royer 122v, Operation Instructions Manual & User Manual

Page: 23 / 33

Specialized Recording Techniques
Recording on the back side of the R-122
The R-122 incorporates an “offset ribbon” design that enables
it to handle high sound pressure levels such as those produced
by loud guitar amplifiers and other instruments. An interesting
phenomenon as a result of this offset ribbon construction is that
the R-122 records slightly brighter on its back side than on its
front (logo) side, when the microphone is three feet or closer to
the sound source. This can be extremely useful when a brighter
response is desirable, such as when recording acoustic instru-
ments or vocalists.
When recording vocals on either side of an R-122, a quality pop
filter (such as the Royer PS-101 metal pop screen) is essential
to protect the ribbon element from windblasts. As with any fig-
ure-8 microphone, 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 with closeness.
Vocalists and voice-over talents often take advantage of prox-
imity effect to give an authoritative quality or rich texture to
their voice.
Cautionary Note:
It is important to note that the SPL handling capability of the
rear side of the R-122 is lower than its front side
. The R-122
is rated for 135dB SPL on its front side, but recordings on the
rear side should not exceed 115dB SPL.
When tracking loud
sounds on the front side, the R-122’s offset-ribbon design
allows ample space for rearward excursions of the ribbon.
However, tracking on the back side causes the ribbon to move
22