Have you ever wanted a ribbon microphone in your mic cupboard? This is probably the best ribbon microphone deal from any manufacturer. The sE Electronics Ribbon microphone was £499 inc.vat. Hugh Robjohns (Sound On Sound, Nov 06) comments:
“The inherent design attributes of a ribbon mic mean that the diaphragm resonances are at relatively low frequencies. This is in complete contrast to most capacitor-mic diaphragms, which are generally tensioned in such a way that their resonances are towards the top end of the audio spectrum. It is this fundamental aspect of the design that I think plays a big part in the ‘ribbon sound’ — a very natural, fatigue-free sound with a smooth but always detailed top end. This characteristic makes the ribbon mic a very reliable choice for sources such as brass and string sections, as well as for ‘difficult’ voices.
The R1 is certainly a nice-sounding ribbon, and I thought it seemed to have a decent output level compared to many older ribbon mics, and especially the very quiet 4038! The polar response has nice, deep, well-defined side nulls, making it easy to position the mic to reject unwanted spill, while the proximity effect is strong but progressive and predictable — which makes it usable as a creative tool. Using figure-of-eight mics in the studio might require a different approach to normal, but with a little more thought and planning it's surprising what can be achieved.”
Whilst stocks last, the sE Ribbon mic is only £169.99 inc.vat or buy a pair of £299 inc.vat. Paul White (Sound On Sound, Nov 06) comments:
”This isn't a cheap mic (it is now - DV), but it turns in a very respectable performance for its price and seemingly has the ability to make almost anything sound smooth, silky and expensive, with plenty of low-end weight. The downside of ribbon mics in general is that you have to use a lot of mic gain to get enough level from quieter sources, and in practice this means that you need a decent mic preamp with at least 60dB of available gain, which most stand-alone mixers and mic amps provide.
I particularly like how the SE R1 works with electric guitar speakers and for voice recording, and I look forward to getting the chance to record some violin parts using it. It also adds weight and polish to wind instruments, so it's by no means a one-trick pony.”
Don't miss this fantastic end of line clearance ribbon microphone deal. At these prices, we don't expect this deal will be available for long. Once they've gone, they've gone.