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A kick drum should be miked at a distance of at least 18 inches and possibly used in conjunction 
with  a blast  filter to  prevent  excessive  ribbon movement. If the front  head  has a hole  cut  in  it, 
position the  microphone  away from  the hole  to  avoid  excessive  air  blasts. An R-101  used  as a 
mono  room  mic,  four  to  six  feet  in  front  of  the  kit  and  compressed,  will  yield  a  surprisingly 
large, full drum sound.

For closer miking of a kick drum (10 to 18 inches),  the microphone should be leaned forward at 
a 45-degree angle to protect the  ribbon element  from  excessive plosive forces 

(See  Example

 

3)

This  microphone  position  also  provides  good  kick  drum  isolation  because  the  top  of  the 
microphone, which does not pick up sound, is aimed at the rest of drum kit.

Recording Loud or Plosive Sounds

With all ribbon microphones, 

wind is the enemy!

 Air movement  is far more damaging to ribbon 

microphones  than  high  SPL’s.  Some  sound  sources  can  generate  powerful  blasts  of  air  that 
should  be  avoided.  Kick drums  and electric  guitar and bass amplifiers  are  typical  examples of 
sound sources that can produce harmful air currents. One way to determine if the air pressure is 
excessive is to place your hand in front of the sound source (the  kick drum,  the guitar cab, etc.). 
If you feel air movement,  do not put  your ribbon microphone there. A simple technique that  can 
avert  damage  due  to  overstressing  the  ribbon  is  as  follows:  After  choosing  the  optimum 
placement  for  the microphone,  slightly  angle the microphone in  such  a  way that  the  percussive 
wave  is  not  directed  at  the  front  of  the  mic  “head  on.”  

Often,  a  slight  angular  tilt  (either 

vertically or horizontally) is all that is required to prevent harm to the ribbon. (See Example 1) 

1. Example of the Vertical Positioning Technique

Slight off-axis positioning minimizes stressing the ribbon on loud sound sources.

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Summary of Contents for R-101

Page 1: ...Royer Labs Model R 101 Mono Ribbon Velocity Microphone Operation Instructions Manual User Guide Assembled in U S A ...

Page 2: ...7 Finding and Working with the Sweet Spot 7 Other Types of Microphones 8 Proximity Effect and Working Distance 8 The Sound That Is More Real than Real 8 Microphone Techniques 10 General Tips for Using the Royer R 101 10 Recording Loud or Plosive Sounds 11 Stereophonic Microphone Techniques 13 Classic Blumlein Technique 13 Mid Side M S Technique 13 Care Maintenance 15 Features 15 Electrical Specifi...

Page 3: ...tional figure eight velocity type ribbon microphone designed for professional applications The figure eight pick up pattern allows the R 101 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 101 is reasonably tolerant to shock and vibration and performance is unaffected by change...

Page 4: ...here are a few important facts about ribbon microphones that are key in understanding how to use them intelligently 1 The R 101 is a side address bi directional microphone and its rejection in the dead areas is very strong Due to this directionality the R 101 should be placed at 1 3 times the distance normally used with omni directional microphones or about the same distance used for cardioid micr...

Page 5: ...ld likely continue to operate but performance could be compromised and re ribboning the microphone would be necessary to restore normal operation Amplification Considerations The performance of any non active ribbon microphone is directly affected by the microphone preamplifier it is paired with With so many mic preamps on the market how do you select one that gives the best possible performance w...

Page 6: ...ed for efficient operation of a ribbon microphone the noise characteristics of the preamp play a pivotal role in overall performance of the captured acoustic event 3 Load characteristics A suitable preamplifier should have input characteristics that impose the least amount of loading on the ribbon element In other words the input impedance should be high enough that its effect on the performance o...

Page 7: ... amplifiers and alternating current motors are the most likely sources of radiated noise Building wiring and electrical utility transformers are other likely sources A well designed microphone provides shielding to minimize the effects of stray magnetic radiation but complete isolation is impossible and the result can be hum or buzz Ribbon microphones can potentially manifest this condition to a g...

Page 8: ...ng of highs as the microphone is moved away from the sound source 3 Variation in ratio of direct to reverberant sound 4 Tendency of a microphone to favor the nearest sound source due to a combination of these items plus the influence of inverse square law Inverse square law states that for each halving of source to microphone distance the sound pressure level quadruples Other Types of Microphones ...

Page 9: ...n advantage is to make things sound more real than real For example many voices and certain musical instruments produce fundamental frequencies within the bass range below 150Hz or so but the fundamentals are weak If a microphone which has no proximity effect and a rising high frequency response is used on an upright piano or on a person with a thin weak voice the recorded sound is likely to sound...

Page 10: ...y sweet and clean when recorded with R 101s Place the microphone several feet from the instrument For larger string sections try placing the microphone slightly above the instrumentalists and angled down a distance of three or four feet will do the trick nicely Pianos sound excellent when recorded with R 101s and are free of phase related comb filtering The bass is full and rich while the top rema...

Page 11: ... the enemy Air movement is far more damaging to ribbon microphones than high SPL s Some sound sources can generate powerful blasts of air that should be avoided Kick drums and electric guitar and bass amplifiers are typical examples of sound sources that can produce harmful air currents One way to determine if the air pressure is excessive is to place your hand in front of the sound source the kic...

Page 12: ... the microphone s pickup pattern sound will not be affected 3 Side View of Kick Drum Miking Technique A Close miking angle mic so the sound pressure wave is off axis B Standard miking position 4 Horizontal Positioning Technique Applied to kick drum similar to that utilized for other loud or percussive instruments 12 ...

Page 13: ... i e each displaced 45 degrees from center Figure 1 Classic Blumlein or coincident miking technique Each microphone ultimately feeds one speaker in a stereo system 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 Mid Side M S Technique In the early days of stereo rad...

Page 14: ...ivering 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 mic panned center for a mono pickup If the outputs of the mid and side microphones are recorded on separate tracks the electrical connections shown in Figure 3 can be made at the mixer outputs and the adjus...

Page 15: ... microphone to liquids or caustic smoke 4 To avoid hum do not expose the microphone to strong alternating electromagnetic fields such as the power transformers in amps 5 Use a soft cloth to clean the microphone body A small amount of denatured alcohol can be used to remove fingerprints and other stains 6 Keep metal filings away from the microphone at all times 7 When not in use store the microphon...

Page 16: ...d Compact size Electrical Specifications Acoustic Operating Principle Electro dynamic pressure gradient Polar Pattern Figure 8 Generating Element 2 5 micron aluminum ribbon Frequency Range 30HZ 15 000HZ 3dB Sensitivity 48 dBv Ref 1 v pa Output Impedance 300Ω nominal balanced Rated Load Impedance 1500Ω or greater Maximum SPL 135dB Output Connector Male XLR 3 pin Pin 2 Hot All Royer monaural microph...

Page 17: ...embly Stainless steel internal baffle and dampener Weight 483g 17 oz Weight with Case 3 lbs 1 4Kg Dimensions 200mm L X 36mm W 7 9 L X 1 4 W Finish Matte Black Accessories shock mount aluminum case protective mic sock Optional Accessories pop screen To learn more about Royer products and their usage visit our website at www royerlabs com 17 ...

Page 18: ...Polar Pattern Frequency Response 18 ...

Page 19: ...om the date of original purchase and for the respective periods specified above Royer Labs will repair all Royer Labs products which are defective in material and workmanship EXCLUSIONS This warranty does not cover the following 1 Defects or damage caused by accident fire flood lightning or other acts of nature 2 Defects or damage caused by abuse misuse negligence or failure to observe the instruc...

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