| Home Recording , October 2002 Royer
R-122 Ribbon microphones
have often been a first choice for discerning engineers who hope to capture
a warm clear and accurate representation of acoustic instruments. The
beautiful jazz records of the 40's and 50's and the fat sounding rock
classics of the 60's and 70's owe a large part of their sound to the ribbon
mics used on the sessions. I have stated previously how the folks at Royer
Labs have brought ribbon mic technology into the 21st century with their
wonderful R-121 ribbon mic ("A Mic For All Season", APR/01).
I said in my review of that unit that it would be my "desert island
mic" and I meant it. I still use R-121s on every session and continue
to revel in the sound they impart to my recordings. But the Royer engineers
didn’t simply rest on their laurels. In addition to offering a stereo
ribbon microphone called the SF-12, they went back to the drawing board
to invent the phantom powered R-122, the next step in ribbon mic technology. The main issue
that Royer tackled in the design process was that a fairly high- gain
mic preamp has always been needed to use ribbon mics effectively. Until
now, this was just a fact of life when dealing with ribbons. Because of
ribbon mics’ low-level input signals, engineers have to really crank
a mic pre to get decent level to the recorder. But for many home studio
owners, the necessary high-end mic preamps are financially out of reach,
making ribbon mics "gear non grata" due to the low output level.
Well, the R-122
sounded good on paper, so when I got my test pair delivered I was anxious
to hear what I'd been reading about. Once again, each mic came nestled
in a satin-padded wooden jewel case, this time protected by a red drawstring
sock. (Can I get some of those for my R-121s, guys? They are totally cool.)
The R-122 looks like an elongated version of its older brother the R-121,
the extra length needed to accommodate the amp circuit. The distinctive
green Royer trademark sits high on the body near the side address grille.
Seated in their optional suspension shock mounts this pair of mics looked
awesome! (While the mics come with standard mic clips, but I recommend
the optional $72.00 shocks.) Since we engineers
are indoctrinated as toddlers that phantom power can ruin the sensitive
ribbon element, it was very hard for me at first to engage the phantom-power
button on the mic-pre, but I held my breath and powered up the 48 volts.
As advertised, the R-122 gave considerable level at the same gain settings
I usually use for a large diaphragm condenser mic. My first test
was a horn section recording for a TV score, so right away I was able
to try out a wide dynamic range of source material. From soft tension
chords to blazing fight scene rips, the R-122 sounded every bit as detailed
as my R-121 and in some ways even out performed its sibling. There is
definitely an improved clarity in the upper midrange that I attribute
to the impedance matching circuit. (A happier ribbon element translates
to a clearer sound.) The bottom end seemed a bit tighter than the R-121s,
while still maintaining a rich full-bodied feeling. Due to the higher
output, I also sensed that my mic pre didn't have to work so hard, allowing
the tone to be open and not forced. Later in the week
I recorded a full day of percussion overdubs with the same subjective
results. Royer ribbons really excel at percussion recording, imparting
an accurate image and warm full-range frequency response. From low congas
and djembes to silky triangles and windchimes, the R-122s made me feel
as if I was right in the room with the instrumentalist. I got tight punchy
bottom end and open airy top on every instrument. On another session,
miking the electric guitar amp was a snap; I just placed the R-122 a bit
further out than my other dynamic type mic. The R-122 was "fatter"
than my dynamic could ever hope to be, yet was punchy in the mids and
clear and spacious on top. I got a truly great guitar sound that sat perfectly
in the mix. Since I was curious
about Royer's assertion that any mic pre would sound good and give sufficient
level with the R-122, I recorded some guitar through every pre I had on
hand. I must agree with the engineers at Royer that Z-match feature does
allow the mic to match well with virtually any mic pre. I got great sound
through Neves and Avalons as well as Midiman's inexpensive DMP3 and the
internal Yamaha O2/R console pre's. With the R-122, the choice of preamp
cam be a matter of taste and not necessity. I think every studio should have a complement of ribbon mics around and there is no better choice that the R-122. Congratulations to the team at Royer for improving on one of the world's great microphones. I can't wait to see what they'll do next. Copyright 2002 Cherry Lane Magazines Inc.
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