Guitar Amp Ribbon Mic Shootout - 12 Mics - Stereo Guitar Parts in a Mix
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- Опубліковано 17 чер 2019
- Free Download for All 8 Years of CSL Downloads and PDF guides: www.creativesoundlab.tv/alldo...
Ribbon Mics:
AEA R88 - My standard (Stereo) drum overhead - It’s almost like cheating for drum recording amzn.to/2ERcrcT
AEA N8 - Easy to use, and works on just about anything - amzn.to/2HSEH0o
AEA N22 - Fantastic close mic that doesn’t get muddy - amzn.to/2WmHKqv
Tom mics:
CAD m179 amzn.to/2IhUUvj
Audix D4 amzn.to/2JV3N0V
Kick and Bass Cab Mic:
RE20 amzn.to/312S3ip
M88 amzn.to/2JXN7WL
Snare drum mic:
Audix i5 amzn.to/2IgAdzQ
Shure SM57 amzn.to/2WKvtvw
Preamps:
Warm Audio WA-412 amzn.to/2IiBN4b
Warm Audio TB-12 amzn.to/2JU1wTP
Warm Audio WA12 amzn.to/2JVbnbM
Warm Audio WA2A amzn.to/2JYh2Oj
Studio Monitors:
Focal Solo 6Be amzn.to/2WkJArW
Adam T7V amzn.to/2HW45CJ
Recommended “First Mic for Any Studio”:
Shure SM7B amzn.to/2JYfAeP
Use with the SM7B for a higher-end sound amzn.to/2KrFKpU
Vocal Mic - Soyuz 017 amzn.to/2ER9Gbs
Large Diaphragm Condenser - Soyuz 023 amzn.to/2ERo5Ex
Small Diaphragm Condensers - Soyuz 013 amzn.to/2JXjKDM
Nice and QUIET fan for the studio - amzn.to/2JVv1ok
Free Download for All 8 Years of CSL Downloads and PDF guides: www.creativesoundlab.tv/alldownloads
That was a great showcase of those ribbon mics. Great job!!
Wow, what a treat. Thanks!! That’s a whole lot of work to do that!
I like them all, except the Rode. But I really love that AEA N22.
1. 6:35 RCA 44-BX
2. 6:48 RCA 77-DX
3. 7:01 RCA Varacoustic
4. 7:15 RCA SK-46
5. 7:28 AEA N8
6. 7:41 AEA N22
7. 7:55 AEA R88
8. 8:08 Royer R-121
9. 8:21 Royer SF-12
10. 8:35 Octava ML-16
11. 8:48 MXL R40
12. 9:01 Rode NTR
wtf where is the coles??? this came up as the first video on a search for coles 4038 guitar amp mic
The hero we need
Yes! Finally this type of a mic comparison! I've been thinking this for years while looking at comparisons. I rarely put a different type of mic in front of a guitar cab the same way I would a 57 in the middle. And I always try and have time to tweak the distance for the different mic and soundsource to fit each other rather than just slap it on. And I think the sound clips here prove it, almost none of the mics sound like they don't fit, they're just different flavours.
If I could, I'd like this video twice!
Love the comparison and especially the inexpensive MXL doing so well but I would love to have seen a coles 4038 in there
Good job, CSL! An excellent and informative video.
Dude, killer job man. Also amazzzing tone over all
I think all of them sound pretty good. The small RCA SK-46 has such a pokey nasal sound to it. I kinda want that for some things.
whoa, that is a great sounding amp. in the mix, all the mics sound fantastic.
The story on the Varacoustic is this. I got it from Brian Ahern's Nashville studio collection. He recorded and established the Americana sound and recorded many Country and Americana artists of the day. I got the mic from his engineer that was selling some of his mics for him. According to the seller, George Jones, Waylon Jennings, and Willy also used it, as well as Roy Orbison and Emmylou Harris (who is married to Brian Ahern.) He mentioned that Johnny Cash particularly liked the sound of this exact mic on his guitar and voice. The amp is a 70's silverface deluxe reverb that has been converted to '65 blackface by Jeff Andrews at Andrews Amp Lab in Dunwoody, Ga.
Thank you Ryan for making such awesome videos and sharing the sound of these mics with everyone.
All of them sounded great! What a killer rock tone! I’ll take any of them especially the Varacoustic
That R88! Man, I really need to get one of those. They just sound so amazing on almost everything. It just brings a satisfying grit to the equation. The SK-46 brought a lot of cool character too. It would be interesting to here the two of them together.
Every mic sounded great! All great but all different! Great job!
They all sound great. Close your eye and pick. But I really liked the RCA 44-Bx and the Royer R 121. Great video mate.
Thanks!
The RCA 44 and Royer R121 are sooooo go, depending on what you're looking for I think you can work with only these two... The MXL is surprising, considering the price, a bit harsh maybe but not bad at all ! I would have loved the Royer R10 in the shootout !
The MXL sounds incredible for heavy guitar.
mix sounds great!
Great shootout! It always surprises me how much different they can sound, also how good the cheaper ones are compared to the most expensive!
Thanks Julian. Yeah i think any ribbon can be great with a little adjustment on position. There were some alt positioned I filmed but just matched the closes sounding ones.
RCA 44 ... grunge out of the box!
very nice shootout some have realy unique character, also realy well recorded and balanced thanks for that
Ribbon mics are beautiful and God has blessed you with some dream mics. Best collection yet. They all sounded great, just subtle differences. I have 3 but mine are bargain basement, the MXL R80 and 2 Sterling ST170s.
Nice man! These aren’t all mine.
Thank you for this shootout. Very well done. Love the R44. Based on your videos, I suspect a Beyer M160 could become one of your favorite mics with it's ribbon and hypercardiod pattern.
Yeah I’ve never had the chance to try one. Always wondered how it’s sounds.
They all sound great!
they all sounded great!!!
great quality comparison dude!
All the rca mics sounded so good, especially the 44. That tone is really good btw. What dirt pedals were you using?
agreed the rca's killed it
What a fantastic video! Thank you!
Thanks!
I liked the growly kind of sound from the first three RCA mics.
Great shootout!
I was kinda surprised to hear the N8 jump out at me a lot. Sounded super balanced!
AEA n8 is amazing. I love it
Wow the Rode NTR and the AEA R88 are so similar! And the MXL is very close to the AEA N8. Amazing shootout, thank you.
I have more expensive ribbons than the R40, but I somehow always end up using them on electrics. Great value mic! I am thinking I need to back off a bit with them now after watching this. I usually pair one with a 57 or similar dynamic to get some definition, but backed off it doesn't seem to need as much help. Great video!
I have a pair of those r40s. Surprisingly decent mics. Very nice on rooms, and I can place them where I wouldn't want to risk my 4038.
I felt the royer 121 and bottom of the aea 88 sounded identical and the Octiva really surprised me. I liked the rca 44 best. Really be interested to hear the new aea directional ribbon
It would be great if you had a strat or Tele played clean to compare the mics.
I use the cascade fathead on most electric guitar tracks.
What kind of guitar?? I gotta know what I'm listening to. My favorites are the Royer R-121, the AEA N22, and the RCA 44-BX. Runners up are the Varacoustic and the MXL. Best looking mic goes to the N22 for looking like Qui-Gon Jinn's lightsaber ;)
I just Got a R1A MKiii and I haven’t even plugged it in yet. Ribbons sound so awesome. 😎
The Shure KSM313 is my current favorite ribbon for guitar along with the Beyer m160. I just got an AEA R92 but haven’t recorded with it yet. I also have an R88 but use that mainly for overheads.
The R92 sounds excellent on an AC30.
During the first half of the vid, I was thinking that each mic could be tweaked with some EQ to get it sounding "good" ( subjective ), but the second half of the vid highlighted the differences between the mics. It really is the case that the content is key to what mic you use. At the end of the day, it is "your" ears which decides which mic works best on which material. Very informative video.
So true David. Yeah I had a hard time hearing the differences until I soloed them and thought it was an interesting way to show the shootout.
They all sound great, some I prefer over others like the RCA 44, AEA R88, & Royer R121 but they all did the job well.
Nice! I liked the 121 a lot. The r88 with this can be a bit mid heavy.
Unrelated to the video. I really love your channel. It's like having a best buddy who's willing to spend hours doing studio shit that I'm too lazy to try but at the same time crazy interested about the results. Also helps that you have a pleasant chill vibe, very different from those overhyped screaming youtubbers.
Haha well yeah. I’m that guy! Glad you get a lot out of the videos and let’s keep in touch.
The 3 first sounds amazing
What does it sound like when you use two different ribbons on each side? More variation in tone could create more width.
I liked the upper midrange of the RCA Varicoustic and the Octava ML-16! They sounded huge!
The MXL R40 had a much brighter top end, but ended up sitting in the mix well.
The Rhode NTR was much darker than I thought it would be.
I wish you had a Cascade Fathead to add to the shootout!
I can't believe it but i'd pick the MXL mic over the other ones costing 20x's more. Ever tried Golden Age Ribbon mic's?
I guess, you guys really know which mic performed the best as you were there with the amp. What is your impression? Which one stands out as being closest to the amp in room sound?
I love the guitar sound you got here. What speakers do you have in this amp?
Sweet about the mic. man. O have a board that filter and ministry recorded on as well no idea what albums it was on.
I think the combination of the RCA 44-BX and the MXL R40 would be a killer tone.
But if I can only have one, I've got to go with the R40. Thought it worked well in the mix.
As always... Good Stuff Ryan
The MXL is a sleeper. So is the NADY RSM4 and 5. I replaced the ribbon to a thinner foil and it made them even better by a large margin. They are much more sensitive and don’t require near as much gain and the top end comes alive.
However, my favorite “cheap” ribbon is the APEX 205. Great out of the box, but I did the thinner ribbon and changed the transformer...WOW! Like a $1000+ microphone for less than $250 for the pair (plus the painstaking mod job of course) and they are my go to mics for nearly anything. Amazing as room mics, overheads, pianos, guitars, choir...you name it!
If you are adventurous as patient you can get any of these for super cheap and make them great!
Justin O'Neil where did you source and tune the ribbon
I agree about the mxl. I imagine some day in the distant future they'll become classics. They really are an incredible value.
love this. feels good like science. so curious thought - never thought about using or seen a pop-filter being used in front of the amp; could you talk about that to any extent, like how necessary etc? thanks! a whole ton of a lot.
If I had to do it again, I might not do it with the pop filter. It was mostly to protect the ribbon in these old mics.
Finally a person who understands comparisons. Getting the BEST out of a content is the ONLY fair way to compare stuff....
Umm, it is me or do they all sound bloody ace?! Brilliant powerful overdriven tones
Yeah man! I felt really satisfied that I was able to get a position that made each one sound totally useable.
Every mic was a winner! You got great tone from all of them. Epic video!
Ya they all sound really good and with the distortion it is hard to tell too much, at least for my ears....I think vocals or maybe clean sound would give much more comparison of the subtleties.. thanks for posting - those are some awesome mics!!
Great video. Thanks!!
You're welcome!
I was really surprised at how similar a lot of them ended up sounding in the mix when you compensate for proximity effect. It appears that when choosing ribbon mics for guitar speakers, the answer is yes.
Yep totally. I didn’t get it perfect but in the mix I had a hard time telling.
Lol. Yep
Royer SF-12 is beautifully smooth.
4:49
I must start saving!
That tone is amazing! Will you tell me pedals and rig your using?
The MXL kinda made the mix feel like Siamese Dream. Big guitars with a lot of grind on top that drums and bass can still punch through. Its almost like there was a 57 mixed in or something.
I just listened to this, and my 2 instant picks where the varacustics and the r40, nice soundig ribbon mics! did anyone compared them to an r144?
Do you recommend ribbons on a bass cab?
For that matter, would you consider doing a bass guitar miccing instruction video? It seems like its different enough to guitar, at least if i mic like a guitar somethings wrong and i haven't seen one on your channel. Do you DI?
Tough decision to just pick one! Also you might like one listening to it in the mix, and then not so much on its own, and that's why I posted a comment with the "in the mix" timings, both for the first and second chord, because you can hear different...well, differences between the two chords, I think the second chords might give a slightly better idea on those subtle differences, but anyway I put both timings for each mic so that you can switch fast between them.
So well, Rca 44, so recognizable, we've listen to that mic in an endless list of great albums. That Varacoustic, wow, killer growl, I might say the best sounding of all for this take. Royer R-121 and Aea R88, so balanced!
But if I have to pick one, it's the N22, which, if you listen to it on its own, you might not like it that much, but sits very well in the mix, it's balanced, it has the right amount of growl, and, well, the price! Bang for the bucks!
I reaaaally would have loved to listen to the coles 4038 in this shootout.
The RCA Varacoustic and SK46 are quite similar love them. The AEA N22 is great. Octavia ML 51 has a unique sound I like and the MXL R40 surprised me.
Yeah totally. That sk46 might like to be a little closer but I was also trying to match the highs too. I never heard the Octava until this but it was one of my favs.
Agreed. The varacoustic stood out immediately to me.
Hi my favourite here has been the RCA R 44-BX.. May I ask you what fender amp was that? :)
Thank you so much for your contents... After watching your videos I'll probably buy an AEA R88 MKII, it seems to be astonishing!!!
Best wishes
Love the content! I'm interested in the benefits of using ribbons for recording drum tracks, and would love to see some of these demonstrated in the original glyn johns config. or 1, 2, 3, 4+ mic setups.
Could you possibly do a stereo ribbon shootout/video? Would love to hear a comparison between the AEA R88, Royer SF-12 and maybe a couple cheaper alternatives like the Golden Age Project R1ST or other copy if you can get your hands on some.
Great video as always!
Yep already have it filmed. But I only had access to the AEA and Royer. The Royer is a lot bright and thinner on the low end. I still like the AEA r88 way more.
Creative Sound Lab Fantastic, can’t wait to see it! Love the way stereo ribbons sound and how versatile they are, if only I could afford one. Have you ever tried any affordable models or copies you could recommend?
I liked the RCA-SK46. Also the R88. RCA 44 was undeniable as well. Royer "just works" maybe not the most interesting of the bunch in this comparison. I own some MXL R40, R80, and the Apex 205, all have gotten mods or re-ribbons, they are surprising performers like you said.
MXL R40 is a surprise. It's brighter than the others on guitars, but grungy in a good way. I even liked it on drum overheads due to the loose and big low end which could be used to a good effect.
I really, really like Rode NTR and I'm not a fan of Rhode mics in general.
Wow loved this shootout! Most mics sound great and big, though the RCA SK-47 was quite thin, and the Royer 121 wasn't as exciting as I hoped: seems like I prefer big ribbons, like my own AEA R84 (though I love a Coles 4038 on OH's!)
Yeah I’ve actually never gotten to use a 84 here or a 4038
Jeez man. What did you do buy out some old studio of its old mics ? Lol
Hi,
how loud can i turn on the amp with my rode ntr?
I have a few tube amps, and the right tone only comes out at 50% volume and more?
Can a pop filter be used? I can also see on video the microphones are tilted, they are not hit by the amplifier at a right angle ...
Thank in advance🎸🎸🎸
All guitar tones are pretty fine, some crisper, some of then have a low mid bump I'm not fond of on distorted guitars , specially the RCA 77 and the Royer sf. The RCA SK, despite a little bit thin, is my favorite in this context. The cheaper contenders sound great also, I'm sure in a mix situation I could do with any of this tones and make it work. Bottom line, mic placement and source is paramount, you don't have to expend 2000 dollars on a mic to get a great tone.
Right on man. I thought they all were workable.
How many inches away is the mxl? Also what is it pointed to? Thank you
Is it true that the r88 is 2 n22s stacked in the blumlein and if so, is it the housing that makes such a big difference. the two sound markedly different. maybe i have bad intel, Asking for a friend, please no roast me
44, varacoustic and r88 won my ear's preference; the mxr with isolated guitar track was an unexpected strong performer
Yeah that MXL is nuts.
those were my favs too
You should check out STAGER for ribbon mics! Used by the likes of Chris Stapleton, Kings on Leon and Slash on stage... made in Nashville and very vibey
Hey Ryan. Was just watching this video again, and just wondering if I could ask, since you have experience with both, how close actually is the N8 compared to the R88 (when used with one side obv)? Have you ever tried them on the same things/same positions to see? I'm only curious, because I've been thinking about a pair of N8's for quite a long time mainly because I've heard quite a few times an N8 is quite literally supposed to be super close, if not the same as a single channel on the R88, but wonder if in real world scenarios that's actually true, and also the fact you placed them so differently in this also makes me wonder since you said the premise of this was to put the mic's where they sounded best to you. Cheers bro, and hope all is well! Happy Holidays/New Year!
N8 is the far away mic, N22 is the close-up mic and the New N13 is the in between mic.
Really was hoping to see a Beyerdynamic m160 or m130, but this was an incredible video.
Think I missed something. 2 year old down here. What's the deal with the pop filter?
bye! Can some of these microphones also be used for vocals?
I listened to this video before watching it and in the mix, not enough of a difference to notice there were multiple mics used. And soloed, it sounded like multiple eq curves were applied to 1 mic.
Great video idea to show people the importance of proximity, of mic placement.
Thanks so much. Really appreciate your detailed listening!
Would like to see how the fathead 2 stacks up to these
That was fucking beautiful
Hi mate , well explained ..what cam you use ? also love your colour grading
Thanks! I just got a blackmagic pocket cinema 4K. They are calling its poor mans’s Red. It has the specs good enough for Netflix indie films.
@@creativesoundlab Yes i sold it few months back and just bought second hand first version since it was too much for me :) But i know your earlier videos as well almost same colours etc..how you grade ? Thanks man cheers !
YES! This is how shootouts should be done. I would imagine, though, the act of finding the sweet spot for each mic can end up being a bit subjective. By the way, love the text on the SK-46 accented by subtle rust overtones. "TALK CLOSE - 1 INCH OR LESS." :-)
So...the sk-46 and the sk-35 are the same mic. I have both and refer to both as SK-46. The sk-35 has foam on both sides of the windscreen to allow for close use like the sticker says. But I removed them immediately, they are exactly the same everything inside and out other than that initial difference. I just left the sticker on it. So folks, in summary, you can look for an sk-35 as well. if you see one show up, you'll know what it is, just remove the foam on the inside. Basically they offered the mics in two forms so it could be used outdoors and up close. (I still don't think I could bring myself to talk that close to a ribbon mic even it had protection.)
Is it a pop filter in front of the mic ?
So I picked up a couple MXL R144s last year to dip my toes onto the world of ribbon mics, but listening to these demos, I'm SHOCKED with how good the R40 sounds on that amp!!
How similar is the R144 in tone to the R40? I was not planning to use the mics I bought for electric guitar, but if the tone is practically identical to what I'm hearing now, then I'm all in! I tried looking up the differences between them, but I'm getting conflicting results
I'm pretty sure they're basically the exact same mic, just rebranded. They might have changed the windings in the transformer a slight amount, but I doubt it.
@@in.der.welt.sein. a few months out I actually got the R40 and compared it side by side with the R144!
The R144 has a tighter rear polar pattern, and a slightly less "natural" sound! Ended up selling the R144 in favor of the R40, which has been my go to ribbon for electric guitar ever since!
@@timstevens3183 interesting. How tight a ribbon is on the motor can affect all kinds of things, as well as the thickness of the ribbon or the amount of turns in the transformer.
I love the Rode NTR for drums and piano but didn't enjoy it here. Really liked the AEA mics though!
Yeah I’d agree.
The Royer R-121 proving again why it's a staple in electric guitar recording nowdays. The RCA-44 sounded great as expected but prices today are crazy, so without incredible luck, not a viable or practical alternative for most. RCA 77 and Varacoustic both had awesome garagy sound. Compared to these four, all the others were quite uninspiring. So, unless a garagy / lo-fi'ish sound is sought, just get the Royer.
I thought the RCA 44BX was the best sounding Fuller and warmer sounding.
Royer 121 should try stager mics,
Fun :) It's hard to tell which one is better when listen with studio monitors - but with a shitty business headset in office i can tell that classics are so for reason ;)
RCA SK-46 или Oktava ML-16 оба звучат очень хорошо в своем стиле
I like that this guy isn’t a robot
I noticed that the royer121 was backwards facing the amp in the close up filming. Was this intentional as the back is brighter than the front?
They all were backwards in those shots....because it was just a shot for the video. Not actual mic placement. Sorry to be confusing with that.
@@creativesoundlab no worries after watching it a second time I noticed that all the microphones where showcased that way and didn't realize
Man, that RCA 44 sounded so good!! My favourite for sure. I also loved the Royer R-121, AEA N22 and Rode NTR. The cheaper ribbon mics sounded a bit clanky to me, but definitely more than useable, they would just need some more tweaking in terms of positioning or EQ.
Hi! Whats the reason for using the wind screen on the guitar amp? Thanks
It's designed to cut down on the sound pressure level that's coming off the amp. It's made/designed for ribbons on guitar amps, just like what we did in the video. Without it, there's a ricks that one of the ribbons mic break, but personally, I've done it tons of times without issues.
@@creativesoundlab Cool, thanks for the explanation!
Roger r-121 08:09
Rode ntr 09:02
Mxl r44 08:49
Oktava 08:36
I liked 1 better than two, but heard almost no difference that swayed me significantly -with a slight exception for 4
what's the amp and what's the guitar?