ROYER R121
There are many fine ribbon microphones on the market today but as I see it there are ribbon microphones, and then there are Royer ribbon microphones. I was first introduced to the R121 back in 2002 and I can honestly say that my audio life has never been the same. The R121 is truly one of the most versatile microphones out there--it works on darn nearly everything! Whether I’m in the studio or on location recording live, there’s really nothing I’m afraid to use an R121 on. To better understand what makes the Royer R121 such a fascinating microphones, it would be best to discuss ribbon microphones, their differences to dynamic/condenser microphones, and what is unique about ribbons. Rather than a coil or the use of a back-plate electret to pickup the signal, ribbon microphones literally use a very thin metal made into a ribbon-like material, hence the name ribbon microphones. In a very basic description, this allows the microphone to capture a more natural sound in allowing the engineer to hear the sound as they hear the sound at the source by allowing the sound to freely pass through the ribbon without being “trapped” by a backplate electret or to have its dynamics change through the heating of a coil. This also allows the microphone to sound the same across all frequency responses, thus why a great ribbon microphone is perceived to offer a sound that is more true to the original signal. Lower frequencies do not change or sound boomy just because of the microphone. Vocals are more open and detailed without sounding siblant. Recording of heavy guitar cabinets give you all of the crunch and “anger” while sounding as sweet as apple pie on the high end. Acoustic guitars sound exactly the way they do in the room, etc. In other words, the Royer R121 is a very flat response that allows the engineer to capture the sound as they hear it without coloring or altering the signal. I’m a huge fan of those microphones that do these things, but there is also a time and place when that’s not desired.
The KING of ribbons
In the studio with legendary recording engineer, Ross Hogarth (REM, Jewel, the Black Crowes, setting up a session using Royer R121’s on a highly hot-rodded guitar amp meant for heavy, in your face guitar distortion. Sorry, I lost the audio clips---but a great picture none the less.
A big part of any microphone is a magnet, but ever more-so with ribbon microphones. Historically, these ribbons are quite large making the microphone of significant size and weight. But the magnets used on the Royer ribbons are incredibly small. Just as impressive of the size is just how powerful these magnets are--so much in fact that I can hold one below my hand, another above and they will be attracted. If you hold the magnets too close, they will pull together and even break from the force of the attraction. Because of this design, Royer is able to produce a microphone with no compromise in performance while also hitting a footprint that is as small as typical condenser microphones.
Myths and Realities
It has been thought that ribbon microphones can not be used on loud sources, and well that has been true for a few classics---but not so with Royer ribbons. However, it is true that these other microphones used in the studio could not be used on-stage due to their sensitive nature. Even in the studio, it can be common to replace a blown ribbon (when the ribbon is stretched too far due to amplitude of frequency hitting it too hard and too low) at least once or twice per session. While you still have to be careful even with the Royer R121’s ribbon, you have to really try to blow it up! One sure way to do it is to place it on axis of a kick drum or bass guitar cabinet. With that said, the Royer R121 ribbon microphone is a fabulous microphone for recording both---simply move the microphones out a safe distance (roughly 12”-24” and make certain that it is OFF AXIS!!!). But as it retains to guitar cabinets, feel free to place the R121 right up next to (or even on!) the grill of the amp. This is another myth, or “reality”, of other ribbon microphones is that they are more sensitive to that of a heavy guitar amp tone but a Royer not only can take it---a Royer R121 WANTS IT!! It’s for this reason that Royer ribbon mics have become the favorite microphone of choice for some of the biggest engineers. And again, I’m referring to both in the studio and live. This leads me to another myth in that ribbons can not be used in a live environment both because of the size and fragility of the microphones, but also they will just pick up too much of the on-stage volume. Well, the later couldn’t be more inaccurate--at least in terms of the Royer’s. This might sound like a contradicting statement considering that Royer also has a line labeled as “live” versions of these microphones, but those were designed for ultra-rugged road use, or should I say “abuse” instead. But the reality is that you can use a Royer R121 in any concert situation and get as good results as in the studio.
This video is a clip from a concert I recorded using a variety of Royer ribbon microphones. I used a pair of R121’s on the Leslie cabinet for organ, an R121 on electric guitar cabinet, an R121 on the trumpets, and an SF12 hung in the raftors for ambience and choir distant recording. When it comes to live recording, I have only ONE chance to record not just the instruments and tracks themselves---but to also capture the energy and emotion of the performance. When I use my Royer ribbon microphones for live concert recording, I don’t have to second-guess myself later wondering “well what if I used this” or “I wish I would have done that”. After watching this video clip, hopefully you understand what I’m referring to. There’s just no way I could go back into the studio to do overdubs and keep that same vibe, energy, and feel to the music. After all, it’s all about the emotion.
