Moderators Lee Knight Posted February 26, 2011 Moderators Share Posted February 26, 2011 Nothing sweeter than a pair of ribbons in a Blumlien. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members imbuedblue Posted March 23, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 23, 2011 Thanks for all the suggestions. I missed the boat on the Velo 8s and don't think I can swing a Velo 8T right now. I think I'm just going to pick up a pair of Apex 205s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mixwell Posted March 24, 2011 Members Share Posted March 24, 2011 The CLOUD lifter is great. Very useful little box for ribbons. I used one with a 4038 on quiet violin recording and it worked really well for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 The CLOUD lifter is great. Very useful little box for ribbons. I used one with a 4038 on quiet violin recording and it worked really well for me. I saw those at NAMM and I must admit I'm intrigued. I'm going to see if I can borrow one for review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted March 25, 2011 Members Share Posted March 25, 2011 I'd recommend trying to find a used Beyer M160. $600 new, but they can often be found used for $400 or so. Great, solid, very underrated ribbon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted March 25, 2011 Members Share Posted March 25, 2011 The CLOUD lifter is great. Very useful little box for ribbons. I used one with a 4038 on quiet violin recording and it worked really well for me. This seems like a great idea, not only for protecting and boosting signals for ribbons, but also for boosting signals for some dynamics. It uses phantom power. Very clever yet simple idea. I also saw this at NAMM and thought it seemed very cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mixwell Posted March 25, 2011 Members Share Posted March 25, 2011 The JRS-34 and Active version are also excellent ribbon microphones for the money. They have a very open sound, with a traditional ribbon character, that I found similar to a 44, no question, but the guys at Cloud are going more towards the legendary 44A, making sure the high frequency detail is really nice on these. They have a nice thick mid range, but a very mellowing sound, which does remove HF harshness [while sounding natural] like a good ribbon will. The JRS34 was my preference and I really did enjoy the active version too, but the JRS34 though the lifter sounds clear as a bell though whatever you have in the rack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 I'd recommend trying to find a used Beyer M160. $600 new, but they can often be found used for $400 or so. Great, solid, very underrated ribbon. Lee is (as usual) right on here - I absolutely love my M160; it's my go-to first mic for a lot of things; especially electric guitar and sax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted March 27, 2011 Members Share Posted March 27, 2011 Yeah, the M160 sounds just awesome on horns and strings. I can't tell you how many brass and violin players I've recorded who've said they hated the way their instrument sounded on a digital recording until they were recorded with a ribbon. I might hesitate to use it up close on a cranked-up guitar cab (have you done this, Phil?), but give it a little distance and yeah, it sounds awesome. I tend to use a Beyer M88 up close. The M160 also makes a great drum overhead. "When the Levee Breaks" - 2 M160s over Bonham's kit, and nothing else. Nuff said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 Yeah, I use it on amps a lot Lee - as close in as about... well, here's a pic I took for a recent article: That's my usual placement on that particular Princeton. Here's a shot of it aimed straight at the center of the dustcap (usually a bit brighter than I like; I prefer the mic further out towards the speaker edge, but angled in towards the dustcap as seen in the previous picture) to give you an idea of just how close in I get with it sometimes: On larger / louder amps, I'll back it off a bit for safety's sake, but they're pretty durable by ribbon mic standards, and can handle pretty hot SPL's (in the 125-130dB range). It's fairly rare that I have it much further back from an amp than about here: The grille was removed only to make it easier for people to see the mic placement relative to the speaker - I normally don't take it off. The one thing I worry about more than SPLs with ribbon microphones is wind - they're far more susceptible to damage from someone blowing into them, or a gust of wind from a drum vent than from moderately high SPLs. If anyone's interested in checking out the article, and hearing some clips of the M160 in various positions on the amp, you can find it here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kerouac Posted March 28, 2011 Members Share Posted March 28, 2011 Phil, if you'd like me to send you my Cloudlifter (the single channel model) to try out I'd be happy to. Between the move (I just bought a house ) and my hand issues I haven't been able to use it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Thanks for your generous offer Kerouac, but I'm going to go through a friend of mine who works for their distributor (Wave Distribution) and do it officially. When I am doing a review, whenever possible, I like to be in direct contact with the manufacturer or their distributor; that way, if I have any problems or questions, I can go straight to the source. It's also fair to them, and good for the readers because it allows the manufacturer to do a "fact check" on the final review before I publish it - that way, if I made any mistakes on the technical details, they have a chance to notify me so I can verify and correct them. Of course, my opinions and subjective findings on things such as the sound and usability remain my own and are not subject to editorial review... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WKG Posted April 1, 2011 Members Share Posted April 1, 2011 The CLOUD lifter is great. Very useful little box for ribbons. I used one with a 4038 on quiet violin recording and it worked really well for me. I've got a pair of Fetheads that find use on my ribbons and dynamic mics occasionally. Have you been able to compare the Cloudlifter to a Fethead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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