royer 122v Operation Instructions Manual & User Manual Download Page 2

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Model R-122 Active Ribbon Microphone

Revised January 2004

Table of Contents

page 1

Introduction

page 2

Active Ribbon Technology

page 3

Description

page 4

Applications

page 5

Ribbons in the Digital World

page 5

User Guide

page 6

Operation

page 7

Amplification Considerations

page 9

Equalization & Ribbon Microphones

page 10

Hum, Noise & Mic Orentation

page 11

The Sweet Spot

page 12

Other Types of Microphones

page 13

Proximity Effect & Working Distance

page 13

Microphone Technique

page 15

Recording Loud or Plosive Sounds

page 17

Stereophonic Microphone Technique

page 19

Specialized Recording Techniques

page 22

Care & Maintenance

page 23

Features & Specifications

page 24

Electrical Specifications

page 25

Mechanical Specifications

page 26

Polar Pattern & Frequency Response

page 27

Notes

page 28

Warranty

page 32

Summary of Contents for 122v

Page 1: ...ROYER Labs Model R 122 Active Ribbon Velocity Microphone Operation Instructions Manual User Guide Made in U S A ...

Page 2: ...n Ribbon Microphones page 10 Hum Noise Mic Orentation page 11 The Sweet Spot page 12 Other Types of Microphones page 13 Proximity Effect Working Distance page 13 Microphone Technique page 15 Recording Loud or Plosive Sounds page 17 Stereophonic Microphone Technique page 19 Specialized Recording Techniques page 22 Care Maintenance page 23 Features Specifications page 24 Electrical Specifications pa...

Page 3: ...uits and other anomalies that can degrade microphone performance or dam age the ribbon The R 122 breaks the long standing taboo asso ciated with ribbon microphones and phantom power it is the first commercially available ribbon microphone that requires phantom power to operate This operator s manual describes the R 122 its function and method of use It also describes the care and maintenance requi...

Page 4: ...resents a perfect impedance load to the ribbon ele ment Unpowered ribbon microphones suffer substantially degraded frequency response and lowered gain when they are paired to a preamp with too low an input impedance With the R 122 s active circuit the microphone s frequency response and output are not effected by variations in the input impedance of the following preamp Sonically the R 122 differs...

Page 5: ... signal Description The R 122 is a compact active bi directional figure eight velocity type ribbon microphone designed for professional applications The figure eight pickup pattern allows the R 122 to be addressed from either side with equal sensitivity The in phase signal is achieved when the microphone is addressed from the front indicated by the ROYER logo The R 122 is reasonably tolerant of sh...

Page 6: ...make the R 122 ribbon microphone an ideal choice for strings woodwinds percussion and amplified instruments Theater organs and electric guitar amplifiers sound big and fat without unnatural coloration when recorded with the R 122 Acoustic pianos can be captured accurately without the comb filtering effects associated with condenser microphones Ribbons in the Digital World Digital recordings benefi...

Page 7: ...orm per fectly for many years a general set of good habits that apply to both active ribbon mics and solid state condenser microphones 1 Always be certain that the correct microphone cable is used with the microphone and that the cable is in good serviceable order Standard microphone cables provide a shielded ground carried along to Pin 1 and a balanced differential signal carried along to Pins 2 ...

Page 8: ...ging the microphone whenever possible 6 If the studio has the microphone lines brought to a patch bay tie lines never crosspatch a microphone line when phantom is applied or the monitor volume is raised This could cause dam age to your microphone preamplifier or monitor speakers Operation There are a few important facts about ribbon microphones that are key in understanding how to use them intelli...

Page 9: ...bon element 4 Never attempt to test the R 122 or any ribbon microphone with an ohmmeter or continuity tester On an active micro phone damage to the delicate electronics could occur on a pas sive ribbon microphone a blown ribbon could result 5 Always provide adequate protection for your R 122 or any ribbon microphone If the microphone is to remain set up on a stand when not in use place a mic sock ...

Page 10: ...ry and fall into the category of conveniences or interface capabilities such as digital or optical outputs A good preamplifier should sound natural with no sign of edgi ness or excessive noise Vacuum tube preamplifiers sound warm yet wonderfully airy and transparent Do not expect a vacuum tube preamplifier to be as quiet as a solid state preamp as electron emissions from tubes tend to convey more ...

Page 11: ... In conclusion preamplifier coloration is optional and a matter of personal taste Some people love the effect of coloration while others strive for absolute transparency Equalization Ribbon Microphones One of the great strengths of ribbon microphones is how well they take EQ Even with substantial amounts of equalization ribbons retain their natural real quality For example when a lead vocal is bei...

Page 12: ...shielding to minimize the effects of stray magnetic radiation In some cases complete iso lation is impossible and the result is usually hum or buzz Passive ribbon microphones can potentially manifest this con dition to a greater degree because of their higher gain require ments Even an active ribbon microphone like the R 122 is not completely immune to this phenomenon Vintage ribbon micro phones o...

Page 13: ...uch a fashion that the resulting reproduction is very desirable usually without the need for additional equalization or electronic manipulation There are only general rules as to where the sweet spot may be found for any given microphone and usually experimentation reveals it The sweet spot can be extremely variable since it depends on the quirks of a given microphone and acoustics of a given room...

Page 14: ...s Microphones should gen erally face the sound source head on if not treble losses due to phase cancellation can result The exception here is for large condenser microphones which often give the flattest response at an angle of about 10 20 degrees off axis where phase loss and diffraction effect offset each other somewhat Proximity Effect and Working Distance The Sound That Is More Real than Real ...

Page 15: ...ea where proximity effect can be turned to an advan tage is to make things sound more real than real For exam ple many voices and certain musical instruments produce fun damental frequencies within the bass range below 150Hz or so but the fundamentals are weak If a microphone that has no proximity effect and a rising high frequency response is used on an upright piano or on a person with a thin we...

Page 16: ...nstruments and R 122s go together very well Mic the instrument from a distance of a couple of feet and increase the working distance a little if several instruments are being used Reed Instruments sound full and never edgy when captured with an R 122 Normal working distances are about a foot or two from the instrument Strings sound very sweet and clean when recorded with R 122s Place the microphon...

Page 17: ...ements to the sound Basically what you hear at the amp is what you get in the control room and in your record ings Choirs and Orchestras can be picked up well with two R 122s Place the microphones at a height of ten feet or so and a few feet behind the conductor The microphones should be spaced apart approximately one foot and angled one toward the left and one toward the right Drums and Percussio...

Page 18: ...fiers are typical examples of sound sources that can pro duce harmful air currents One way to determine if the air pres sure is excessive is to place your hand in front of the sound source the kick drum the guitar cab etc and see if you can feel actual air movement If you feel air movement do not put your ribbon microphone there A simple technique that can avert damage due to overstressing the rib...

Page 19: ...Due to the microphone s pickup pattern sound will not be affected Side View of Kick Drum Miking Technique A Close miking angle mic so that pressure wave is off axis B Standard miking position Horizontal Positioning Technique Applied to kick drum similar to that utilized for other loud or percussive instruments 18 ...

Page 20: ...in the sketch see Figure 1 so that one faces left and the other right at an angle of 90º i e each displaced 45º from center Each microphone ultimately feeds one speaker in a stereo sys tem and due to the directionality of the microphones the result is a very well defined stereo effect on playback For classical music particularly the reproduction can be very satisfying 19 Coincident pair seen from ...

Page 21: ...nnected as shown in Figure 3 If the outputs of the two microphones are equal or made equal using gain controls the stereo pickup will be similar to that of two microphones placed as a Blumlein X Y pair delivering a wide stereo image As you reduce the level of the side microphone the width of the stereo image will narrow until with the side microphone turned all the way down you have just the mid m...

Page 22: ...nd the adjustment of the stereo separation can be done during mixdown rather than during the actual recording 21 NOTE INVERT PHASE Mixer Channel Pan LEFT Mixer Channel Pan RIGHT Mixer Channel Pan CENTER XLR Female to mic XLR Male Right Output XLR Male Left Output phase reversed Y adapter mic splitter with phase reversal Figure 3 Typical M S connection set up ...

Page 23: ...ophone the front side of the R 122 is in phase and the back side is out of phase We suggest that that you reverse the phase polarity on your microphone preamplifier to achieve in phase recordings when tracking on the back side of an R 122 Normal proximity effect increase of bass which is prevalent on the R 122 and all ribbon microphones occurs normally at 4 6 feet from the microphone and increases...

Page 24: ...ck or vibration If the microphone is accidentally dropped test it to see if damage has occurred before returning it to service Low output or a dull sound would indicate a dam aged ribbon 2 Do not expose the microphone to direct blasts of air or strong air currents Use a windscreen or suitable blast filter when close miking a vocalist or certain types of wind instru ments P popping does not necessa...

Page 25: ...ssible damage caused by the transducer s powerful magnets Features Specifications R 122 Features Very high overload characteristics maximum SPL greater than 135dB Active electronics offer greatly enhanced output and a con stant optimized impedance to the ribbon element Extremely low residual noise Ribbon element is unaffected by heat or humidity Absence of high frequency phase distortion Excellent...

Page 26: ...minum ribbon Frequency Range 30HZ 15 000HZ 3dB Sensitivity 39dBv Ref 1 v pa Self Noise 20dB Output Impedance 200 Ohms balanced Rated Load Impedance 1000 Ohms Maximum SPL 135dB Output Connector Male XLR 3 pin pin 2 hot Power Requirements 48 Volt phantom only Supply Current 4 mA All Royer monaural microphones are also available in matched pairs 25 ...

Page 27: ...06 mm L x 25 mm W 8 1 8 L x 1 W Weight 309 grams 10 9 ounces Finish Dull Satin Nickel or Matte Black Chrome Accessories Protective wood case protective mic sock Optional Accessories Shock mount pop screen 10dB pad Warranty Lifetime to original owner repair or replace at Royer s option For up to the minute information on Royer products and their use visit our Web site at www royerlabs com 26 ...

Page 28: ...Polar Pattern Frequency Response 27 ...

Page 29: ...Notes 28 ...

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Page 31: ...30 ...

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Page 33: ... the product has been damaged by accident or misuse or as a result of repair or modification by other than a Royer Labs customer service facility authorized to service this prod uct Should it ever become necessary to service your Royer Labs product please contact the factory for a return authoriza tion number and packaging instructions In our continuing effort to improve our products Royer Labs re...

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