recording vocals on either side of an R-122, a quality pop filter
(such as the Royer PS-100 or PS-101 metal pop screen) is essen-
tial to protect the ribbon element from windblasts. As with any
figure-8 microphone, the front side of the R-122 is in-phase and
the backside is out-of-phase. We suggest that that you reverse the
phase polarity on your microphone preamplifier to achieve in-
phase recordings when tracking on the backside of an R-122.
Cautionary Note:
It is important to note that
the SPL handling capability of the
rear side of the R-122 is less than its front side
.
When tracking
loud sounds on the front side, the R-122's offset-ribbon design al-
lows ample space for rearward excursions of the ribbon. How-
ever, tracking on the back side causes the ribbon to move forward
towards the
front
side of the microphone, where 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 instrument. All that is re-
quired to ensure proper operation of this microphone is to follow
some commonsense rules.
1. Avoid transducer damage by not exposing the microphone to
severe shock or vibration. If the microphone is accidentally
dropped, test it to see if damage has occurred before returning it
to service.
2. Do not expose the microphone to direct blasts of air. Use a
windscreen or suitable blast filter when close miking a vocalist or
certain types of wind instruments. P-popping does not necessar-
ily damage the ribbon element but may produce unacceptable pre-
amplifier overload and could cause damage to speaker systems.
21
Summary of Contents for R-122
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