The EM Poll

Ribbon Mic Summit

Aug 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Gino Robair

           

Ten top engineers share their favorite techniques.

Although condenser and dynamic microphones still dominate most personal studios, ribbon mics are gaining in popularity. More products are now available, covering nearly every price category, so it's not surprising that engineers at every level want to take advantage of the unique recording characteristics that ribbon mics offer. The question most frequently asked is, how do you use them?

To answer this question, I asked ten world-class engineers about how they use ribbon mics on a wide range of instruments and in unusual recording situations. The ribbon enthusiasts were (in alphabetical order) Chuck Ainlay, Joe Chiccarelli, Steve Churchyard, Wes Dooley, Ross Hogarth, Eddie Kramer, John Kurlander, Al Schmitt, Bruce Swedien, and Dusty Wakeman. Their collective recording experience spans nearly every musical genre — rock, pop, rap, jazz, country, classical. Printing a list of their credits — most of these guys are Grammy winners — would take up several pages. So rather than name-drop, I will point you to their Web sites in case you want to research their credits further.

In the interviews, when an engineer mentioned a mic by name for a given application, it was for its sound, features, durability, or a combination of those characteristics. Products by Audio Engineering Associates (AEA), beyerdynamic, Coles, RCA, and Royer came up frequently. Despite the specific mic recommendations, all of the techniques in this article can be applied using any ribbon mic. If you can't afford a classic RCA 44 or 77, let alone an AEA, Coles, or Royer of more recent vintage, there are many less-expensive alternatives that will allow any personal studio to begin working with ribbon mics on nearly any budget. (For a roundup of 13 currently available ribbon mics, check out “Ribbon Revival” at www.emusician.com.)

Two Mics in One

If you are new to ribbon mics, note that there are a couple of important rules to follow. First, never allow a blast of air to directly hit a ribbon mic. The ribbon is thin and relatively fragile, so a misdirected sneeze or cough (or even slamming your mic case shut) can stretch the ribbon and change its sound.

Second, with the exception of the Royer R-122 or SF-24, don't use phantom power on a ribbon mic. “If you have a bad cable where one side shorts out, or you have a bad power supply, you know it immediately with ribbon mics because they go dead,” mic designer and forensic audio specialist Wes Dooley (www.wesdooley.com) explains. “If you send 48V DC to it, it launches the ribbon out and snaps it.” He also suggests storing long ribbon mics vertically to keep the ribbon from sagging, and covering them when they're not in use to protect them from wind and “tramp iron” (the fuzz that covers a magnet after it has been dragged through sand).

Abbey Road veteran John Kurlander (www.studioexpresso.com/profiles/johnkurlander.htm) suggests keeping the cable between a ribbon mic and the preamp as short as possible. “With a mic like the AEA R44 that comes with 5 or 6 feet of cable attached to it, I try to take the mic pre to the mic, placing it on the floor next to the stand. If it's a mic like a Coles 4038, which doesn't have a permanently attached cable, then I use the shortest cable possible.”

Although there are a number of exceptions — including the multipattern RCA 77 and BK5, and the hypercardioid beyerdynamic M 160 and M 260 — the majority of ribbon microphones have figure-8 patterns. Joe Chiccarelli (www.studioexpresso.com/profiles/joechiccarelli.htm) notes that the figure-8 pattern is often used to pick up the ambience of the recording space. “In a sense it's kind of like having two mics in one. And it comes down to working with the mic's position.”

“Try to find the best placement in the room for the instrument,” says Ross Hogarth (www.hoaxproductions.com). “You should use the room as your friend, not foe.”

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