RIBBONS, Royer R-10 vs sE VR-1 vs others

[RicoRokkaRolla]

I would like to ask you for advice. I'm thinking about buying a ribbon microphone for recording (in par with feg. sm57), maybe live performance (as standalone) on electric guitar cab,. My ears really like the Royer R-10 (on Youtube test), but also the sE Voodoo VR-1, which costs half as much (my wallet like this more).
My questions are:
if I use an equalizer on the VR-1, will it be able to reproduce closely the sound of the Royer R-10?
Any ribbon in this price range, that should I consider?
How rugged are modern ribbons, i mean how many years will they last with normal use and care? The Ribbon replacement is costly?
really thank you

[Drew Stephenson]

My questions are:
if I use an equalizer on the VR-1, will it be able to reproduce closely the sound of the Royer R-10?

You'll be able to get pretty close but frequency response is only half of the picture so don't expect to be able to match things perfectly.
But if you're recording electric guitar cabs, and going into a typical mix, then the chances of anyone ever knowing are minimal!

Any ribbon in this price range, that should I consider?

Rode NTR is probably worth considering as an alternative.
I'll put a plug in for Extinct Audio but I will stress that I know the folks at that company so I am probably biased. But see below.

How rugged are modern ribbons, i mean how many years will they last with normal use and care? The Ribbon replacement is costly?
really thank you

Modern ribbons are generally a lot more robust and with care should last decades. Things to watch for are generally around contamination and direct wind / air-pressure on the ribbon.
Extinct do a 'black ops' version of their BM9 that is a bit more rugged and designed for high-SPL use.

There's an SOS podcast with the guy behind Extinct here: https://www.soundonsound.com/people/ext ... er-podcast and at about 8 mins there's a bit of myth busting that covers some of the concerns around ribbon mic use.

[Wonks]

Note that there is the basic R-10 and then the R-10 Hot-Rod version The R-10 Hot Rod has a different transformer that gives a 5dB hotter output (useful when used on quieter sources) and is generally beefed up for use on louder sources.

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/royer-r-10
https://www.soundonsound.com/news/royer ... 10-hot-rod

The 160dB max SPL is at 1kHz, and 135dB SPL at 50Hz. You're unlikely to get 135dB SPL from a guitar amp at 50Hz as a) a 12" speaker output is generally about 25dB down at 50Hz from its 1kHz figure and b), unless you down-tune, the lowest fundamental on a guitar is around 82Hz.

But beware loud bass guitar amps where the porting gives a greatly extended low-end and bass players often use amps with 1000W+ capability (albeit mainly for headroom).

Of course, you are master of your own destiny as to volume levels unless you start recording others.

[Hugh Robjohns]

I'm a fan of the Royer, but for around the same cost you could also look at the Rode NTR, or the Audio Technica AT 4081, or the Sontronics Delta... and there are many more options. Try searching for Ribbon Mic in the SOS reviews section.

[Sam Inglis]

The Beyer ribbon mics are also very popular for amp recording, and they have the advantage of being tiny and pretty robust. Extinct Audio's new BoRbon is also very cool and very small.

[tea for two]

From your list SE Electronics VR1 Voodoo also VR2 Voodoo ribbon with top end sparkle of condenser worth considering. SoS did a favourable review of them. They are on my radar.

[RicoRokkaRolla]

Some say (on electric guitar cab) the sE Voodoo VR-1’s sound is a bit “thin”, lacking some ribbon fatness and boldness. Have you experienced something like this?