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mooseherman « Cheap Ribbon with Phantom Power »
Published on 01/10/11 at 22:23This is a newer type of ribbon mic that requires phantom power. It's part of a new trend that other companies, such as Royer, are starting to do. This makes it different from the older ribbon mics in that it can not only handle phantom power but needs it; old ribbon mics would be destroyed if hit with phantom power.
These are still pretty fragile, though, and should really only be used in a studio environment, as there's not really much practical use for them in a live scenario. As with other ribbons it's also a figure 8 pattern.
OVERALL OPINION
I really like this ribbon mic, but I will say that I don't know how much it sounds like an honest-to-god ribbon mic. It's kind of like a ribbon condenser hybrid, which it technically is as a phantom powered mic with a ribbon. This is because it has the warmth and feel of a ribbon, but is a little bit clearer and sharper than most of them. A really high end ribbon mic will sound better as it will have all the warmth and clarity with none of the harsh brightness, but this is about as close as you can get to that with the price.
It does tend to distort slightly but I personally think that this is a great sonic quality. You wouldn't use this on a Top 40 pop tune or an opera singer, but it'd sound great for blues singers, soul singers, etc. It also works really well as a mono drum overhead (use a pad), as an acoustic guitar mic or a harmonica mic. I could use it on a quieter horn too with great results.
Basically this is a great bang for your buck, it's not gonna compete with a Royer ribbon mic anytime soon but it'll certainly be cheaper and definitely useful.
These are still pretty fragile, though, and should really only be used in a studio environment, as there's not really much practical use for them in a live scenario. As with other ribbons it's also a figure 8 pattern.
OVERALL OPINION
I really like this ribbon mic, but I will say that I don't know how much it sounds like an honest-to-god ribbon mic. It's kind of like a ribbon condenser hybrid, which it technically is as a phantom powered mic with a ribbon. This is because it has the warmth and feel of a ribbon, but is a little bit clearer and sharper than most of them. A really high end ribbon mic will sound better as it will have all the warmth and clarity with none of the harsh brightness, but this is about as close as you can get to that with the price.
It does tend to distort slightly but I personally think that this is a great sonic quality. You wouldn't use this on a Top 40 pop tune or an opera singer, but it'd sound great for blues singers, soul singers, etc. It also works really well as a mono drum overhead (use a pad), as an acoustic guitar mic or a harmonica mic. I could use it on a quieter horn too with great results.
Basically this is a great bang for your buck, it's not gonna compete with a Royer ribbon mic anytime soon but it'll certainly be cheaper and definitely useful.