royer R-121
, Operation Instructions Manual & User Manual

Page: 10 / 33

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 micro-
phones can potentially manifest this condition to a greater
degree because of their higher gain requirements. Vintage rib-
bon microphones often have poor shielding and the problem
can be worse. The cure for this problem is to identify the source
of the noise and move the microphone away from it. Another
trick is to alter the orientation of the microphone in such a way
that the noise is cancelled out. If you ever experience this situ-
ation while in the studio, try rotating the microphone to identi-
fy the “null” point, then reposition the mic and the sound
source. This is much like having a guitar player with single coil
pickups turn around until amplifier hum disappears.
The Sweet Spot
Finding & Working with the Sweet Spot
Good engineers know the benefits of finding and working with
the “sweet spot” of a given microphone. The sweet spot will be
defined as the optimum placement (working distance and angu-
lar position) of any microphone relative to the sound source.
Each microphone has its own sweet spot whether it is a ribbon,
dynamic or condenser type. The sweet spot will vary with the
type of sound source and its volume intensity, the polar pattern
of the microphone and how consistent it is with frequency, and
the acoustic environment.
Being in the sweet spot means the microphone and the sound
source are in a harmony of sorts; the acoustic information is
exciting the microphone in such a fashion that the resulting
reproduction is very desirable, usually without the need of addi-
tional equalization or electronic manipulation.
There are only general rules as to where the sweet spot may be
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