Some additional information about the M160 if you want to see what it actually looks like with the grill taken off, and some info on the history of it. So cool seeing this: ua-cam.com/video/S_ypWT7nPpY/v-deo.html
It is in fact made in Germany, completely assembled by hand. This can only be done by specialized workers as it takes over 4 months training to place the 1.8 microns ribbons over each other without touching the magnets in any way.
Just a few tips for ribbon lovers: Never ever blow into it. Don't put it on a kick drum, especially at the hole. The tone will slowly change over the years due to ribbon fatigue, and there's nothing you can do about it short of a new ribbon. Always position a Beyer ribbon with the red dot either up or down, but not sideways, to help keep the ribbon centered in the magnet -- and store it that way too. Don't clap your hands near the ribbon! ;-) And finally, as a friend of mine found out the hard way, you can use it to record a firecracker *exactly once.* Great review, Bandrew! And thanks!
@@dkijc LOL! It was the radio station's mic, and they sent it back to RCA for a re-ribbon. It was not cheap, and the ribbon snapped clean in two. Thanks for your...crack! ;-)
Ever since I started using this mic on guitar cabs as a live touring engineer, I haven't looked back. Pairing it with a dynamic and blending them together creates an unbelievably satisfying guitar tone in a live setting that just sounds like a studio sound. It's probably my favorite mic right now.
The sound of this mic is so beautiful. It's great on your voice, it's sound amazing when the three guitars are mixed together and that is one of the best sounding acoustic recording I've ever heard.
The M160 is such a great mic, and even though it's popular in recording studios it seems to still a bit of a secret treasure. I thought your voice sounded excellent with it, and it was definitely my favorite of all the ones you compared it to. It does sometimes require a bit of EQ, as you mentioned, but ribbon mics tend to respond to EQ in a very pleasing and predictable way, and the M160 is no exception. Excellent review, by the way! I really enjoy these, and I find them to be very helpful and informative
Have to admit, I rarely need to reach for the EQ when using the M160. Especially in comparison to my vintage Oktava's which are really really dark - They sound lovely with an exaggerated high shelf
As a multi-instrumentalist, I got one of the BEST tenor sax cuts ever on the M160. The track had a polished, smooth, almost compressed & polished sound. I bought another!
The M160 sounded great with your voice, it added some lushness to it and worked really well. I purchased an M160 recently to record sax and woodwind it's been the best I've experienced for my particular sound and instruments, and it's taken a while for me to get one, it's especially awesome for flute. For your voice the AEA sounds awesome, really classy, wow!! and I'd say the best for you - its a bit more transparent than the Beyerdynamic but keeps the lushness - If the SM7b and the M160 got together and had a child the AEA would be it, the best of both worlds!! BUT if budget was an issue I'd go with the Beyer, it does sound awesome!! It's down to your personal taste and what sound you wanna present.
M160. Super smooth on your voice. Great tone. As a recording engineer and re-rcording mixer, half my job would be done with this mic(for your voice). Impressively smooth.
Good job! The mic M 160 is excellent. I use it for my instrument, Persian hammer dulcimer. It works quite well. Moreover, I believe the main purpose of this mic is not to be used for podcast but for musical instruments.
hey Bandrew i have a question..when we record vocals, we eventually cut off the lower frequencies while mixing the vocals with the tracks..so considering that, is it better to turn on the high pass filter of the mic while recording in the first place or is it better to record with the pad off and do everything in eq? big fan of your work
Could you do a test of the M160 and an M130 for Mid/sides? Also I would love to see any reviews of Grace and TRP pre-amps with any passive ribbon mics.
Phantastic review about the Beyerdynamic M160! I also love the sound of the ribbons. When I was a child, I can remember my father doing all his audio recordings with a Grundig GBM125 (internal term M160!). Greetings from Germany :)
this has been my 'secret weapon' mic for electric guitar cabs for years now, one of my favourite mics, I have used it for vocals with hardware EQ on the way in, it takes EQ very well.
The M160 sounds great! But, the AEA KU5a is absolutely awesome on your voice! My favorite of all the mics you have used even though you haven't reviewed it on Podcastage. I loved the 3 episodes of BSP using the AEA KU5a.
Bandrew, that is a spectacular mic. I want to change up my podcast sound from traditional dynamics (Shure Sm7b, RE20--which I love.) My main concern is the pattern in an untreated room. Now, I run through the Rodecaster Pro so it has decent pre amps and there's a good gate and compression setting that helps, but do you think I'm gonna get killed in an untreated room with this? My dynamics do great in the room, as a comparison. Wondering if I should just wait until I'm in my cups one night and spring for the KU5a.
Most of the cons you mentioned about the M160 are easily resolved with placement. Move the mic a little further from the source (it will still sound up close due to excellent transient response) or to a location for the acoustic that’s less rich in bass. Massive proximity effect is a feature of most ribbon mics. The exceptions that lack said proximity effect are mainly modern ribbons like the AEA N22 and KU5A. That’s a benefit in close micing but a limitation if you want to use said massive bass.
New subscriber! Thank you for the review. Would you recommend this for recording a yidaki, or didgeridoo? I've heard high end ribbon mics are best but also a huge group of didge players say DCM mics. The confusion is real.
I'm just here to watch the box die Also, I think this may be the only channel on UA-cam where the automatic captions actually reflect what is being said over 90% of the time, so kudos for the clarity and enunciation
This m160 is the Best mic for your voice for sure! 👌Damn! I had already decide after your ksm32 review that the shure was my next all purpose mic. But now you put this video and this is the new winner I think...🤔😅
This was one of the most pleasant mics on your voice. I've been a ribbon convert for a long time. The AEA seems much better for vocals with very pleasant highs. Thanks.
Just wanted to mention that the Zoom L series mixer/recorder/usb might be of interest to check out also. Our podcast have been on L12 for years, using it as a recorder mainly, and very happy about it. Great preamps and a number of mixes possible. But I haven’t tested the MG10XU nor have the audio ear and range of experience Bandrew and other reviewers have.
OGViolinist ah, I didn’t know the pricing difference. The L8 version is about twice the price of MG10XU I see. For a smaller setup the L8 is maybe even more interesting since it includes a sound pad (sample player), and battery powe option. For some uses it really declutters a recording room, having sound pad + mixer + recorder + usb in one device. Similar to Rodecaster but the L8 is more similar to a traditional mixer in how you interface it. But instead of promoting gear I’m interested in, maybe I could ask what your main use-cases are?
Thank you for input. My use case is UA-cam streaming and voice over. I have a gaming channel, The Phantom 86, I am looking to upgrade my audio gear despite the low sub count of 122. The Mg10xu has built in Fx which could be fun to use on stream.
OGViolinist ah. If you want to do Fx on voice but have clean game audio, check the details on the mixer Fx support carefully. Many cheap mixers only send the master (pre-fx) into the Fx, instead of allowing you to Fx only selected tracks.
Love the 160! Its the secret weapon to jimi and zepplin's guitars, bonham's drums, and adding texture to bowies voice (berlin era). Needs a cloudlifter though!
What video recording device do you use? Do you use any special lighting? I like the video quality as much as the M160. Thanks for posting this. I really enjoyed it.
All the microphones sound great for spoken word, I was very impressed the M201 TG. Have you any updates on the Samson Q9U? It seems to have disappeared.
Saw your comment on Audient EVO 4 on Krauss`s channel- Came over - Funny dood! Good and goof tests and you can actually play. Enjoyed...Looks like I got a few videos to get through here lol.....Be lucky - Subbed
Had a couple of these back in the 70’s. They were great for live vocal performances with floor monitors because of the tight pattern. They also came with globe shaped pop filters.
A review of the Coles 4104 classic ribbon war-zone reporter's microphone would be good. Booth Junkie did a great field test in a very noisy environment, but there's a lack of more comprehensive studio reviews!
What sort of a preamp would you suggest for the mic for doing voice work in home conditions? I really love the sound of the ribbons - both M160 and KU5A are outstanding. I'm just wondering what to pair them with for the best results.
Ah, the video I waited for. Sweet. I'm not bothered by the increased low end at all. It would ass more - dare I say it - balls to sources that might need it. The top end is actually really great in this, like you mentioned. In that regard, SE makes a ribbon in conjunction with Rupert Neve that boasts response up to 25k, which I'm super interested in trying, should the stars ever align for anything that isn't a worldwide tragedy. Although, it's currently hurricane season here in Florida, so we probably need to get that out of the way first. But still, if it's too much, EQ it out. If it's not there in the first place, and you need it...uh...504: Frequency Range Not Found. You sound great on this, and I think it's honestly becoming of your voice. I'm a bit worried about the issue of damaging the thing, with you being so close to it. Granted, my own mic usage is typically 2-6 feet away, depending on what's happening, but I still hide my ribbon from even my own prying hands when it's not in use. Shit happens, though, and I've dropped plenty things I never meant to. The last thing I need, is to have 3 car payments explode on the sidewalk when I have sweaty hands. There are a couple ribbons out there which are meant for more rough usage, like the "live" versions of Royer mics they designed after Aerosmith used the normal 121 and 122 models on a bunch of tours (and supposedly only broke one, but I call bullshit), but I haven't met anyone with them to confirm what kind of abuse a guitar amp does to them, and it's uncommon for me to hear somebody used a Royer on vocals, where it'd be executed in public square within the first 3 songs. Like I've said before though, I enjoyed using one of these myself. My experience has been toward the larger end of the distance scale from the mic with them, but I'd be curious of how it might sound when I'm not consistently blasting out 130dB of noise toward a $700 mic that looks like something I plugged into a boombox as a kid to record myself saying dirty words. If you ever decide you hate the mic, though, you could always do a Mythbusters-style test on exactly what it takes to blow it out. Mind you, we'll all be disappointed if you use anything less than ballistics gel and a 50 caliber machine gun in the experiment. A small shout-out to the mention of using a Fethead or Cloudlifter, for anyone interested, too: the Fethead seriously helped with gain on the ribbon I use, and I'd wholeheartedly recommend it. Short of that, if there's an active version of a ribbon someone's eyeballing, it also solves the issue. If it come down to cost, just gauge whether it's cheaper to buy the Fethead plus the passive ribbon, or buying the active version of the ribbon without the Fethead outright. Bear in mind, the Fethead also works great on dynamic mics, and for me, it makes a world of difference.
Dude do you actually own all these mic's you review? You are crazy. Btw have you done a full review on the Mojave 201fet? I saw it in your U87 video but I didn't find a full review would really interested in that if you got the time! Thanks for the content as always it's awesome
Hi Bandrew, I like the M160 best the sound is amazing. I don't think I heard a ribbon mic before, if I did I didn't know it. Thank you for opening my ears, stay safe and keep well...
Cloudlifters are perfect for this. I sometimes use fetheads with the m160, but for some guitar amps, the gain is actually too much (cloudlifters provide a bit less gain than fetheads)
That M160 sounds really great but it seems too fragile. I wonder if @bandrew would prefer this or the Sennheiser MD441-U dynamic mic instead? Also, what shock filters would work with this mic?
I am a classical violinist, and am looking to improve my home recording set up. I don't plan to use it for comercial recording, more for my own practising. What would I need to make this mic work? Would scarlet interface be enough, or would I need to invest in a more robust pre-amp?
You went from Cherry blues to Gaterons? Do you notice anything different between the two? Many people in the community prefer Gateron or Kailh over Cherry.
Рік тому
Sounds better than SM7B to me, fuller and more pleasant. Excellent video, as always! 🙂
I also love the M160 and think it was the best among your mics. But I can´t go along with your remarks on the proximity effect. This effect is an offer by the manufacturer or a built-in EQ if you will. Everyone has to choose the distance that´s serving his or her voice best. There´s absolutely no rule that you have to place your mouth straight in front of a mic. So it´s basically great if there´s a good amount of prox. effect. By the way: John Bohnham´s drums on Kashmir was recorded with two M160s that were placed in the middle of the entrance hall of an old mansion.
Damn this mic sounds great. I was excited when I saw ribbon mic in the thumbnail since I really want to get one, but that price haha. I still prefer the KU5a. Might save my pennies up for that one still.
I would much rather have the SM7B, even if the M160 cost less. and think you sound more naturally present and authoritative when speaking into that than into the ribbon, where the low end seems a bit overwhelming, comparatively speaking.
Excellent review! Bandrew I have a question, how far from the microphone can the proximity effect be considered?, or that will depend on each microphone, thanks
Most frequency response are measured at 1 meter. So closer than that and you’re going to start to get an increased bass response. On the graph for this mic, they provide the bass response at different distances of 10cm and 2cm.
I believe the M160 was used on Jimi Hendrix's guitar cab back in The olden days. Also just noticed the Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers masks in the background. Nice!
Dear Bandrew, this is the first time, that a hear your voice coming down at 117Hz (first octave). This German Mic is amazing. Blow out of the watter all the outer mics, hands down. 73 Mark
The moment of truth is "treated room" vs "untreated room" -- this is the M160's superpower. It sounds great in a good-sounding room...and it sounds great in crappy sounding room!
Ohhhhh :) I was waiting this mic since a looong time !!!!!! Next legendary mic : Sennheiser MD21 (dynamic omni) ;) - And i prefer your voice on this mic (with maybe a light HPF)
I use the M160 for quite some time. It´s a great mic although it needs some attention. Never in front of impulsive instruments, always handle with care. It´s a fragile mic but it rewards you with a very unique, nice sound. I mainly use it for classical instruments, sometimes for acoustic guitars. Even for grand pianos it´s a outstanding mic.
I thought that the M160 sounded the best out of all the micrphones tested. However, I may be a little bit biased since I recently purchased this mic a month or two ago. So far, it is the best mic that I have in my humble colllection of four mic's. It is my first ribbon. I would like to bring out that I think the key that differentiates this mic with other ribbon mics is it build and the fact that it is a cartiod pattern DOUBLE ribbon mic. The fact that it focuses its pick up pattern to one direction and the double ribbon makes it extra sensitive and it's able to be broader in its focus of frequencies. Love this mic, but my next goal is to get a Nuemann condenser. We'll see. Thank you for reviewing this mic btw.
Can anybody please explain to me how can a mic be dynamic and ribbon at the same time? As far as I understand these are different types of transducers and therefore they can't be in a mic simoultaneasly. Please, I'm just learning about this and that got me soo confused
Some additional information about the M160 if you want to see what it actually looks like with the grill taken off, and some info on the history of it. So cool seeing this: ua-cam.com/video/S_ypWT7nPpY/v-deo.html
It is in fact made in Germany, completely assembled by hand. This can only be done by specialized workers as it takes over 4 months training to place the 1.8 microns ribbons over each other without touching the magnets in any way.
Just a few tips for ribbon lovers: Never ever blow into it. Don't put it on a kick drum, especially at the hole. The tone will slowly change over the years due to ribbon fatigue, and there's nothing you can do about it short of a new ribbon. Always position a Beyer ribbon with the red dot either up or down, but not sideways, to help keep the ribbon centered in the magnet -- and store it that way too. Don't clap your hands near the ribbon! ;-) And finally, as a friend of mine found out the hard way, you can use it to record a firecracker *exactly once.* Great review, Bandrew! And thanks!
Guess the mic cracked.... sorry. had to. Hopefully he got it replaced!
@@dkijc LOL! It was the radio station's mic, and they sent it back to RCA for a re-ribbon. It was not cheap, and the ribbon snapped clean in two. Thanks for your...crack! ;-)
You can fart into the microphone too and it will be ok. Just don’t hand it back to the singer
But was the recording of the firecracker good?
This has got to be the best electric guitar sound of all the mics you've tested. It sounds amazing!
Hoping for a review of the AEA KU5a in the near future!
One of the most thorough and actually useful mic reviews I've ever seen/heard! Tested every angle and distance. Bravo!
I think this is some of my favorite guitar playing you’Ve ever done in a review. Sounded great!
Ever since I started using this mic on guitar cabs as a live touring engineer, I haven't looked back. Pairing it with a dynamic and blending them together creates an unbelievably satisfying guitar tone in a live setting that just sounds like a studio sound. It's probably my favorite mic right now.
It's a lil beauty isn't it. I love mine on cabs with a 57 too
The sound of this mic is so beautiful. It's great on your voice, it's sound amazing when the three guitars are mixed together and that is one of the best sounding acoustic recording I've ever heard.
The M160 is such a great mic, and even though it's popular in recording studios it seems to still a bit of a secret treasure. I thought your voice sounded excellent with it, and it was definitely my favorite of all the ones you compared it to. It does sometimes require a bit of EQ, as you mentioned, but ribbon mics tend to respond to EQ in a very pleasing and predictable way, and the M160 is no exception. Excellent review, by the way! I really enjoy these, and I find them to be very helpful and informative
Have to admit, I rarely need to reach for the EQ when using the M160. Especially in comparison to my vintage Oktava's which are really really dark - They sound lovely with an exaggerated high shelf
I love the sound of this microphone. It has really transformed your voice.
I was thinking exactly the same thing about the acoustic. The softer playing is reproduced so delicately but it isn’t thin. A really great sound. 👍
As a multi-instrumentalist, I got one of the BEST tenor sax cuts ever on the M160. The track had a polished, smooth, almost compressed & polished sound. I bought another!
Hello please this mickey needs phantom ? I have read that the last ones on sale already have electronics inside that need phantom.
The M160 sounded great with your voice, it added some lushness to it and worked really well. I purchased an M160 recently to record sax and woodwind it's been the best I've experienced for my particular sound and instruments, and it's taken a while for me to get one, it's especially awesome for flute. For your voice the AEA sounds awesome, really classy, wow!! and I'd say the best for you - its a bit more transparent than the Beyerdynamic but keeps the lushness - If the SM7b and the M160 got together and had a child the AEA would be it, the best of both worlds!! BUT if budget was an issue I'd go with the Beyer, it does sound awesome!! It's down to your personal taste and what sound you wanna present.
This mic sounds awesome
I like your unbiased reviews of mics. It has saved me a lot of money!
Ribbon microphone when you blow into it with no pop filter:
👁️👄👁️
It's a ripping microphone then :3
Loool
M160. Super smooth on your voice. Great tone. As a recording engineer and re-rcording mixer, half my job would be done with this mic(for your voice). Impressively smooth.
Good job! The mic M 160 is excellent. I use it for my instrument, Persian hammer dulcimer. It works quite well. Moreover, I believe the main purpose of this mic is not to be used for podcast but for musical instruments.
hey Bandrew i have a question..when we record vocals, we eventually cut off the lower frequencies while mixing the vocals with the tracks..so considering that, is it better to turn on the high pass filter of the mic while recording in the first place or is it better to record with the pad off and do everything in eq?
big fan of your work
In most cases, I’ll record flat and then EQ in post because then I have a lot more control.
@@Podcastage thank you
Could you do a test of the M160 and an M130 for Mid/sides? Also I would love to see any reviews of Grace and TRP pre-amps with any passive ribbon mics.
Mmmm, sounds nice. Its a toss up between the Beyer and the AEA for my ears and your voice.
Yeah. The AEA changed my mind on ribbons, and the Beyer solidified that.
beyerdynamic is sooo good though
@@Podcastage We need a review of the Bumblebee RM-6!
Phantastic review about the Beyerdynamic M160!
I also love the sound of the ribbons. When I was a child, I can remember my father doing all his audio recordings with a Grundig GBM125 (internal term M160!). Greetings from Germany :)
Understatement of the year by Bandrew: "I may be a weirdo".😂 Nice mic & great review....👍👍😉😉🎤🎤🎤🎤👍👍
Years ago I used a M160 in the studio. To this day it is the best mic I've used as a vocalist. And this includes a host of high end classic mics.
im surprised more people dont use it for vocals
@@UndetectableBomber we've been using it as our main vocal mic on a project lately, and it has been incredible.
this has been my 'secret weapon' mic for electric guitar cabs for years now, one of my favourite mics, I have used it for vocals with hardware EQ on the way in, it takes EQ very well.
This mic sounds great.
This is amazing, I'm from Mexico, and your videos are so helpful, in our country we don't have some one that to the same as you.
best review I have seen on any microphone. well done!
Thanks for these interesting and informative videos. I would love to see a review and comparison with the Rode NTR.
love the review as always! I'd love to see your take on some other ribbons, like the Golden Age R1.
The M160 sounds great! But, the AEA KU5a is absolutely awesome on your voice! My favorite of all the mics you have used even though you haven't reviewed it on Podcastage. I loved the 3 episodes of BSP using the AEA KU5a.
Sounds amazing. Looking forward to also putting this on Guitar cabs and curious about it's ability to mic a high hat.
This ribbon... with acoustic sound. Is mindblowing. Did not even know that it picked up those beautiful backpanel vibrarions so smoothly.
Bandrew, that is a spectacular mic. I want to change up my podcast sound from traditional dynamics (Shure Sm7b, RE20--which I love.) My main concern is the pattern in an untreated room. Now, I run through the Rodecaster Pro so it has decent pre amps and there's a good gate and compression setting that helps, but do you think I'm gonna get killed in an untreated room with this? My dynamics do great in the room, as a comparison. Wondering if I should just wait until I'm in my cups one night and spring for the KU5a.
Most thorough reviews on UA-cam! Have you reviewed budget ribbons?
Most of the cons you mentioned about the M160 are easily resolved with placement. Move the mic a little further from the source (it will still sound up close due to excellent transient response) or to a location for the acoustic that’s less rich in bass. Massive proximity effect is a feature of most ribbon mics. The exceptions that lack said proximity effect are mainly modern ribbons like the AEA N22 and KU5A. That’s a benefit in close micing but a limitation if you want to use said massive bass.
New subscriber! Thank you for the review. Would you recommend this for recording a yidaki, or didgeridoo? I've heard high end ribbon mics are best but also a huge group of didge players say DCM mics. The confusion is real.
I'm just here to watch the box die
Also, I think this may be the only channel on UA-cam where the automatic captions actually reflect what is being said over 90% of the time, so kudos for the clarity and enunciation
What an amazing sounding microphone. Thanks for the review.
You def vibrated something of mine but it wasnt my sub.
caught a case of the down bad i see
someone cancel this guy please
I always knew you were a bit fluffy. Is that a lisp I'm detecting?
This m160 is the Best mic for your voice for sure! 👌Damn! I had already decide after your ksm32 review that the shure was my next all purpose mic. But now you put this video and this is the new winner I think...🤔😅
This was one of the most pleasant mics on your voice. I've been a ribbon convert for a long time. The AEA seems much better for vocals with very pleasant highs. Thanks.
Love how this mic sounds, the difference in detail and "warmth" when you went to the Beyerdynamic dynamic mic was night and day.
Dam, this mic sounds very nice. Very smooth but still catching all the nuances, so balanced! I’ll definitely think about buying one.
Picked one up a year ago. Used it as a mono overhead on drums recently. Great mic.
Your reviews are so helpful. Do you think you could do a review of the Yamaha MG10XU mixer? Thank you!
Just wanted to mention that the Zoom L series mixer/recorder/usb might be of interest to check out also. Our podcast have been on L12 for years, using it as a recorder mainly, and very happy about it. Great preamps and a number of mixes possible.
But I haven’t tested the MG10XU nor have the audio ear and range of experience Bandrew and other reviewers have.
@@randomgeocacher Thank you for the suggestion. I am not sure if that is in my price range though...
OGViolinist ah, I didn’t know the pricing difference. The L8 version is about twice the price of MG10XU I see. For a smaller setup the L8 is maybe even more interesting since it includes a sound pad (sample player), and battery powe option. For some uses it really declutters a recording room, having sound pad + mixer + recorder + usb in one device. Similar to Rodecaster but the L8 is more similar to a traditional mixer in how you interface it. But instead of promoting gear I’m interested in, maybe I could ask what your main use-cases are?
Thank you for input. My use case is UA-cam streaming and voice over. I have a gaming channel, The Phantom 86, I am looking to upgrade my audio gear despite the low sub count of 122. The Mg10xu has built in Fx which could be fun to use on stream.
OGViolinist ah. If you want to do Fx on voice but have clean game audio, check the details on the mixer Fx support carefully. Many cheap mixers only send the master (pre-fx) into the Fx, instead of allowing you to Fx only selected tracks.
Love the 160! Its the secret weapon to jimi and zepplin's guitars, bonham's drums, and adding texture to bowies voice (berlin era). Needs a cloudlifter though!
What video recording device do you use? Do you use any special lighting? I like the video quality as much as the M160. Thanks for posting this. I really enjoyed it.
All the microphones sound great for spoken word, I was very impressed the M201 TG. Have you any updates on the Samson Q9U? It seems to have disappeared.
I just used one of this guys yesterday, what a beautiful piece of equipment .
Saw your comment on Audient EVO 4 on Krauss`s channel- Came over - Funny dood! Good and goof tests and you can actually play. Enjoyed...Looks like I got a few videos to get through here lol.....Be lucky - Subbed
Had a couple of these back in the 70’s. They were great for live vocal performances with floor monitors because of the tight pattern. They also came with globe shaped pop filters.
A review of the Coles 4104 classic ribbon war-zone reporter's microphone would be good. Booth Junkie did a great field test in a very noisy environment, but there's a lack of more comprehensive studio reviews!
I should never watch microphone reviews at 2 a.m. when I have cash in the bank. I want all of the microphones! All of them!
Oh, I see your guitar playing is improving, thats awesome 🤘keep rocking 🤘
Getting one of these this week. Cant wait try it on drum OHs and guitar amp.
I love how you throw those boxes
What sort of a preamp would you suggest for the mic for doing voice work in home conditions? I really love the sound of the ribbons - both M160 and KU5A are outstanding. I'm just wondering what to pair them with for the best results.
This mic is phenomenal as an overhead on drums.
That AEA is sweet.
Thank you for the fantastic review
Ah, the video I waited for. Sweet.
I'm not bothered by the increased low end at all. It would ass more - dare I say it - balls to sources that might need it. The top end is actually really great in this, like you mentioned. In that regard, SE makes a ribbon in conjunction with Rupert Neve that boasts response up to 25k, which I'm super interested in trying, should the stars ever align for anything that isn't a worldwide tragedy. Although, it's currently hurricane season here in Florida, so we probably need to get that out of the way first.
But still, if it's too much, EQ it out. If it's not there in the first place, and you need it...uh...504: Frequency Range Not Found.
You sound great on this, and I think it's honestly becoming of your voice. I'm a bit worried about the issue of damaging the thing, with you being so close to it. Granted, my own mic usage is typically 2-6 feet away, depending on what's happening, but I still hide my ribbon from even my own prying hands when it's not in use. Shit happens, though, and I've dropped plenty things I never meant to. The last thing I need, is to have 3 car payments explode on the sidewalk when I have sweaty hands.
There are a couple ribbons out there which are meant for more rough usage, like the "live" versions of Royer mics they designed after Aerosmith used the normal 121 and 122 models on a bunch of tours (and supposedly only broke one, but I call bullshit), but I haven't met anyone with them to confirm what kind of abuse a guitar amp does to them, and it's uncommon for me to hear somebody used a Royer on vocals, where it'd be executed in public square within the first 3 songs.
Like I've said before though, I enjoyed using one of these myself. My experience has been toward the larger end of the distance scale from the mic with them, but I'd be curious of how it might sound when I'm not consistently blasting out 130dB of noise toward a $700 mic that looks like something I plugged into a boombox as a kid to record myself saying dirty words.
If you ever decide you hate the mic, though, you could always do a Mythbusters-style test on exactly what it takes to blow it out. Mind you, we'll all be disappointed if you use anything less than ballistics gel and a 50 caliber machine gun in the experiment.
A small shout-out to the mention of using a Fethead or Cloudlifter, for anyone interested, too: the Fethead seriously helped with gain on the ribbon I use, and I'd wholeheartedly recommend it. Short of that, if there's an active version of a ribbon someone's eyeballing, it also solves the issue. If it come down to cost, just gauge whether it's cheaper to buy the Fethead plus the passive ribbon, or buying the active version of the ribbon without the Fethead outright. Bear in mind, the Fethead also works great on dynamic mics, and for me, it makes a world of difference.
Dude do you actually own all these mic's you review? You are crazy. Btw have you done a full review on the Mojave 201fet? I saw it in your U87 video but I didn't find a full review would really interested in that if you got the time! Thanks for the content as always it's awesome
Hi Bandrew, I like the M160 best the sound is amazing. I don't think I heard a ribbon mic before, if I did I didn't know it. Thank you for opening my ears, stay safe and keep well...
Great review! I need to boost the gain a lot on my preamp with the M160. Would it be beneficial to use a cloudlifter with this mic?
Cloudlifters are perfect for this. I sometimes use fetheads with the m160, but for some guitar amps, the gain is actually too much (cloudlifters provide a bit less gain than fetheads)
I can confirm your voice vibrated the heck out of my sub!
That M160 sounds really great but it seems too fragile. I wonder if @bandrew would prefer this or the Sennheiser MD441-U dynamic mic instead?
Also, what shock filters would work with this mic?
I am a classical violinist, and am looking to improve my home recording set up. I don't plan to use it for comercial recording, more for my own practising.
What would I need to make this mic work? Would scarlet interface be enough, or would I need to invest in a more robust pre-amp?
You went from Cherry blues to Gaterons? Do you notice anything different between the two? Many people in the community prefer Gateron or Kailh over Cherry.
Sounds better than SM7B to me, fuller and more pleasant. Excellent video, as always! 🙂
It is an absolutely fantastic sounding mic. Love the M160.
Sounds great on voice, guitar, drums...it's probably cool on strings and horns too. Legend
Am I able to use a xlr to USB adapter for the rode procaster, and If so, which adapter and stuff would you recommend?
I think the AEA sounded the best. It was the smoothest while being too overpowered by the bass. (it also looks pretty cool not gonna lie).
The AEA is a special one. It's what changed my mind on Ribbons, and then I tried the M160, and that solidified my love for ribbons.
Hi there, really curious about the Shure MV88+ Video Kit ... Looking for something small, mobile and portable mic.
So both the Beyerdynamic and AEA a fairly similar in tone. Do you have a preference between them on vocals?
This mic sounds amazing.
I also love the M160 and think it was the best among your mics. But I can´t go along with your remarks on the proximity effect. This effect is an offer by the manufacturer or a built-in EQ if you will. Everyone has to choose the distance that´s serving his or her voice best. There´s absolutely no rule that you have to place your mouth straight in front of a mic. So it´s basically great if there´s a good amount of prox. effect.
By the way: John Bohnham´s drums on Kashmir was recorded with two M160s that were placed in the middle of the entrance hall of an old mansion.
what accoustic guitar do you use? love the tone of it
The proximity effect is great on my M130
I love it
Damn this mic sounds great. I was excited when I saw ribbon mic in the thumbnail since I really want to get one, but that price haha. I still prefer the KU5a. Might save my pennies up for that one still.
A lot of M160s are gonna be sold because of this video; lord knows I'm looking to buy one now!
I would much rather have the SM7B, even if the M160 cost less. and think you sound more naturally present and authoritative when speaking into that than into the ribbon, where the low end seems a bit overwhelming, comparatively speaking.
Excellent review!
Bandrew I have a question, how far from the microphone can the proximity effect be considered?, or that will depend on each microphone, thanks
Most frequency response are measured at 1 meter. So closer than that and you’re going to start to get an increased bass response. On the graph for this mic, they provide the bass response at different distances of 10cm and 2cm.
@@PodcastageOkay, thanks for your reply dude
Fuck that sounds good. For $700 I would normally give pause but damn dude, that mic really sounds amazing.
Thanks for your work...it is greatly appreciated
I believe the M160 was used on Jimi Hendrix's guitar cab back in The olden days. Also just noticed the Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers masks in the background. Nice!
Best sound so far for spoken word. Wow!
Dear Bandrew, this is the first time, that a hear your voice coming down at 117Hz (first octave). This German Mic is amazing. Blow out of the watter all the outer mics, hands down.
73
Mark
"if i breathe 'ever so' slightly"
hmmm i see Warren influence hmmm
I hope you’re doing marvelously well!
@@Podcastage whats your opinion on voicemeeter, just curious!
I was wondering if you have ever tried the se electronics voodoo vr1 or vr2?
wonderful sounding mic P:) I love it!
The moment of truth is "treated room" vs "untreated room" -- this is the M160's superpower.
It sounds great in a good-sounding room...and it sounds great in crappy sounding room!
I wanna see how this thing is built, it's radically different from any ribbon mic I've seen before. Do moar ribbon mics they're cool!
Ohhhhh :) I was waiting this mic since a looong time !!!!!!
Next legendary mic : Sennheiser MD21 (dynamic omni) ;)
- And i prefer your voice on this mic (with maybe a light HPF)
"I really enjoyed it for spoken word." If you run out of storage space, I've got just the spot for this one.
I totally agree! (Well with the later part of your comment as well 😂)
I use the M160 for quite some time. It´s a great mic although it needs some attention. Never in front of impulsive instruments, always handle with care. It´s a fragile mic but it rewards you with a very unique, nice sound. I mainly use it for classical instruments, sometimes for acoustic guitars. Even for grand pianos it´s a outstanding mic.
I thought that the M160 sounded the best out of all the micrphones tested. However, I may be a little bit biased since I recently purchased this mic a month or two ago. So far, it is the best mic that I have in my humble colllection of four mic's. It is my first ribbon. I would like to bring out that I think the key that differentiates this mic with other ribbon mics is it build and the fact that it is a cartiod pattern DOUBLE ribbon mic. The fact that it focuses its pick up pattern to one direction and the double ribbon makes it extra sensitive and it's able to be broader in its focus of frequencies. Love this mic, but my next goal is to get a Nuemann condenser. We'll see. Thank you for reviewing this mic btw.
I’m glad I’m not alone in my love of this mic! You’ve got good taste.
@@Podcastage Thanks. I love your channel. You're a big help to many mic lovers.
It sounds VERY nice with the guitar amp. I really liked it.
Can anybody please explain to me how can a mic be dynamic and ribbon at the same time? As far as I understand these are different types of transducers and therefore they can't be in a mic simoultaneasly. Please, I'm just learning about this and that got me soo confused