recording with a ribbon mic

Doug Young · #1 03-22-2009, 05:57 PM

People who are into mics may find this short demo interesting. I've been intrigued by the idea of ribbon mics for a while, their reputation as being velvety smooth just sounds like a great thing to have. I've also had some good encounters with stereo mics in the past, so when I saw a good deal on an AEA R88 stereo ribbon, I jumped.

I need to spend some more time experimenting, but my initial recordings have been pretty encouraging. Here's a raw, dry track, no EQ, no verb, etc, with just the stereo mic about a foot out in front of the guitar (my Ryan Mission). Recorded thru the AEA TRP preamp (optimized for use with ribbon mics) into Adobe Audition.

http://www.dougyoungguitar.com/mp3/R88_XY.wav

(The wav file will take a minute to download, but it's a short clip, so it's not too bad)

One cool thing about a stereo figure 8 mic is that you can just rotate the mic 45 degrees and get MS, so that's what I did. Same little doodle, dry, no EQ, recorded in MS in the same position:

http://www.dougyoungguitar.com/mp3/R88_MS.wav

And finally, here's the XY track with a bit of processing. I added a touch of high shelf EQ, a little bit of multi-band compression to tame the low end somewhat, and added some verb:

http://www.dougyoungguitar.com/mp3/R88_XY_Mix.wav

fitness1 · #2 03-22-2009, 06:23 PM

all very nice, and you are making me want a good ribbon mic now!!!

My preference is for the second clip.....it makes the guitar have a realistic amount of air around it, which is something I always listen for in the soundstage of any recording.

An example is that if there's a piano (solo or small ensemble) I like it to sound like there's a piano "over there", not like your head is inside the instrument.

Very nice quality to all of them though....very warm and smooth!!!

Doug Young · #3 03-22-2009, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fitness1

My preference is for the second clip.....it makes the guitar have a realistic amount of air around it, which is something I always listen for in the soundstage of any recording.

I think what you're hearing is the wider spread I applied when I decoded the MS recording. I went a little wider than the default, (the default should be identical to XY), which "opens things up" a bit.

rick-slo · #4 03-22-2009, 06:59 PM

Doug, how important was the mike position within the room. My recording room is your typical "den" set up with carpets, various furniture. You have wood floors I believe. How would this mike come across in a carpeted room do you think?

Doug Young · #5 03-22-2009, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Doug, how important was the mike position within the room. My recording room is your typical "den" set up with carpets, various furniture. You have wood floors I believe. How would this mike come across in a carpeted room do you think?

Good question, I've only tried it in my stuido. But my room is fairly dead, thru treatment, and I have a rug covering about half the wooden floor, including where I sit. So I'm not sure my room is that much different than yours. I'm actually messing around with the mic right now - just had to stop for a minute, the furnace came on. The tone definitely varies with position, mostly with respect to the bass. Really close, the bass gets overwhelming, but I can thin it out by moving it around. I just had it back 2 feet and it picks up more room sound, for better or worse, but still sounds very deep.

Bob Womack · #6 03-23-2009, 05:40 AM

It's a very pretty recording of a pretty guitar. What's the guitar?

Bob

Raggamuffin · #7 03-23-2009, 05:59 AM

Very, very nice. I think you've just added a stereo ribbon mic (and probably also a Ryan Mission) to my wish list!

ljguitar · #8 03-23-2009, 08:09 AM

Boy Doug...
Your playing makes my heart sing! Glad you keep finding more mics so you have new excuse to put more music out there for us to listen to! Keep it up...

The mic/preamp combo sounds stellar, but then so do most of your recordings...in fact don't recall ever thinking one was bad or less than stellar.

rmyAddison · #9 03-23-2009, 08:33 AM

Excellent recording quality.............

Good gear, a good guitar and a good player all count!! Well done.

Doug Young · #10 03-23-2009, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

It's a very pretty recording of a pretty guitar. What's the guitar?

Bob

That was my Ryan Mission, Koa and Cedar.

min7b5 · #11 03-23-2009, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug Young

.....

http://www.dougyoungguitar.com/mp3/R88_XY.wav.....

Oh my. That was wonderful sounding.

Bryan T · #12 03-23-2009, 12:33 PM

Very impressive sound. I experiemented with a Royer 121 on several acoustic guitar tracks, but never cared for it. I really like the AEA R88.

Bryan

Doug Young · #13 03-23-2009, 12:41 PM

My first foray into stereo ribbons was a few years ago with a Royer SF12, and there was something very intriguing about the stereo image of that mic, but I never was able to get a sound I liked, either. The AEA's have a reputation for being a more traditional ribbon, compared to the Royer's, so I never really thought the AEA's would be good for acoustic guitar. But it's been a pleasant surprise. Maybe I gave up on the SF12 too soon, or maybe the AEA's just a better match.