sE R1 Ribbon Mic and Art MPA Pro II

[Mark WarnerParticipant]

Arrived in the studio this week is an sE R1 ribbon mic brand new from Anderton's for £169. I have been wanting to add a Ribbon mic to the studio equipment list for a while and I heard someone in a Q&A recently mention that Anderton's have a sales on these Microphones. According to Sound and Sound they were £699 ($1000) when they first came out and even though they were eventually dropped to £500, £169 is still a bargain.

In anticipation of getting a ribbon mic, I also bought an ART MPA PRO II valve pre-amp last year. This is a very versatile valve unit with several unusual features, one of which is a variable impedance which works really well with ribbon mics. The unit can be use as 2 channel or stereo and features an in built low cut filter (variable), gain, impedance and output control on both channels as well as a+20db pad, 48v,phase invert and a tube plate voltage boost which junmps the tube voltage from 120v to 400v and really makes the unit come alive. It can also do mid/side chain mic recordings as well.

With the R1 connected the warmth is just huge. My vocal range can be quite low so I am looking forward to seeing what it does to my vocals with the smooth rich sound that the combination of the R1 and ART MPA unit create.

Cheers - Mark

[Steve AParticipant]

That's a great bargain! Congrats!
I love ribbons, they are fussy and need to be stored correctly, and they also can't handle a lot of spl, but what a cool sound!
I have a low (baritone) vocal range as well, and there's just something about how my ribbon (Cascade Victor) reacts to it, that little presence in the frequency range suits it just right, and the low end is superb.
Speaking of that, I think in Warren's interview with Dave Jerden, he recalls that Zappa's vocal mic of choice was an old ribbon.

I have not heard the ART in person, but many swear by it, it's real bargain with all those features, comparatively speaking.

Enjoy!

[bentleyferrariParticipant]

Thanks ljemusic and 3rdstone for posting about this. I have never even considered recording vox with a ribbon mic (mainly because I don't have one). It would probably be a good investment anyway, but now I'm really intrigued.

[Steve AParticipant]

Not trying to side-track this thread, so I'll make this as brief as possible..
Ribbons were America's answer to superior sounding German condenser mics, it's just what we did.

'Industry standard' ribbons are very expensive, so in the last several years, similar designs are being engineered here, and manufactured elsewhere. (just beware of overly thick ribbon material)

SE makes some great priced ribbons, as do a few select manufacturers, like Cascade.
There are short and long ribbons, each are better suited for specific applications.
This FAQ covers most all of that: http://cascademicrophones.com/faq.html
It's hard to pick amongst manufacturers, but there are sites that offer soundclips, and you can compare for yourself, like ZenPro Audio's "Clipalator" Here:
http://www.zenproaudio.com/clipalator
Hope this Helps?

[Mark WarnerParticipant]

I think the sE R1 ribbon is stated as being about 2 microns which is unbelievably thin if correct. So it is easy to understand how they might get damaged. I have tested it and the sensitivity is fantastic. I can pick up a whisper across the other side of the room with the ART pre-amp and R1. So I will be using it carefully, with a pop shield and standing perhaps a little further away than I might ordinarily do 🙂

[Steve AParticipant]

Sounds like it's a really good mic, Mark
Have you tested against others that you have? ..just curious...
Like I said before, I love ribbons...something special..
And anytime a brother gets himself a good deal, that makes me a happy camper. 🙂
Cheers
-Steve 'monotone' A

[Mark WarnerParticipant]

I have tested it against my Rode Nt1a which has great high end range but lacks the smooth rich sound of the R1. My other main mic it my sE2200t tube mic. I don't use this much on my own vocals as I have found the top end way too bright for my voice. The 2200t also has nice low end but the upper put it in reserve or for use with other artists.

Cheers Mark

Here is Sound on Sound review of the sE R1
https://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov06/articles/ser1.htm

This is the Sound on Sound review of the ART pre amp
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb12/articles/art-pro-mpa2.htm

• This reply was modified 8 years ago by Mark Warner.
• This reply was modified 8 years ago by Mark Warner.

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