Topic: Stereo Mic ROUNDUP

[Shawn]

Specs for the Peluso P Stereo are now on the Peluso website. It's a card, omni, fig 8 pattern mic.
http://www.pelusomicrophonelab.com/PStereoPhotos.html

it's really gonna have to be a great mic at that price.

[bgalizio]

Specs for the Peluso P Stereo are now on the Peluso website. It's a card, omni, fig 8 pattern mic.
http://www.pelusomicrophonelab.com/PStereoPhotos.html

it's really gonna have to be a great mic at that price.

I was hoping this would be a 9 pattern (or variable pattern) mic for that price. We'll see, though.

[Nick's Picks]

I agree.  it'll have to smoke the LSD to be worth the extra grand.

[rokpunk]

I intentionally did not list the royer stereo mics, or any other ribbon based stereo mic.  not really suitable for field work, imo.

you'd be wrong. these ribbons are designed to be as "hot" as a condenser. perfectly acceptable and highly recommeneded for field recordings.

[Nick's Picks]

i'd be wrong...until a huge gust of wind blew the ribbons all to hell.
they are not built for outdoor use really.  they are fragile.  that is what I meant.  I know they'd work just fine as far as capturing music ...but they probably would do well in less than ideal conditions of a tapers gear bag.

but, i've never owned one.  thats just what Royer told me.

[rokpunk]

i'd be wrong...until a huge gust of wind blew the ribbons all to hell.
they are not built for outdoor use really.  they are fragile.  that is what I meant.  I know they'd work just fine as far as capturing music ...but they probably would do well in less than ideal conditions of a tapers gear bag.

but, i've never owned one.  thats just what Royer told me.

that's funny, because Royer recommends them for use for:

Recommended Applications
Drum Overheads
Percussion Instruments
Brass –and Woodwinds
Horn Sections
Acoustic Piano
Harp
Choirs,
Solo Strings
String Sections
Orchestra
Acoustic & Electric Guitars
Background Vocals
Ambiance
Stereo to Mono
 
 

these ribbons aren't like the ribbon mics of old. they can take percussive sounds and wind just as well as a typical condenser. to rule them out simply because they are ribbons is silly.

[Nick's Picks]

I' love to have the sf24..., but i'd be afraid of killing it.

[rokpunk]

I' love to have the sf24..., but i'd be afraid of killing it.

it's just a microphone....treat it like you would any other mic and it'll be fine!
the folks at royer were smart enough to build a ribbon mic that can handle the rigors of a live stage and/or the road.
and it sound a-freakin'-mazing.

[DSatz]

rokpunk, the Royer stereo microphones do sound very nice--I owned a matched pair of SF-1s for a while--but in one important respect they are definitely more fragile than comparable condenser microphones. Their ribbon elements can be damaged in an instant by wind that would disturb (but not damage) a condenser capsule.

Royer uses two types of ribbon element. One is a little asymmetrical--it has a definite front and back, with differing sound quality--and it's reasonably durable; it's the one they use in the R-121 and R-122 series, which is designed for normal studio and live use. This type of element is even user-replaceable ("the first one's free"). But the element which they use in the stereo mikes has a lighter ribbon material that is more easily damaged, costs more, and isn't field-replaceable by the end user. It's important not to mix up the two series.

Also, a fixed Blumlein microphone arrangement is suitable only for that minority of occasions in which the sound sources can fit within a 90-degree pickup angle while your miking distance is not too far away, considering that the microphones are every bit as sensitive to sound coming from behind them as in front of them. Please don't ask me to diagram that sentence, but realistically, Blumlein just isn't an all-purpose pickup arrangement. It is ever so delicious when it works well, but that's a big "when."

--best regards

P.S. (added October 2, 2007): Royer has just announced (in time for the big AES Convention this coming weekend in New York) a new series of ribbon microphones, made with a heavier-duty ribbon material so that they can be used reliably in live applications. They claim that the sound quality is nearly the same as that of the SF-1 and SF-12. If so, that should be interesting for tapers.

I happen to think that a good small-diaphragm condenser can offer everything that a ribbon can offer, but the folks who go for the better ribbon microphones (and who learn to use them well) are certainly not wrong in my opinion.

[muj]

just blowing hard into to the royers will break the ribbon element. see how the ribbon moves while gently blowing into it

http://www.gearwire.com/media/royer-ribbon-mics.wmv

[Nick's Picks]

....like I said.


and while copying and pasting marketing notes from their website does indeed support your stance, I got my "probably not a good idea" from a direct conversation with a Royer Tech.
this was when the SF12 first came out, and I had a lusting for one.

[rokpunk]

didn't realize the ribbon in the 121 and the SF's were so different.
stick a windscreen on the SF and let it fly....it'll be all good.     

[muj]

the crowley and tripp guys got a ribbon mic coming up based on nano tech ribbon element. should handle everything

http://recforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/t/13971/0/

[Teen Wolf Blitzer]

Don't forget the AKG C-522 ENG.  There are other versions as well of this mic.  But I owned the ENG.  Made some very nice recordings with it.

[DSatz]

As an interim summary, here are the stereo microphones that have been mentioned in this thread or that I've either remembered or found listed in various places since this thread began. Some models are not necessarily professional.

Additions or corrections? We love 'em.

Current:
   AudioTechnica ATR25, AT835ST, AT815ST, PRO 24, BP4027, BP4029, AT822, AT825, AT849
   Avantone CK 40
   Beyer MCE 72, MCE 82
   Cascade X-15[L]
   Josephson C700S
   Manley Gold Reference Stereo Microphone
   Neumann USM 69, RSM 191, KU 100
   Nevaton MC48
   Pearl DS 60, TL 4[4], MS 2, MS 8, MSH 10, MSH 20
   Peluso P Stereo (forthcoming)
   Røde NT4
   Royer SF-12, SF-24
   Sanken CUW-180, CSS-5, CMS-10[MS], CMS-7s, CMS-9, CMS-2
   Schoeps CMXY 4V, MSTC 64, KFM 6, PolarFlex system, Double M/S system
   Sennheiser MK 418 S
   Shure VP88
   Sony (?)
   Soundfield ST350, SPS422B
   Studio Projects LSD2
   THE BS-3D
   Thuresson (?)
   Violet Stereo Flamingo

Discontinued:
   AKG C 24, C 33, C 34, C 422, C 426, C 522 ENG
   Beyer MC 833 (?)
   Gefell ZUM 64
   Neumann SM 2, SM 23, SM 69, SM 69fet, RSM 190, KU 80
   Schoeps CMTS 301, CMTS 501
   Soundfield ST250

--best regards