Recording - February 2020 - 72

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MYTH DEBUNKED

RIBBON MICROPHONES
ARE NOT FRAGILE!
Guest Editorial by Wes Dooley
It's time to debunk an old myth. Modern ribbon microphones
are not fragile. In fact, they are quite rugged and can stand
side-by-side with any other high-quality microphone.
The 'fragile' myth began in the mid-1950s, when RCA, maker
of many iconic ribbon models, lost corporate support. Competitors, seeking a way to break into the market, created a marketing
pitch that ribbon mics were fragile while moving coil mics were
robust. A German broadcast article said ribbons had inherent
distortions that sounded bad on orchestras. Though not true, these
marketing myths caught on.
The classic RCA 44BX microphone has been a workhorse
since the 1930s in recording, radio, and TV studios. It was the
same for RCA 77DX and BK-5 ribbon mics. Wolfman Jack, the
famous radio DJ, screamed into his BK-5 every day. The BK-5
was designed to handle gunshots.
The RCA 44B/BX and the AEA R44C series are astonishingly rugged high-performance vocal microphones. AEA has been
servicing them for over 40 years, and typically they just need a
new ribbon to return to factory specifications.

Durable

'How High the Moon', Les Paul and Mary Ford's chart-busting sound-on-sound recording, used only a single RCA 44BX. Les
told me, "This was the first great microphone that recorded everything well." A producer using Les Paul's Mahwah studio saw the
mic pictured here and said, "Les, you're scraping the bottom of the
barrel for me." Les replied that if all he had were 44s, the session
would be excellent. The next time they booked the studio, Les borrowed 15 more 44s to prove to a producer that 44s were all one
needed to do a great session. Hearing was believing.
Faith Hill and Tim McGraw's record-breaking Soul2Soul Il show ended with four duets, sung into a single AEA R44CX. The 44 fell a few
times when its mic cable was pulled before being disconnected. Despite cosmetic battering, the mic still sounded the same as their spare.
[Editor's note: the Royer Labs R121 ribbon microphone has
been handling cranked guitar amps for over two decades.]
All well-designed, modern microphones - be they condenser, ribbon, or dynamic - are complex, delicate instruments
that should be handled with care. But fragile? No way.
72 RECORDING February 2020

One of the reasons why the 'fragile' myth stuck is the ultra-thin
ribbon element used to pick up sound. It was marketed that ribbons have a high risk of tearing or breaking. The truth is, most
high-quality ribbon microphones have survived for nearly 85
years with only occasional re-ribboning or repair needed.

Ribbon tips

Vocalists sing as loud or soft as you like. The microphone
doesn't care. With any mic - condenser or ribbon - use a pop
filter if necessary to avoid plosives. Work about six inches from the
mic to prevent buffeting the capsule. Never blow into the capsule.
Mount the microphone on a good, solid, professional mic stand.
As with all types of microphones, keep the mic covered when not
in use. In the case of ribbons, it will keep very fine pieces of 'tramp
iron' floating in the air from being picked up by the strong magnets
surrounding the ribbon. If these iron particles get into the magnetic
gap, as with moving coil mics, they negatively affect the sound.

One note of caution

Direct blasts of air onto the ribbon can affect a ribbon microphone. This does not come from singing, but from air conditioning or strong gusts of wind outdoors. These explosive gusts can
easily be prevented by using 'the hand test'. Place the back of
your hand where the microphone is going to be. If you feel a
gust, use a pop screen to avoid direct hits. It's that simple.

Get active

A new generation of active nearfield microphones are some the
most durable ribbon mics ever made. They are user-friendly, preampagnostic, and fit easily into any audio environment, whether in a studio or on a stage. One example, the AEA N22, withstood 60 hours
of 15 mph wind with no performance changes. Even after another
16 hours of 30 mph wind, the mic was still within specifications.

A rich palette

For vocalists, ribbon mics offer a rich palette of options to create a unique, signature sound. A ribbon's proximity effect can
provide a natural warmth to thin nasally voices and add richness
and body to a mix. Ribbons can help with sibilance problems and
offer a smooth roll-off to accept generous equalization if needed.
Ribbons have a long history of enhancing the human voice.
Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, they all used ribbon mics to record their voices.
Modern ribbon mics use newer materials and are more rugged
than ever. They very rarely fail. Just treat them well, as you would
any type of microphone, and they'll give you a lifetime of service.
RECORDING would like to thank Wes for his extensive
knowledge of ribbon mics and how durable they really are!
Wes Dooley, a pioneer in ribbon microphones, is the founder of AEA
in Pasadena, California. Contact him at Wes@ribbonmics.com

Recording - February 2020

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