What are they good for? Too fragile for a guitar amp, too quiet for soft guitar parts -- are they just limited to voice overs and hand percussion? I was just curious what instruments old ribbon mics would work well on, and whether I should go out of my way to add one to my cabinet...
old ribbon mics
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Like Mark says, lots of different ribbons, but in general you can say that no other mic sounds alike. Ribbons have a special sound, very smooth and I've learned from Harvey (the Harvmaster) that you can't overload a ribbon in the highs like you can very easely with a condenser. Try recording a tamborine close to a condenser and listen how ugly that can sound.
I have very nice sounds from trumpets and other horns, acoustic guitar, violin, acoustic bass, close micing hi hats and ride cymbals and some vocals (be sure to use a good screen). Even on a very good dynamic like a Sennheiser MD441, a trumpet can sound too brittle.
A ribbon mic can be your secret weapon.
I have very nice sounds from trumpets and other horns, acoustic guitar, violin, acoustic bass, close micing hi hats and ride cymbals and some vocals (be sure to use a good screen). Even on a very good dynamic like a Sennheiser MD441, a trumpet can sound too brittle.
A ribbon mic can be your secret weapon.
Too fragile for a guitar amp? Too 'quiet' for soft guitar? That's wrong.
Ribbon mics are *physically* fragile, but not sonically so. You protect them from wind and physical shock, and you're very careful with phantom power, and you store them well. But most ribbons can take higher SPL than condensors. And they generally have very good dynamic range.
Ribbon mics are *physically* fragile, but not sonically so. You protect them from wind and physical shock, and you're very careful with phantom power, and you store them well. But most ribbons can take higher SPL than condensors. And they generally have very good dynamic range.