Best Ribbon Mic

[Mr.Br1an.1204]

Hi, before I start IF you are going to JUST search amazon,(with no prior audio experience) please do NOT respond(with a suggestion that is).

I am looking for a good budget ribbon microphone (under $200). Thanks in advance!

[chckovsky]

Do you even know what a ribbon mic is?

[_CrisisRogue]

Just now, chckovsky said:

Do you even know what a ribbon mic is?

i don't, but i sure want to know

[chckovsky]

It's an on old and fragile mechanical way to capture sound. A proper, true ribbon mic of any quality to speak of costs 5 to 10 times your budget. It's just not feasable. Also they break easily. Did I mention they are expensive and break easily?

EDIT: OP, are you sure you're not just talking about a mic with a figure-8 pattern?

[Fullmental]

2 minutes ago, _CrisisRogue said:

i don't, but i sure want to know

They're expensive, for one thing. You don't buy a cheap ribbon microphone. Better to get a condenser, much more robust and not that much difference in sound quality.

[_CrisisRogue]

1 minute ago, Fullmental said:

They're expensive, for one thing. You don't buy a cheap ribbon microphone. Better to get a condenser, much more robust and not that much difference in sound quality.

doesnt explain what it is, any examples of microphones I could know about? Is the Blue Yeti one, or not at all im just ignorant? im bad with audio, but im trying to learn.

[Mr.Br1an.1204]

10 minutes ago, chckovsky said:

Do you even know what a ribbon mic is?

in fact, I do, would you like me to tell you what they are and what they are used for today?

[chckovsky]

Just now, Mr.Br1an.1204 said:

in fact, I do, would you like me to tell you what they are and what they are used for today?

Go ahead, I'm curious.

[Mr.Br1an.1204]

Just now, chckovsky said:

Go ahead, I'm curious.

They are microphones with a "darker, warmer sound" that capture sound with a small piece of metal (usually aluminum) and they are just good to have in your arsenal, for example, would you use an SM58 or 57 to record a warm sounding acoustic guitar? yes, you could but that doesn't mean you will always like the sound with the tome of your music.

They still have their use in modern day recording, and I guaranty every pro studio has one. and yes I know they are VERY fragile, but I'm prepared to deal with that.

also, I figured it out myself:https://www.amazon.com/Marantz-Professional-MPM-3500R-Microphone-Sound-Pressure/dp/B01GDB74RG/ref=sr_1_7?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1533229730&sr=1-7&keywords=ribbon+microphone

maybe some others can benefit from this.

[chckovsky]

I've only used a few at a few occations. The Royer 121 and Coles 4038. Coles are great overheads, but we ended up using them as room mics on drums because the top end response wass so much smoother than that of a condenser mic. Royer 121 is great in combination with an Sm57/Sennheiser 906 on an amp cabinet, gives a more full body. Not really usable on it's own though, at least for heavier stuff.

[Mr.Br1an.1204]

13 minutes ago, Fullmental said:

They're expensive, for one thing. You don't buy a cheap ribbon microphone. Better to get a condenser, much more robust and not that much difference in sound quality.

Quality is NOT the same as, Sound signature.

[Fullmental]

6 minutes ago, _CrisisRogue said:

doesnt explain what it is, any examples of microphones I could know about? Is the Blue Yeti one, or not at all im just ignorant? im bad with audio, but im trying to learn.

They're an older style of microphone that uses a very thin metal "ribbon" suspended in a magnetic field to capture sound. The microphone is extremely fragile due to the thin material. We're talking 100 times thinner than a human hair. The slightest burst of wind or a particularly bad plosive can rupture it. 

 

Otherwise it's got kind of a quiet, dark sound, and excellent off axis sound rejection (figure 8 pickup pattern). 

 

Unless you're an expensive production company though, you really don't need this kind of nuanced sound, and you won't get any significant benefits at a $200 price point.

[Mr.Br1an.1204]

11 minutes ago, _CrisisRogue said:

doesnt explain what it is, any examples of microphones I could know about? Is the Blue Yeti one, or not at all im just ignorant? im bad with audio, but im trying to learn.

No, blue yety is a condenser mic.

[_CrisisRogue]

Just now, Mr.Br1an.1204 said:

No, blue yety is a condenser mic.

ok, just didn't know, thx

[Mr.Br1an.1204]

1 minute ago, _CrisisRogue said:

ok, just didn't know, thx

no prob, ask any questions, I will ask my sound teacher and reply tomorrow.

[_CrisisRogue]

Just now, Mr.Br1an.1204 said:

no prob, ask any questions, I will ask my sound teacher and reply tomorrow.

ill only ask one more: what's the frequency range that they record?

[Mr.Br1an.1204]

Just now, _CrisisRogue said:

ill only ask one more: what's the frequency range that they record?

it really depends on the mic, check before you buy, for example, my at2020 has a slightly different frequency response that a different one of the same model, I got a report in the box. (note the at2020 is not a ribbon but this info applies to all mics.)

[chckovsky]

14 minutes ago, _CrisisRogue said:

doesnt explain what it is, any examples of microphones I could know about? Is the Blue Yeti one, or not at all im just ignorant? im bad with audio, but im trying to learn.

Dynamic mics are at the core very simple, a speaker wired in reverse. Most speakers work by an electric signal triggering the wires around the cone to create a variable magnetic field, forcing the magnet in the cone to move, in order to produce sound. So with a dynamic mic one can reverse the process, to create electrical signals out of sound.

The different types of condenser mics are a bit more complex.

[kasugatei]

Also, one more addition. If you turn on 48V phantom power to the ribbon mic, say bye bye to it. The most popular ribbon model Royer R121 costs around $1300 and I've heard may stories about accidental destruction of them by phantom power.

[Mr.Br1an.1204]

1 hour ago, Niksa said:

Also, one more addition. If you turn on 48V phantom power to the ribbon mic, say bye bye to it. The most popular ribbon model Royer R121 costs around $1300 and I've heard may stories about accidental destruction of them by phantom power.

ikr, but not with audio technica they REQUIRE it,(altho you can get them re-ribbond.)

[kasugatei]

On 8/3/2018 at 11:49 AM, Mr.Br1an.1204 said:

ikr, but not with audio technica they REQUIRE it,(altho you can get them re-ribbond.)

True, BUT phantom power is used only to power active electronics, not the ribbon itself. Unlike condenser microphones where you need phantom power in order for capsule to work. Audio technica made a different approach having active electronics in between capsule and XLR. Having a ribbon capsule directly connected to the phantom power will result in destroying it.