royer R-121
, Operation Instructions Manual & User Manual

Page: 7 / 33

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 with a rib-
bon microphone? Additionally, what kind of performance can
you expect from the preamplifiers built into your mixing desk?
While most preamplifiers will handle ribbon microphones well
in most recording situations, some preamps that work perfectly
well with condenser or dynamic mics may prove to be poor per-
formers with ribbons.
To begin with, we must understand the fundamental differences
between ribbon microphones and other popular types, namely
condenser and moving coil dynamics. A ribbon microphone is
actually a dynamic microphone that uses a flat, extremely low
mass ribbon element, rather than a coil/diaphragm assembly.
For this writing, any mention of “dynamic” microphones will
relate to moving coil dynamics.
All condenser microphones have a built-in preamplifier called
a head amp, and therefore put out a hefty signal. Because the
signal is buffered through the head amp, the output impedance
is rather low and less affected by the input impedance of the
microphone preamp. Most dynamic (moving coil) microphones
generate a healthy enough electrical current to work well with
a variety of preamps, and their limited frequency response char-
acteristics make mic loading less of a concern.
Ribbon microphones generate a highly accurate signal, but the
average ribbon mic generates approximately 20dB less output
than condenser microphones. Remember, the ribbon transducer
does not have the benefit of a condenser mic’s built-in “head
amp,” so
a ribbon microphone relies solely on the microphone
preamp for all its gain!
6