Why Ribbons??

Ribbon microphones provide the warm solution for digital recordings being too cold.

Ribbon mics naturally have a warmer, fuller and overall more pleasing sound than even the most expensive dynamic and condenser microphones. They are the best and most natural sounding mics on earth. Nothing, not even the best Neumann, will sound better for certain instuments.

Ribbons are the best choice for:

*Warm drum overheads

*Fat Snare Drum or Toms

*Vocals (for a warm rich vintage tone)

*Acoustic guitar (the only choice)

*Guitar Amps (yes!)

*Horns and winds (the industry standard)

*Strings (Symphonies use ribbons exclusively)

*Banjo, Mandolin, or any acoustic instument where you need carity without a harsh top end (the standard for bluegrass)

Ribbon mics for 3D sound

Ribbon mics provide a much fuller sound with a round top end that can be described as 3D compared to the 2D sound of other mics. Dynamics and condensers fail in the era of digital recording because the top end is often to harsh and brittle sounding to please the ear. For many instruments recorded with ribbon mics a boost in the top end is necessary to achieve the best results. Fortunately ribbon mics EQ very well, 15 db of gain can be easily added with an equalizer around 5-10k while maintaining a very warm and smooth round sound that is pleasing to the human ear. You just cant do that with other mics, unless you appreciate the sound of nails on a chalkboard.

 
Why aren’t these wonderful mics more widely used?

Ribbon mics are more fragile than condensers and dynamics, they also need service occasionally. If you take care of a ribbon mic you can enjoy many years of wonderful performance before replacing the ribbon. You must, however, be very careful not to drop or abuse these mics as they are very sensitive and must be handled with care.

Ribbon mics also require the used of a good solid preamp because they have a lower output than dynamics and condensers. At least 60-65db of clean gain is required to bring out the best in these mics.

There are very few people in the world today that know how to properly install and tune a ribbon mic. For that reason people have been afraid to break out their ribbon mics for just any session, it has been a much safer practice to keep a studio full of mics that are not easily damaged.

Stephen Sank is among the top very best ribbon specialist working today. He learned from his father Jon Sank, the microphone wizard at RCA that designed the BK-11 and other popular ribbon mics, at very early age. He modifies ribbon microphones made by Beyer, B&O, Octava, Reslo, Pamphonic, and many other brands by installing and tuning NOS RCA ribbons. With the lightweight RCA ribbons and his expertise he is able to wake up these mics to achieve results that are remarkably similar to some of the most expensive and sought after vintage RCA microphones. Steve provides all of the ribbons and service for microphones and other gear sold on this site. All of these mics are backed by a 1 year service warranty, parts and labor, and a risk free 14 day money back return policy (minus shipping). So you can buy with confidence, Get your ribbon mic today and you wont have to worry about a ribbon tomorrow, or next week, you’ll have the confidence of knowing that your mic is covered for the next year. After a year, Steve is happy to service your mic at very reasonable rates.

Here are a few tips that will help to keep your ribbon mics performing year after year.

* NEVER apply phantom power to a ribbon microphone. The 48v of power can damage the ribbon; always make sure that phantom power is off remains off while using your ribbon mic.
* Be careful to never drop a ribbon mic as the ribbon could break.
* Know your mics! Only certain ribbon mics with a good blast filter can be safely used on a bass drum or other instruments with high SPLs. RCA BK5's and Beyer Dynamic M500's have internal blast filters and can generally withstand this kind of sound pressure, however, other models do not and you should know your mic before applying it to potentially harmful sound conditions. More miking tips will be provided on how to safely use a ribbon mic to capture bass amps, bass drums, and other high SPL sound sources. If done with proper care, you can achieve amazing results.

MORE TO COME...