Where do you place your ribbon mic?
 

I'm just curious where others place it.

In front of the guitar? :-)

I don't see any huge difference in where I'd place a ribbon compared to a condenser, but it depends on the mic. I have 2 stereo ribbons, which I generally put centered on the guitar, but raised above the soundhole. You can also record in MS with them, in which case, I make sure the mid mic is above the soundhole, but the side part of the mic may be straddling the soundhole - makes for a nice wide image. All of this is the same as I'd do with a condenser figure-8 mic. You do have to watch distance, as ribbons seem to be more prone to proximity effect - and tend to be bass heavy (or have high frequency rolloff) already.

I also have the AEA N22's which are much more like normal condensers, but like to be placed closer to the guitar - they're designed for home studios where the acoustics may be less than optimal and where close micing is desireable. Spaced pairs works great, even a few inches from the guitar. XY, MS also works well. Again, not much different than any other mic, other than that you can actually place these closer than most mics.

I usually put it in the wrong place first. Then I move it to a place that's less wrong. Then I try a spot that's worse than the previous. Then I move it back.

Ok, thanks Doug. I usually place my mics 12th fret and lower bout. I'll try off center and above.

That's for a stereo ribbon - so similar to XY. If you have 2 ribbons, then spaced pairs would work, or you can stack them to create XY/Blumlein.

A familiar cycle :-)

This is a Shure KSM 313 10 to 12 inches away around the 12th fret recording a demo of my L OO that I got just before Christmas. I love this mic btw.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zSB...w?usp=drivesdk

I have the ST170 which is a figure 8. I'm using it with my AT2035.

The ST170 is figure 8 and the AT2035 is cardioid polar. I'll see if I can make sense of the two patterns and how placement is affected by this, which I guess is the rabbit hole......

I am in a similar process of exploring ribbon mic placement having acquired a pair of AEA N 22's early this last fall .

Unfortunately because of also buying and selling property this fall we have been involved in a major moving and settling in situation liquidating and moving everything from our Colorado residence back to Wyoming.
So I have only actually done 3 recordings so far
One was using the N22's to record both voice and guitar at the same time ( positioned opposing horizontal, one up one down utilizing the null points of the figure of 8 pattern the 22 's have) and then two of just acoustic guitar in spaced pair array.

Just last week I got a stereo mounting bar (from Rodes) so will be trying more positions . The only thing will be trying to figure how to utilize the XY and ORTIF alignment options available on the Rodes , with the side address N22's, as opposed to end address SDC's the Rodes is designed for.

Here is a sample of space pair : one between 12th and 14 th fret, and one just behind the bridge both about 8 inches out . This is a totally dry recording

I think that combination could be a little weird, tho you never know. There's not many standard micing patterns that use two mics with different polar patterns. The one way that would certainly work is mid-side, using the AT as the mid and the ST170 at the side mic. I posted a video on doing mid side a while back. It's on my you tube channel.

Ok thanks. I'll see how it all works out.

hey Kev, I don't know how you'd use a stereo bar with the N22s for this, I'll be interested in what you figure out. One nice little accessory that I found for those mics was this coupler:

https://www.aearibbonmics.com/produc...mlein-coupler/

It basically connects the mics and effectively turns them into a long stereo mic. Useful for XY and MS. It fits really tightly, but it makes setup a lot easier. You could probably mount the connected pair on one mic stand, tho I might be worried about one mic falling out if the coupler loosened up over time.

Interesting little gadget might have to try that . I think the xy and ORTIF might be possible because the Rodes comes with plastic movable spacers to give you vertical separation of the mic bodies . I will mess with it later today and post some pictures.

A tid bit of Audio trivia,,,, in researching the concept of "Is the term stereo applicable to human hearing ?" in the other Goodall thread, I discovered (which I did not know) that Alan Blumlein is credited with inventing the "stereo" method

Ok here we go...... so the spaced pair is easy as the supplied AEA shock mounts rotate almost 180 .. My only issue with the Rode is I wish it went a little wider

https://i.imgur.com/Ec5SQpa.jpg

Now both XY and and ORTIF are doable (because of the spacers ) one above the bar and one below. But because of the side address the angles are not really the same as as with top address as far as the markings on the bar . So I am guessing I will have to play with increasing the 90 degree on the XY and the 110 degree on the ORTIF .

XY starting point

https://i.imgur.com/ItgVXtg.jpg


ORTIF

https://i.imgur.com/BBWg8JL.jpg

It's been a while, but I like my Fig 8 (multi-pattern tube mic) in mono, about 12"-18" out from the neck joint. Never tried it in a stereo pair, but I'd consider it in a trio with the Fig 8 panned to the center. Of course, potential phase issues and room acoustics apply.

Good photos, Kev, thanks. The ORTF makes sense, I wasn't picturing that, but it's obvious now that you show it! I'll be curious how that XY works out, I'd do Blumlein with these, stacked, which is where the little adaptor gizmo comes in handy. I was assuming you'd do them inline, and didn't think your bar was long enough. XY or Blumlein is interesting with these mics since they are so long, tho it ends up being similar to my R88, which is like 2 feet long or something. In any case, the long size of these side address mics makes a lot of mic placements seem different, at least visually.