i bought one of these because easy to open up and mod... haven't looked at the transformer yet but the ribbon is no frills for sure... just compared it the new Recording Tools German co. (Oktava) the MRP-01 that is so much more transparent side by side, i was in disbelief in the difference, the MXL was totally muffled in comparison. both are passive just a element and a transformer, the RT was not only a tad louder but the transparency and depth... was shocking. hope to do some comparisons soon.
@Number37TE hey you can't really use ribbon mics on drums it will mess up the ribbon. If you want to record drums i advise you to get a stereo pair of the audio technica pro 37's.
@strategieztv hey man, that's not true at all. Royer, a very well-respected ribbon mic company, has a whole article about using ribbon mics on drumsets. I personally have used this mic lots of times on drums in my studio and it sounds great! I would recommend it only as an overhead or room mic though, never use it directly on a kick or snare drum as that could very well break the ribbon. Use only dynamic mics for a kick or snare. And be sure to never hit it with your drum sticks.
@MilkAndThreeCookies You are correct. At our studio we use a royer sf24 stereo ribbon for our overhead and it is excellent. I use the U89s if I need something a little brighter.
The discussion below has been fascinating if only for the linguistic ambiguity that seems to be driving it. In this case I think gmdinfo and dannycurtean are both right, because they're really talking about two different things: real cost vs value. Gmdinfo may in fact be absolutely right in stating that the real cost of basic components is VERY low.
But we rarely pay for just real cost in the real world. We pay for the perceived value of the specific combination of basic parts. These specific combinations are often fairly unique, and become prized and sought after.
Manufacturers will often also limit supply, keeping them fairly rare and driving up prices. When you're talking about a Neumann or similar microphone, we aren't simply talking about resistors, capacitors, tubes, and so forth. We're talking about the SPECIFIC combination of those components (and others) in that mic that make it desirable. And it is a combination that is objectively, verifiably, different and unique from other microphones.
And, of course, these companies are relying on the fact that 99.9% of the public don't have the money, know-how, or tools and facilities for developing, testing, and manufacturing a high quality microphone or any of its individual components. So the consumer is paying not only for the parts and manufacture, but all the R&D, and the premium of having someone else do all the work. Add to that, finally, the prestige factor associated with certain names, and you arrive at your final value.
hey is does this mic have a good sound quality?... because i been planning to get it and i dont know if its good enough for what im expecting...please reply.
never put a mic center cone you will get buzzy sounds... the sweet spot is 4 0'clock 3 to 5 inches away. a friendly tip use a sennhieser e906 for your cab at 4 then add a SM57 or audix i5b at 45 deg as close to the condenser as possible and pan each mic slightly down a different channel stereo imaging is nice trust me
I just bought one of these for use on my amateur radio . will also be using an 8 band eq and preamp combo . the warmth of a ribbon mic . (even a cheap one) is sure to be better for voice in this application than my sm58 or my akg perception 200 . hope it turns out .
@culturacolombia Ive worked with the 1As and they are good to start with but you get over them VERY quickly. I would suggest going for a Peluso mic because they are probably the best mics under 5k that you can get. For Pelusos, you pay 1200, but you and you GET a 3000 mic. Because John doesn't need to make money (hes wealthy) and they dont have any eye candy. You pay for THE MIC not twirling plastic with flashing LEDs. If thats too much money, look into Audio Technica, WAY overlooked!! Or a 57!
@dannycurtean Dude, there isn't a microphone made that has more than $75 worth of parts in it. Anyone that pays more than a few hundred bucks for ANY mic would also pay top dollar for Florida swamp land I'm sure.
@gmdinformation Actually, you can start with Peluso mics. They are about 80% parts and labor cost. Parts alone are easily 1 grand for the 1600 dollar mics. But dont take my word for it, use your ears with an open mind.
I do understand where you're coming from though. And I partially agree on SOME levels. For example when talking about Samson, Behringer, Audio Technica, and so on. For better or for worst they do make mics that cost them around 70 bucks. But when getting to real toys, ITS NOT.
@dannycurtean I'm sorry kiddo, but that's just not true. Not only are there less than $75 worth of parts in any mic, but the labor is next to nothing even in America. Mics are quick and easy to build. Especially ribbon mics.
Indeed, do use your ears. I just picked up an old RCA BK-11 on the cheap. Some people consider it the best ribbon mic ever made. I just had a new ribbon put in it by Steve Sank (his dad invented the mic). It ain't all that....
@dannycurtean And please detail for me this $1,000 worth of parts. No mic has more than a small handful of resisters, 1 or 2 caps, etc. The metal housing sure doesn't cost more than a few dollars to manufacture in bulk. Ribbons are generally either just a small strip of aluminum or corragated metal--about a nickel's worth either way. You have rubber mounts, a mic connector, and maybe a bass roll-off which is nothing more than a shunt. And cloth windscreens. Where's more tnan $75 there?
@dannycurtean True, tubes can be expensive to buy. They are not, however, expensive to manufacture. It's just that hardly anybody bothers doing it anymore, so you end up with sky-high prices for what should be a ten dollar item. (They were less than THAT when I was growing up). One more reason to stay away from tube mics.
@gmdinformation But the reality is that they do cost $200, and they are not easily manufactured and highly in demand. So the reality is you have to shell out the money. Only a fool would avoid a certain type of mic for that reason, and Im assuming that you are not 2 years old to get offended by that because its not directed at you. Its a general statement.
@dannycurtean I haven't had an electronics class since the 80s, but I don't recall tubes being difficult to manufacture. The difficulty is in the design which can be complex. But the designs are already out there now and have been for years. It's idiotic to shell out a lot of money for any mic. The reality is that we have mics for under $300 nowadays that can come extremely close to mimicing any mic ever made.
@gmdinformation The custom made capsule that is, lets see....uhmmm....CUSTOM! Meaning CUSTOM! So you wind up with something you cant pick up off the shelf. But if you could, it would easily reach 3-400 USD. I count $600-$700 just in 2 components.
@dannycurtean Try ordering a mic that's said to have a "custom made capsule", and see just how custom it really is. They're basically just saying that you can order it in various polar patterns. Nobody is going to truly hand-build a mic capsule for you from the ground up. It'll have to fit whatever housings they have available for one thing. Even so, the capsule isn't nearly as complex as something like the converter or ouput circuitry which is difficult to design but cheap to make.
@gmdinformation You obviously dont know anything about Peluso mics. But I agree. And hey man, this is not an argument or an attack. I hope you understand that. This is mearly a discussion, alright? But anyways, I am refering to Peluso mics and some other, few other companies that do that. For example. you are right on when it comes to Pearlman mics. But Pelusos and Neumanns and Telefunken mics are not off the shelf, but custom components for a recreation mic. Its simply not true in that case.
@gmdinformation Respond to this video...even though Telefunken dropped the ball with one mic that was a copy of an Audix mic that was like 400 bucks. Im am simply stating in general, most botique mics are not $75 worth of components, especially for a mic based on a legend, U47, ELAM 251, 67, C12 ect...
@dannycurtean Can you point out the expensive component in a ribbon mic? I sure can't think of any. Nor in a dynamic or condenser. I'll give you the tubes in a tube mic, but I can't think of a single component in any other mic type that's expensive.
@realitas A tranformer in a typical mic is nothing but two resisters and two coils of wire around a core, all stuck in a metal housing with maybe five wires coming from it. Total production cost is about 25 cents.
@BLooDYBLOOD95 You know what? You rappers are the luckiest guys on earth because the equipment it takes to make rap music is a case where cheap is often better. A lot of the real inexpensive condenser mics have a lot of high end, but that's great for rap where you want a mic that's spit clear like that. Some of the best rap mics cost a hundred bucks or less. MXL has one called the V63M that may be the best rap mic going, and it's cheap as dirt.
@dannycurtean you are not paying for parts..that's dumb the companies are paying for the parts... you're paying for a holistic design and quality construction, maybe even a service guarantee, with a mic like a Peluso, Neumann, whatever. This is true even in an MXL, where they crap together some parts at a basement price point and sometimes succeed at a design that sounds decent, like the mic in this video. if you're crafty enough, you can buy parts and build your own microphone from scratch DIY
Depends on what exactly you wanna record in metal. Ribbon mics are very sensitive, you can break the RIbbon by too much air, so if you plan to have it.. as a bass drum microphone, it'll blow up instantly
@Blizzard4242 Yeah, there where you build your own Austin Ribbon mic OR save up and get a Royer (or lol, I hate to say it again, but Peluso R14.) They are REALLY that friken good! And they handle high SPL.
agreed with IntoTheMaelstrom45...from another engineer, obviously depending on the exact amp and gtr combo youre using, your likely not to get it better than a close miked 57...
i bought one of these because easy to open up and mod... haven't looked at the transformer yet but the ribbon is no frills for sure... just compared it the new Recording Tools German co. (Oktava) the MRP-01 that is so much more transparent side by side, i was in disbelief in the difference, the MXL was totally muffled in comparison. both are passive just a element and a transformer, the RT was not only a tad louder but the transparency and depth... was shocking. hope to do some comparisons soon.
AUdioHipster 3 days ago
is this mic good for acoustic guitar and vocals together?
letskillthekids69 8 months ago
Does this mic work for drum sets? If not, what is the best cheap mic that i can record drums on?
Number37TE 1 year ago
@Number37TE read some kvr and gearslutz man
joelhisaw 1 year ago
@Number37TE hey you can't really use ribbon mics on drums it will mess up the ribbon. If you want to record drums i advise you to get a stereo pair of the audio technica pro 37's.
strategieztv 1 year ago
@strategieztv hey man, that's not true at all. Royer, a very well-respected ribbon mic company, has a whole article about using ribbon mics on drumsets. I personally have used this mic lots of times on drums in my studio and it sounds great! I would recommend it only as an overhead or room mic though, never use it directly on a kick or snare drum as that could very well break the ribbon. Use only dynamic mics for a kick or snare. And be sure to never hit it with your drum sticks.
MilkAndThreeCookies 1 year ago
@MilkAndThreeCookies You are correct. At our studio we use a royer sf24 stereo ribbon for our overhead and it is excellent. I use the U89s if I need something a little brighter.
ar1mills 10 months ago
The discussion below has been fascinating if only for the linguistic ambiguity that seems to be driving it. In this case I think gmdinfo and dannycurtean are both right, because they're really talking about two different things: real cost vs value. Gmdinfo may in fact be absolutely right in stating that the real cost of basic components is VERY low.
danakerman 1 year ago
But we rarely pay for just real cost in the real world. We pay for the perceived value of the specific combination of basic parts. These specific combinations are often fairly unique, and become prized and sought after.
danakerman 1 year ago
Manufacturers will often also limit supply, keeping them fairly rare and driving up prices. When you're talking about a Neumann or similar microphone, we aren't simply talking about resistors, capacitors, tubes, and so forth. We're talking about the SPECIFIC combination of those components (and others) in that mic that make it desirable. And it is a combination that is objectively, verifiably, different and unique from other microphones.
danakerman 1 year ago
And, of course, these companies are relying on the fact that 99.9% of the public don't have the money, know-how, or tools and facilities for developing, testing, and manufacturing a high quality microphone or any of its individual components. So the consumer is paying not only for the parts and manufacture, but all the R&D, and the premium of having someone else do all the work. Add to that, finally, the prestige factor associated with certain names, and you arrive at your final value.
danakerman 1 year ago
hey is does this mic have a good sound quality?... because i been planning to get it and i dont know if its good enough for what im expecting...please reply.
youngsniper1 1 year ago
never put a mic center cone you will get buzzy sounds... the sweet spot is 4 0'clock 3 to 5 inches away. a friendly tip use a sennhieser e906 for your cab at 4 then add a SM57 or audix i5b at 45 deg as close to the condenser as possible and pan each mic slightly down a different channel stereo imaging is nice trust me
jjmillsaps 1 year ago
Comment removed
skcorydorb 1 year ago
I just bought one of these for use on my amateur radio . will also be using an 8 band eq and preamp combo . the warmth of a ribbon mic . (even a cheap one) is sure to be better for voice in this application than my sm58 or my akg perception 200 . hope it turns out .
fingers967 1 year ago
Sounds like crap to me, thin and metal sound. Exactly like a 100 dollar mic should sound.
dannycurtean 2 years ago
@dannycurtean What do you recommend on a budget, I'm going for the Rode nt1-a...?
culturacolombia 1 year ago
@culturacolombia Ive worked with the 1As and they are good to start with but you get over them VERY quickly. I would suggest going for a Peluso mic because they are probably the best mics under 5k that you can get. For Pelusos, you pay 1200, but you and you GET a 3000 mic. Because John doesn't need to make money (hes wealthy) and they dont have any eye candy. You pay for THE MIC not twirling plastic with flashing LEDs. If thats too much money, look into Audio Technica, WAY overlooked!! Or a 57!
dannycurtean 1 year ago
@dannycurtean Very pleased with the response. Thank you!!!
culturacolombia 1 year ago
@dannycurtean Dude, there isn't a microphone made that has more than $75 worth of parts in it. Anyone that pays more than a few hundred bucks for ANY mic would also pay top dollar for Florida swamp land I'm sure.
gmdinformation 1 year ago
@gmdinformation Actually, you can start with Peluso mics. They are about 80% parts and labor cost. Parts alone are easily 1 grand for the 1600 dollar mics. But dont take my word for it, use your ears with an open mind.
I do understand where you're coming from though. And I partially agree on SOME levels. For example when talking about Samson, Behringer, Audio Technica, and so on. For better or for worst they do make mics that cost them around 70 bucks. But when getting to real toys, ITS NOT.
dannycurtean 1 year ago
@dannycurtean I'm sorry kiddo, but that's just not true. Not only are there less than $75 worth of parts in any mic, but the labor is next to nothing even in America. Mics are quick and easy to build. Especially ribbon mics.
Indeed, do use your ears. I just picked up an old RCA BK-11 on the cheap. Some people consider it the best ribbon mic ever made. I just had a new ribbon put in it by Steve Sank (his dad invented the mic). It ain't all that....
gmdinformation 1 year ago
@dannycurtean And please detail for me this $1,000 worth of parts. No mic has more than a small handful of resisters, 1 or 2 caps, etc. The metal housing sure doesn't cost more than a few dollars to manufacture in bulk. Ribbons are generally either just a small strip of aluminum or corragated metal--about a nickel's worth either way. You have rubber mounts, a mic connector, and maybe a bass roll-off which is nothing more than a shunt. And cloth windscreens. Where's more tnan $75 there?
gmdinformation 1 year ago
@gmdinformation You can start with a German steel tube, $200 made by Telefunken or Mullard.
dannycurtean 1 year ago
@dannycurtean True, tubes can be expensive to buy. They are not, however, expensive to manufacture. It's just that hardly anybody bothers doing it anymore, so you end up with sky-high prices for what should be a ten dollar item. (They were less than THAT when I was growing up). One more reason to stay away from tube mics.
gmdinformation 1 year ago
@gmdinformation But the reality is that they do cost $200, and they are not easily manufactured and highly in demand. So the reality is you have to shell out the money. Only a fool would avoid a certain type of mic for that reason, and Im assuming that you are not 2 years old to get offended by that because its not directed at you. Its a general statement.
dannycurtean 1 year ago
@dannycurtean I haven't had an electronics class since the 80s, but I don't recall tubes being difficult to manufacture. The difficulty is in the design which can be complex. But the designs are already out there now and have been for years. It's idiotic to shell out a lot of money for any mic. The reality is that we have mics for under $300 nowadays that can come extremely close to mimicing any mic ever made.
gmdinformation 1 year ago
@gmdinformation The custom made capsule that is, lets see....uhmmm....CUSTOM! Meaning CUSTOM! So you wind up with something you cant pick up off the shelf. But if you could, it would easily reach 3-400 USD. I count $600-$700 just in 2 components.
dannycurtean 1 year ago
@dannycurtean Try ordering a mic that's said to have a "custom made capsule", and see just how custom it really is. They're basically just saying that you can order it in various polar patterns. Nobody is going to truly hand-build a mic capsule for you from the ground up. It'll have to fit whatever housings they have available for one thing. Even so, the capsule isn't nearly as complex as something like the converter or ouput circuitry which is difficult to design but cheap to make.
gmdinformation 1 year ago
@gmdinformation You obviously dont know anything about Peluso mics. But I agree. And hey man, this is not an argument or an attack. I hope you understand that. This is mearly a discussion, alright? But anyways, I am refering to Peluso mics and some other, few other companies that do that. For example. you are right on when it comes to Pearlman mics. But Pelusos and Neumanns and Telefunken mics are not off the shelf, but custom components for a recreation mic. Its simply not true in that case.
dannycurtean 1 year ago
@gmdinformation ...resistors, and it depends on the design concept. Tube or solid state.
dannycurtean 1 year ago
@gmdinformation Respond to this video...even though Telefunken dropped the ball with one mic that was a copy of an Audix mic that was like 400 bucks. Im am simply stating in general, most botique mics are not $75 worth of components, especially for a mic based on a legend, U47, ELAM 251, 67, C12 ect...
dannycurtean 1 year ago
@dannycurtean Can you point out the expensive component in a ribbon mic? I sure can't think of any. Nor in a dynamic or condenser. I'll give you the tubes in a tube mic, but I can't think of a single component in any other mic type that's expensive.
gmdinformation 1 year ago
@gmdinformation The transformer in a high quality ribbon mic can be worth over $100 by itself
realitas 1 year ago
@realitas A tranformer in a typical mic is nothing but two resisters and two coils of wire around a core, all stuck in a metal housing with maybe five wires coming from it. Total production cost is about 25 cents.
gmdinformation 1 year ago
@gmdinformation can you please tell me wat mic i should get for rap music
BLooDYBLOOD95 1 year ago
@BLooDYBLOOD95 You know what? You rappers are the luckiest guys on earth because the equipment it takes to make rap music is a case where cheap is often better. A lot of the real inexpensive condenser mics have a lot of high end, but that's great for rap where you want a mic that's spit clear like that. Some of the best rap mics cost a hundred bucks or less. MXL has one called the V63M that may be the best rap mic going, and it's cheap as dirt.
gmdinformation 1 year ago
@gmdinformation thanks that really helped
BLooDYBLOOD95 1 year ago
@dannycurtean you are not paying for parts..that's dumb the companies are paying for the parts... you're paying for a holistic design and quality construction, maybe even a service guarantee, with a mic like a Peluso, Neumann, whatever. This is true even in an MXL, where they crap together some parts at a basement price point and sometimes succeed at a design that sounds decent, like the mic in this video. if you're crafty enough, you can buy parts and build your own microphone from scratch DIY
monkeyxx 6 months ago
How does this mic handle high gain? Is it any good for recording metal?
diggitybanana45 2 years ago
Depends on what exactly you wanna record in metal. Ribbon mics are very sensitive, you can break the RIbbon by too much air, so if you plan to have it.. as a bass drum microphone, it'll blow up instantly
Blizzard4242 2 years ago
is this usb mic??
darealniecyrite 2 years ago
@Blizzard4242 Yeah, there where you build your own Austin Ribbon mic OR save up and get a Royer (or lol, I hate to say it again, but Peluso R14.) They are REALLY that friken good! And they handle high SPL.
dannycurtean 1 year ago
@diggitybanana45 SM57. Take it from an Enigneer. Get a 57, put it right on the cone. Metal as f%ck.
IntoTheMaelstrom45 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
agreed with IntoTheMaelstrom45...from another engineer, obviously depending on the exact amp and gtr combo youre using, your likely not to get it better than a close miked 57...
skcorydorb 1 year ago