Sponsored. (M 160 $759 MSRP; M 130 $749; www.beyerdynamic.com) Tape Op is a bi-monthly magazine devoted to the art of record making. by ted dawg » Mon May 29, 2006 8:41 pm, Post Greg observed that it gave a "nasal sound — not much information in the top and bottom frequencies. The M160 is an unusual ribbon microphone, in that it has a hypercardioid pickup pattern. The Sigma was notable for another reason: being phantom-powered, it required far less gain than most of the other mics on test. We liked some of the high notes, and the soft, smooth character it displayed generally. Made in Germany. The entire range was neat and contained, and it brought out the musicality of the performance. Greg found the tube qualities a little more frustrating: "The top end was very sizzly and spiky, with too much top-end distortion on vocals. It fell somewhere between the mid-range punch of the Royer and the vintage edge of the Sigma, but without having the detail of either. For electric guitar, we handed over the mantle to Greg Chandler — not because we don't record electric guitars, but simply because he was due to record them and we weren't at that time. Re: One Synth Challenge V - The Filter Strikes Back! Despite its great showing on the vocal tests, this mic sounded phasey and too coloured on our drum kit, with splashy, sibilant cymbals. Made in Germany. From the very beginning, the M 160 has placed extraordinary demands on the people who produce it – from the precise strength of the pure aluminium ribbon and its exacting placement on the magnet shoe to the testing of vibration behaviour. The 4038 showed a restrained control on vocals which we didn't hear with any of the other microphones — it was really very 'British'. The Golden Age Projects ribbons, while not getting the most favoured response in the comparison test, actually performed pretty admirably when you take their price into account. GA's R1 Tube mic, in particular, can make a good character mic, or a good mic to use as part of a multi-mic setup. by Russian Recording » Wed May 31, 2006 7:38 am, Post Well, the wait is over, as we reveal how they performed when we put them through their paces on vocals, drums and guitars. Opinion was split on the Sontronics Sigma, until we all started to understand where it is coming from — which, really, is a slightly different place from most other mics on test here. These mics are pretty uniformly fantastic, and you get perhaps more consistency and finesse than seen in any of the Eastern mics, which is down to the no-compromise attitude towards components and higher tolerances — but then, of course, the price-tags reflect this. I want to get a pair of Ribbon mics. I think you would find the Coles to have a greatly extended bottom end. The Coles was smooth, with controlled mids, and the top end wasn't phasey. First Look: Pro Tools | Carbon. It gave the best feeling of 'being there' for the singer. As it was so dark, we also felt it shared some of its character with the Sontronics Sigma, and might make a good alternative for those seeking a very dark vintage-sounding ribbon on a very tight budget. The two ribbons are mounted 0.5mm apart. As with the lead vocal tests, we found the hypercardioid pattern to be helpful in minimising room sound as well and, of course, the mic was very easy to position. Unlike the acoustic or vocal takes, the exact positioning of the mics was less crucial in this case, so we decided to put them all up at once and record in three batches. All three of these are among my favorite mics on guitar amps, horns, and drum room mics. It could be a good foil for a low/mid-range condenser. Later, Greg Chandler, over at The Priory Studio, recorded a different female vocalist with the same mics to give us a second opinion, this time at 12 inches from the mics, also using a Steadman pop shield. In a high ceilinged great sounding room I'd try the Coles. We thought the R121 sounded very musical, though also quite coloured: it generally pushed up the upper mids more than any other mic on test, and we felt the sound was therefore quite spiky, though we also thought this might also help some vocals to cut through a mix more easily. For each test, we've listed the mics in our order of preference, and described what it was we liked and didn't like about them, before drawing some more general conclusions. Big bottom end, but without being muddy. Royer R121 (front). In the same bracket, Groove Tubes have manage to price their Velo 8 extremely competitively, despite it being made in the West. ", "Huge sound — almost muddy because it is so big at the bottom! We generally felt that, 'ess' strangeness aside, it was competent but a little lacking in ribbon magic when compared with some of the other mics on test. If you buy a GA mic, you are buying GA's taste — which we rather liked on the whole, especially given the price. It was detailed to some degree, but I found myself asking what sources this microphone would work well for.". It lacks versatility in that it only does one sound, but boy, does it do that sound well! The Beyers are directional (hypercardioid), and the Coles are fig 8. I've used the 160 a few times, and think it has a bit more detail in the top, though as johnny7 says, the Coles can get some bumpin' bottom end. The 4038 is absolutely KILLING on flute though. Oddly, despite it feeling similar to the Royer in some applications, on acoustic we thought the M160's aggressive middle (so useful on drums — see below) was a bit much on acoustic guitar. Great care has been taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this article but neither Sound On Sound Limited nor the publishers can be held responsible for its contents. We found this to be generally very clear and detailed with a surprisingly extended top-end compared with the other ribbons on test. You can hear some of the resulting recordings at www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec07/articles/ribbonmicsaudio.htm. It's hard to imagine anybody on this board saying anything remotely negative about either of these mics...they're like everyone's favorites in the whole world. Also 'even', and 'clear and natural, yet tamed'. We liked the top of this microphone on acoustic guitar, and felt that it would sit rather nicely in a mix. However, to assist you in making your own mind up, we've also placed some audio files on the SOS web site (www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec07/articles/ribbonmicsaudio.htm). ", "Reasonable level of detail in the sound overall, though perhaps a little little lacking in character and transient response with regards to the higher frequencies.