royer R-121 - General Microphone Techniques

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the microphone’s polar response.

Typical relationship of microphone distance to

frequency response for ribbon-velocity bi-

directional microphone.

Another area where proximity effect can

be turned to an 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 even thinner than it was in real life. In

contrast, using a microphone with strong proximity effect on such sound sources could

result in a “better than real” sound since the boosted bass response will compensate for

the weak fundamentals in the sound source. Since the fundamentals are present, but

weakened, boosting them by several dB will sound “natural”, even though the sound has

been “sweetened”.

Radio and television announcers have long relied on proximity effect to produce a full,

rich, “authoritative” quality to their voices. By knowing how to work with the proximity

effect, the engineer can get several useful effects without resorting to a “box”.

General Tips for Using Ribbon Microphones

and ribbon microphones 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.

sound full and never edgy when captured with a ribbon microphone.

Normal working distances are about a foot or two from the instrument.

sound very sweet and clean with ribbon microphones. Place the microphone

several feet from the instrument. For larger string sections, placing the microphone

slightly above the instrumentalists and angled down; a distance of three or four feet will

do the trick nicely.

sound excellent with ribbon microphones and are free of phase-related comb

filtering. The bass is full and rich while the top remains clean with no clatter. Mic the

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