Re: Royer R121 - Opinions

["Vance Gloster" <vgloster@microvault.com>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Clark" <mcl451@airmail.net>
> I record live miced guitar cabs into Cubase.  Been using a Senn 421MKII.
I
> hear that the Royer R121 ribbon mic can/will produce a more full bodied
> sound.  Some people say it's way "better" than the Neumann TLM 103 which 
>I
> was considering.

The ribbon mics are somewhat fragile.  A stiff wind blowing through them 
can
damage them.  Supposedly the Royer is not as fragile, but old studio guys
will not put any ribbon in front of a Marshall turned up loud.  The warm 
but
clear tone on Paul McCartney's voice is characteristic of ribbon
microphones.  He always uses a ribbon to record his voice.  You can find
more information about ribbon's from Royer's FAQ at:

http://www.royerlabs.com/faq.html

You can find more info about ribbons in general from AEA, who make replicas
of vintage ribbon mics.  Wes Dooley (an old friend of mine) runs the
company.  He was one of the original developers of MS stereo.  A lot of 
what
he does is repair ribbon mics that get damaged.

http://www.wesdooley.com/AEA_Replica_Microphones_and_Parts.html

Condenser mics like the Neumann have superior high end and have lots of
clarity, but lack punch.  Guitars sometimes sound thin using a condenser by
itself.  The TLM 103 is a wonderful mic that I like a lot, but I would not
use it by itself to mic a guitar amp.

I love the Sennheiser MD421 for guitar and bass cabinets.  It has a warmer
tone than the other mics you mention.  Dynamic mics like the MD421 work 
much
better at providing the warm upper-mid-range response that makes for a
killer guitar sound.  Shure SM-57s are used more often than the MD421, but 
I
personally like the 421s better.  Try experimenting with mic placement, and
also try micing different amps.  Some amps just do not mic well.  I like to
put the 421 in front of the outside edge of the speaker at the edge of the
cabinet about 3-6" back from the cabinet.  It does not sound as good to put
the mic in front of the center of the speaker.

The fattest sound I have gotten involved using three mics.  I used an MD421
for the main sound, added a large format condenser about four feet back, 
and
finally I added a D112 kick drum mic.  The D112 is a large format dynamic
mic.  It provided a punchy warm low end.  When we turned up the playback we
felt the punch of the guitar in our guts.  But the D112 signal by itself 
was
not what we needed.  The 421 provided the main sound of the guitar while 
the
condenser added high-end clarity and the D112 low-end punch.

Good luck with your quest for the perfect guitar sound!

-Vance