peaks are conspicuously absent. These features 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 benefit greatly from the properties inherent in ribbon microphones. Since A to
D converters cannot distinguish between the sound source being recorded and the complex
distortion components often associated with condenser microphones, they sometimes have
difficulty tracking the signal, resulting in ringing and edgy-sounding tracks. With ribbon
microphones, ringing is almost nonexistent due to the ribbon’s lack of distortion artifacts and
high frequency peaks. A to D converters have less difficulty tracking the ribbon-generated signal,
resulting in very smooth digital recordings free of microphone-related edginess.
User Guide
Using the R-122 Active Ribbon Microphone™
The head amplification system used in the R-122 is designed to operate with standard 48-volt
simplex phantom power sources only. The microphone will not work at all if phantom power is
not provided to the microphone! This aspect of an active ribbon microphone is in sharp contrast
to the common wisdom normally applied to ribbon microphones, where phantom power usually
spells danger or destruction to the ribbon element. Royer’s active series ribbon microphones
require phantom power to operate.
To ensure long service life for your R-122 active ribbon microphone, care should be taken when
connecting the microphone to a phantom power source. We have prepared a few tips to ensure
that your active ribbon microphone will perform perfectly 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 and 3. Pin-2
is signal hot (in-phase) and Pin-3 is signal cold.
2. Although it is usually safe to “hot plug” most phantom powered microphones to a
preamplifier or console with the phantom activated, we suggest that you de-activate the
phantom power prior to plugging the microphone to the cable, if possible. This minimizes
any chance of random voltage surges entering the microphone. More importantly, it reduces
the possibility of loud pops being transmitted to your monitor speakers should the volume
control be raised. Serious damage to your speakers could result from this mistake.
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