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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Model R-122 Ribbon Microphone

Table of Contents

page 1

Introduction

page 2

Description

page 3

Applications

page 4

User Guide

page 5

Operation

page 6

Amplification

Considerations

page

The Sweet Spot

page 11

Other

Types

Microphones

page

Proximity Effect and Working Distance

page 13

General Tips

page 14

Stereophonic

Microphone

Technique

page

Specialized

Recording

Techniques page

Care

and

Maintenance page

A Little Bit of History

page 22

Features and Specifications

page 24

Electrical

Specifications

page

Mechanical

Specifications page

Polar Pattern and Frequency Response

page

Notes

page 27

Warranty

page 28

Summary of Contents for R-122

Page 1: ...ROYER Labs Model R 122 Active Ribbon Velocity Microphone Operation Instructions Manual Users Guide Made in U S A ...

Page 2: ...Other Types of Microphones page 13 Proximity Effect and Working Distance page 13 General Tips page 14 Stereophonic Microphone Technique page 18 Specialized Recording Techniques page 20 Care and Maintenance page 21 A Little Bit of History page 22 Features and Specifications page 24 Electrical Specifications page 24 Mechanical Specifications page 25 Polar Pattern and Frequency Response page 26 Notes...

Page 3: ...ely isolates the ribbon element from impedance mismatches short circuits and other anomalies that can degrade microphone performance or damage the ribbon The R 122 breaks the long standing taboo as sociated with ribbon microphones and phantom power It is the first commercially available ribbon microphone that requires phantom power to operate No longer is it necessary to mate a ribbon microphone t...

Page 4: ...to become familiar with all of the R 122 s capabilities It will assist you in making the most of its superior acoustic properties This owner s manual is a handy reference guide and we suggest you refer to it when ever questions arise on the use and care of your R 122 active rib bon microphone Description The Royer Labs model R 122 is a compact active bi directional figure eight velocity type ribbo...

Page 5: ...e conspicuously absent These features make the R 122 ribbon mi crophone an ideal choice for strings woodwinds percussion and amplified instruments Theater organs and electric guitar amplifi ers sound big and fat without unnatural coloration when recorded with the R 122 Acoustic pianos can be captured accurately with out the comb filtering effects associated with condenser micro phones Digital reco...

Page 6: ...d 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 or der Standard microphone cables provide a shielded ground car ried along to Pin 1 and a balanced differential signal carried along Pins 2 3 Pin 2 is signal hot in phase and Pin 3 is signal cold 2 Although it is usually safe to hot plug mo...

Page 7: ...plifier or monitor speakers Operation The R 122 ribbon microphone is a versatile device capable of ac curate sound reproduction Ribbon microphones are different from other types of microphones and there are a few important characteristics that are key to understanding how to use them in telligently 1 The R 122 is a side address bi directional microphone and the rejection in the dead areas is very ...

Page 8: ...icate electronics could occur on a passive rib bon microphone a blown ribbon could result 5 Always provide adequate protection for your R 122 or any ribbon microphone If the microphone is to remain set up on a stand when not in use place a mic sock supplied with every Royer microphone over it until it is to be used Do not carry the microphone around without placing a mic sock over it Failure to fo...

Page 9: ...amplifier to be as quiet as a solid state preamp as electron emissions from tubes tend to convey more thermal noise than transistors Transformer coupled designs tend to sound punchy and full bodied and offer the added benefit of true elec tronic isolation This greatly enhances their ability to interface with other equipment with minimal noise or hum There are many excellent preamplifiers on the ma...

Page 10: ...is brought on when the left and right transducer elements are plugged into two inputs of a stereo or multi channel preamplifier Stereo microphones usually have a multi conductor cable that carries the two independent signals and then splits them to a pair of standard three pin XLR outputs This pair of three pin connectors usually shares Pin 1 as ground so they are grounded to each other through th...

Page 11: ...hones One of the great strengths of ribbon microphones is how well they take EQ Even with substantial amounts of equalization ribbons retain their natural real quality For example when a lead vo cal is being performed on a ribbon microphone you can actually boost the upper end frequencies to the point where the ribbon mic emulates the performance curve of a condenser mic with excellent results Thi...

Page 12: ... With vintage ribbon microphones that employ large bulky magnet structures 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 situation while in the studio try rotating the microphone to ide...

Page 13: ...sound sources Remember this If it sounds good it s probably right If it doesn t move the micro phone It s often more effective to reposition the microphone than to start fiddling with knobs Knob twisting can affect headroom and phase coherency and add unwanted noise The following is a list of variables that also account for sweet spot effect 1 Frequency response variations due to proximity effect ...

Page 14: ...ffect or bass tip up As illustrated in the following graph a typical bi directional rib bon microphone will have a flat frequency response at a distance of about six feet from the microphone but at shorter distances the bass response becomes boosted the effect becomes increasingly pronounced as the distance between the microphone and the sound source is reduced This bass boosting characteristic ca...

Page 15: ...onse will compensate for the weak fundamentals in the sound source Since the fundamentals are present but weakened boost ing them by several dB will sound natural even though the sound has been sweetened Radio and television announcers have long relied on proximity ef fect to produce a full rich authoritative quality to their voices By knowing how to work with the proximity effect the engineer can...

Page 16: ...ophones may be placed in an X pattern a couple of feet from the center of the soundboard Amplified Instruments should be miked from a distance of one foot or more The smooth undistorted response of a ribbon micro phone is very useful for electric guitars and electric bass Since guitar amplifier speakers are often beamy experiment with mic placement to find just the right spot Placing the mic at gr...

Page 17: ...nts and sound sources contain powerful blasts of air that are potentially harmful to ribbon microphones of all types Kick drums close miked horns guitar and electric bass amplifiers are typical examples of the sources that can produce potentially harmful air currents You can place your hand in front of a sound source where the microphone is to be placed to feel if the air pressure is excessive A s...

Page 18: ...sound will not be affected Side view of kick drum miking technique A Close miking angle mic so that pressure wave is off axis B Standard miking position Horizontal positioning technique Applied to kick drum similar to that utilized for other loud or percussive in struments 17 ...

Page 19: ...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 Technique In the early days of stereo radio broadcasting there was a need for a mic setup that would allow for simultaneous stereo and mono feeds...

Page 20: ...ique Mid Side pair as seen from directly above S M Sound Source Center 90 Degrees Figure 3 Typical M S connection set up XLR Female to mic XLR Male Right Output XLR Male Left Output phase reversed Y adapter mic splitter with phase reversal 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 0 MID SIDE NOTE INVERT PHASE Mixer Channel Pan LEFT Mixer Channel Pan RIGHT Mixer Channel Pan CENTER ...

Page 21: ...le high sound pressure levels such as those produced by loud guitar amplifiers and other instruments An interesting phe nomenon as a result of this offset ribbon construction occurs at the microphone s backside which affects the high frequency and low frequency response characteristics within the microphone s proximity range This proximity range is loosely defined as sound sources that are three f...

Page 22: ... the dampening screen is much closer to the ribbon element Rear side recordings of loud sounds or vocalists with no pop filter can drive the rib bon into the front dampening screen creating noise and possibly damaging the ribbon element Limit backside recording on your R 122 to lower SPL sound sources and the microphone will be fine Care and Maintenance The R 122 is a well built precision instrume...

Page 23: ...sible damage caused by the transducer s powerful mag nets A Little Bit of History The ribbon velocity microphone design first gained popularity in the early 1930s and remained the industry standard for many years Their characteristic sound signature can still be appreciated today in recordings of the 30s 40s 50s and early 60s Ribbon microphone development reached its pinnacle during this time Thou...

Page 24: ...esigns of the 1930s and limited to specialized applications Recent developments in magnetics electronics and mechanical construction procedures have made it possible to once again bring the ribbon microphone to the forefront of the audio field This is similar to the resurgence vacuum tubes have made in recent years now that technology has enabled further development of the state of the art in nume...

Page 25: ...Excellent phase linearity even off axis Equal sensitivity from front or back of element Consistent frequency response regardless of distance No power supply required Compact size Electrical Specifications Acoustic Operating Principle Electro dynamic pressure gradient Polar Pattern Figure 8 Generating Element 2 5 micron aluminum ribbon Frequency Range 30 HZ 15 000 HZ 3 dB Sensitivity 39 dBv or grea...

Page 26: ...mm L x 25 mm W 8 1 8 L x 1 W Weight 309 grams 10 9 ounces Finish Dull Satin Nickel or Matte Black Chrome Accessories Protective wood case mic clip and protective mic sock Optional Accessories Shock mount pop screen Warranty Lifetime to original owner repair or replace at Royer s option For up to the minute information on Royer products and their usage visit our website at www royerlabs com 25 ...

Page 27: ...26 10 5 0 5 10 20 50 100 500 1000 5K 10K 20K 200 Hz 1000 Hz 10 KHz Polar Pattern Frequency Response ...

Page 28: ...Notes 27 ...

Page 29: ...uct To validate this war ranty the registration card and a photocopy of the sales receipt from an authorized Royer Labs dealer must be on file with the Royer Labs Should it ever become necessary to service your Royer Labs product please contact the factory In our continuing effort to improve our products Royer Labs reserves the right to make improvements without notice or obligation Specifications...

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