details and nice pics of components - these will go nicely with Dave's most excellent pics in post #9

 

[rob aylestone]

I have a couple of the STC/Coles famous lip mics and these too are figure 8, and you can be heard speaking in the rear - but the sheer volume of the lip on the grill makes even hugely loud room sound from the rear not a problem - so with thousands of screaming football supporters in the stadium, the commentator's voice still gets over the top! I guess the same thing happened with using the Reslo live, where common sense says they should feed back like mad!

 

[spantini]

I have a couple of the STC/Coles famous lip mics . . .

Very unusual. . . to me, anyway. Those lip bars are really something.

MIicrophone of the month October 2019 - STC 4115 'LIPMIC'

 

[rob aylestone]

You might find this interesting you can whisper or yell into a ribbon if you want?

 

[spantini]

That was good, Rob. Thanks for putting it up.

 

[Serendipity Records]

What's this mic?
I spotted it in a Jacob Collier video -- it's not actually being used while in the shot, but appears to be over a drum that has a brush on it?

 

[Steenamaroo]

@Serendipity Records - Looks like Heil PR 28 or similar.
I have no experience with them - Just recognised the heil logo.

 

[spantini]

Wow @Steenamaroo ! ! This seems to be the "or similar" model Going off your reply, I went over to Heil and found the PR 48 to be a perfect match - visually. The 28 has larger framework around the basket. Now, @Serendipity Records' pic. . . the mic looks a little oblong to me - just an illusion, I reckon.

 

[Serendipity Records]

It's on the far side of the camera view, so there's some lens distortion going on (that's why it looks oblong). But yeah, PR48 is the one I reckon, with the XLR input on the side. Anyway, I was really just curious, never even heard of Heil before. Thanks!