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Microphone Techniques

General Tips for Using the Royer R-101

The  following  are  good  basic  starting  places for recording with  the R-101. These  positions are 
known to  produce  good  results,  but  experimentation is the  key  to getting the  most  out  of your 

recordings!

  Photographs  of  many  of  the  following  techniques  can  be  found  at 

www.royerlabs.com

.

Amplified  Instruments

  should  be  miked  from  a  distance  of  6-8  inches  or  more.  The  smooth 

undistorted bass response is very useful for electric guitars and particularly electric bass.

Since  guitar amplifier  speakers are often beamy,  experiment with mic placement to find  just  the 
right  spot.  Placing  the  mic  at  greater  distances  from  the  speaker  cabinet  adds  more  room 
ambience  to  the  mix.  You  will  find  that  the  R-101  does  not  add  undesirable  elements  to  the 
sound.  Basically,  what  you  hear  at  the  amp  is  what  you  get  in  the  control  room  and  in  your 
recordings.

Brass Instruments

 and R-101s go  together very well. Mic the  instrument  from a  distance  of a 

couple of feet, and increase the working distance a little if several instruments are being used. 

Reed  Instruments

  sound  full  and  never  edgy when  captured with  an  R-101. Normal  working 

distances are about a foot or two from the instrument.

Strings

 sound  very 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 remains clean with no clatter. Mic the  piano at a distance 
of one  foot  to several  feet,  depending  on  taste. A more  direct,  up  front sound will  be  achieved 
when the microphone is placed closer to the soundboard.

For capturing  a  piano  in stereo,  place a  pair  of  R-101s  apart,  one  over  the bass strings and  the 
other over the high strings. The farther the mics are from each other, the wider the stereo spread. 
For a more direct stereo effect, the microphones may be placed in an X-Y pattern a couple of feet 
from the center of the soundboard.

Choirs  and  Orchestras

  can  be  picked  up  well  with  two  R-101s.  Place  the  microphones  at  a 

height of ten feet  or so and a few  feet  behind the conductor. The microphones should be  spaced 
apart approximately one foot and angled, one toward the left and one toward the right.

Drums and Percussion

 instruments sound full-bodied and natural when recorded with a pair of 

R-101s. For a drum set,  placing the microphone(s) at a distance of four to six feet above the  kit 
works very well without making the cymbals sound splattered.

10

Содержание R-101

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

Страница 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...

Страница 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...

Страница 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...

Страница 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...

Страница 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...

Страница 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...

Страница 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 ...

Страница 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...

Страница 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...

Страница 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...

Страница 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 ...

Страница 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...

Страница 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...

Страница 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...

Страница 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...

Страница 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 ...

Страница 18: ...Polar Pattern Frequency Response 18 ...

Страница 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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