NPR Marketplace on Wes Dooley and AEA Ribbon MIcs

[foldedpath]

Nice NPR audio interview with Wes Dooley and photos on AEA ribbon mics here:

http://www.marketplace.org/2016/05/2...-mics-headline

P.S. just my opinion, but I have two AEA ribbon mics and I'll never sell them, but they're not the *first* mics you should buy when you're learning home recording. Learn what a condenser mic does first. And you need a good room and a good preamp for passive figure-8 ribbon mics.

But man... when you can use a ribbon mic to its full advantage and it's appropriate for the source material, AEA ribbons are amazing tools. Very solidly built. AEA makes some solid mic stands and other support gear too. Kudos to Wes Dooley for his company's part in keeping this technology alive!

[Pete Martin]

They make great stuff. Ive owned several of thier mics and pres over the years. Top shelf indeed.

[TonyP]

They seem to show a "museum", is it something you actually can visit or is it just a display case or? I actually have to go down to that area in the near future and if it was something I could actually go see I'd like to. LA/Pasadena for a small town mouse like myself is somewhat terrifying, but I'd brave a detour to see that!

[Mandoplumb]

Foldedpath when is a ribbon mic not appropriate, I've used one for everything from bass to fiddle to vocals to etc, never found something I didn't like, even used one set at the back of a church to record a Christmas Cantana and it done a very acceptable job, not a lot of room echo, music and choir very good, speaking parts acceptable. Yes a more elaborate set would have been better but a lot more work and more room for error,which brings me to another thing I like about ribbons, they are forgiving, a big plus if you screw up as much as I do

[foldedpath]

Foldedpath when is a ribbon mic not appropriate, I've used one for everything from bass to fiddle to vocals to etc, never found something I didn't like, even used one set at the back of a church to record a Christmas Cantana and it done a very acceptable job, not a lot of room echo, music and choir very good, speaking parts acceptable.

Okay, fair question ("when is a ribbon mic not appropriate"), and of course this is purely subjective and based on what we all individually record for source material and mixing intent.

When I recorded a Classical violin with piano accompaniment demo CD project a few years ago, the violinist and her producer wanted to hear the "hiss" of bow hair on the strings, especially for one Bartok piece that was mostly played as harmonics. You can't capture that kind of high frequency detail with a ribbon mic, so I used a pair of KM184 small condenser mics. I also preferred a stereo condenser mic on the piano, both for the rear rejection pattern and the balanced tone. Air frequencies are important with piano too. I do like the sound of a ribbon mic on fiddle for Irish trad or OldTime, but Classical artists are usually looking for something different.

For mandolin I like either a stereo pair of small tube condensers, or a combination of one small diaphragm tube condenser and one ribbon mic like a Royer 121. The two together have a nice balance. Ribbons alone sound too thick or dark for the tone I'm shooting for on mandolin, even with EQ.

I don't like the sound of ribbons on vocals. This is a huge subject and every voice is different. But for female vocals especially, I prefer the sound of a large diaphragm tube mic. Especially with some of the "modern" vocal styles that range down to a whisper. Again, it's those air frequencies that a condenser is so good at capturing.

So that's just my personal preference. I do use ribbons frequently, but for me they're not something I'd always put on everything in a mix. It's just a tool with a certain sound, and sometimes I'm looking for something different.

[Pete Martin]

Many modern ribbons can add plenty of air when you boost the upper frequencies. Especially the Royer SF12, my all time fav mic. Does it sound like a conderser? NO! But it can get surprisingly close. And the SF12 can be boosted a LOT in that range.

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I know ribbons can sound good with an upper EQ boost. I just have a hard time fighting my natural inclination to avoid boosting EQ. I'm one of those who was trained on the idea that it's always better to cut EQ and never boost it unless you absolutely have to. It's a hard habit to break.


Also, I'm convinced that in some situations like that Classical violin recording I mentioned, you're not going to capture what a condenser does by just lifting EQ on a ribbon mic.

Of course, if you have a big enough mic locker you can have it both ways (Goat Rodeo session photo):

[Don Julin]

Big ribbon mic fan over here.

[almeriastrings]

I like 'em... then again, I also like really nice tube condensers, such as the KM-54 and various modern "takes" on classic LD designs ..oh, and I also like top class solid-state condensers too (love the Schoeps CMC641's with the MK41 capsule). What I am really saying is they are all very nice and all have their uses. Use whatever suits the source best. Mandolin and ribbons do seem to be a consistently good match, though.