cable and activate the phantom power switch. The microphone’s
electronics will stabilize in a few seconds.
4. When the microphone becomes operational, bring the channel
fader to 0-dB (unity) and use the trim to set desired level. This
technique maximizes the signal-to-noise performance of the pre-
amplifier or console input channel.
5. When disconnecting the microphone, bring the channel fader
down and unplug the microphone from the cable. It is also advis-
able to deactivate the phantom power switch before unplugging
the microphone whenever possible.
6. If the studio has the microphone lines brought to a patch bay
(tie lines), never crosspatch a microphone line when phantom is
applied or the monitor volume is raised. This could cause damage
to your microphone, preamplifier 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 strong. Due to this direc-
tionality, ribbon microphones should be placed at 1.3 times the
distance normally used with omni-directional microphones, or at
about the same distance used for cardioid microphones. This
method is used to achieve the same ratio of direct to reflected
sound.
2 In the horizontal plane, ribbon microphones do not discrimi-
nate against the “highs” off axis; nor do they boost them on axis.
Therefore, several instruments or vocalists can be placed in front
of the microphone without favoring the performer positioned in
the center of the group.
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