ribbon mic comparisons

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Gianthands

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hmmm....my first post.....
I recently had a bit of an experiment in a friends studio mic'ing up a drum kit with ribbon mics as overhead...only other mics used were one on the snare and one one the bass drum.......
I compressed heavily......anyway...what I managed to get was a kinda portisheady drum sound......so now I'm really toying with the idea of saving( yep, a little away every week) for a pair of ribbon mics....anyone got any advise/comparisons between say...coles and royer mics......
ta
 
Both the Royer R121 and the Coles 4038 are great mics. You can't go wrong with either one. The Royer is the more rugged of the two mics, and uses a 2 micron thick ribbon. The Coles uses a 0.7 micron ribbon, which makes it more delicate and easier to blow, but gives it a slight advantage in the frequency response dept. The Royer R121 ribbon replacement is about $100. The Coles 4038 ribbon will run about $125 to replace.

The Royer R121 will handle very high sound pressure levels, and Royer will replace your first blown ribbon free of charge. The Coles 4038 will also handle very high sound levels, but not at low frequencies. At 1000 Hz, the Coles can take about 155 dB SPL, with 1% distortion, but at 110 Hz, that level drops to 125 dB, and it will only handle 115 dB SPL at 55 Hz (which is still pretty damn loud). The Royer can handle about 135 dB SPL across the board.

For stereo, two Coles mics would be slightly more expensive than the Royer/Speiden stereo ribbon mic, but you would have a lot more versatility with two separate Coles mics.

I hope that helped a little. It's a tough choice, but whichever one you choose, you won't be sorry. Kinda like choosing between a gorgeous blond and a gorgeous redhead.
 
I have always had a fascination with the firey red-headed types,
but then again my deeply loved sweetheart (who is now sleeping soundly) is blonde........so would the wrong ribbon microphone choice be akin to cheating?????????????????????????????????

I have been impressed by what i've heard of the royers ruggedness. I would not consider buying the royer stereo mike...i really do want the flexibilty of having two seperate mics....

I can get hold of a pair of coles mic to trial in my own studio......
but am unable to compare them to royers...(and any comparison testing in a shop, with a different settup would be pointless i feel)

I do lean towards the coles simply because I can trial a pair first
( I bought my OLD soundcraft desk off the australian distributor of coles mic's....so we have a fairly good relationship....( my set up is all anologue....mci 24 track etc...) (i will time code this computer to it one day soon)

Anyway, form your experience (or anyone's experience) do you detect a definite different sound "character" between the two mic's

ta
 
I'm not sure how to put it into words, or if I do, whether it it will make any sense or not.

The Royer sounds a little "brighter and tighter" - more "modern" sounding. The Coles sounds "warmer, bigger", and you're less aware of the microphone.

If I was comparing them to well-known condenser mics, I'd say the Royer sounds like a C12, while the Coles sounds like a U47.

Does any of this make sense?
 
The Coles IMHO is more sensitive. Lighter ribbon moves easier. I'm quite fond of Royer. Just is a bit smoother, mellow even. I thought the Coles was a little brite for some things. I dig them both, what ever your needs are.
 
Whoa, what's this? Harvey says the Royer is "bright" and the Coles is "mellow", but Wally says the Coles is "bright" and the Royer is "smoother". Sounds like two directly opposing opinions, doesn't it? They both can't be right, so who's right, Harvey, or Wally?

Actually, we're both right. With ribbon microphones especially, different preamp input impedance loading can change the mic's response dramatically. It's very possible to change from bright to mellow, while a similar switch with a different preamp will go the other way, from mellow to bright.

So Wally, if you think I'm gonna blast you cuz we don't agree, you're wrong. You're absolutely right in your tonal assessement of the Royer versus the Coles - and so am I !!! LOL
 
Wally is alway right!

I didn't even see your post prior Harvey! I was typing mine I guess as you posted!
What pre where you using?
I heard it through an Otari elite I do belive. This might be a great time to point out that mic can sound differntly with diffrent pre's with ribbions most of all! :D
 
Harvey is always right, too (well, almost always).

Great River MP-2.
 
What about Beyer mics? Let's get them in disgussion.

What do you use them for, guitars, drums?
 
The only Beyer ribbon mic I have is the Beyer 260. I had it re-ribboned by Stephen Sank in Albuqueque. He replaced the Beyer ribbon with the ribbon for the RCA-77DX, and it now sounds about 100 times better. The charge was $125.
 
I'll second the kudos on the Sank mods...

I've got an M500 that Stephen modded with a 77DX ribbon, and it's a fabulous mic. I've also got a B&O that he modded with a 44BX ribbon that is my fav mic for stand-up bass and a lot of other things...highly recommended.

For the bottom-feeder, this is a good time to pick up some blown ribbons of just about any genre for cheap, and have Stephen have his way with them. I'm into the B&O for about 200 bucks, and I use it instead of my old standbys, the 44s, 77, BK11s, all the time--it's easier to set up, more convenient to place, and sounds great.

So, I would seriously consider some creative ribbon purchases these days instead of going full-boat for a Royer (based on the B&O, by the way) or Coles 4038. These are both great mics (I have both), but you can pick up the phone and order one any time, while these other mics are still available with a little searching, and after SS mods them, you essentially have a new mic, and one that will appreciate in value considerably after having the mod done, and will sound great for years to come...

As far as the stock Beyer ribbons are concerned, they are wonderful mics. I bought a bunch of the M500 reissues with the nice cherry boxes from Full Compass a few years back for 177.00 each, a ridiculously good price for a great mic, IMO. It sounds different than the original M500 (it weighs 2-3 times as much), so I now have 3 different M500s to play with. They are one of my favorite mics period, for a lot of things--female vox, percussion, amps, etc. Check out the pic here to see one set up on a pump organ. Also, the M500 was used for 90% of the tune "Stones and Blood"--fiddle, vocals, and cardboard box:

http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/99/tonewoods.html

The M260s are also good for drum overheads, vocals, etc....Haven't heard the Sank mod on these yet, but everyone, including Harvey, pretty much raves about it...
 
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