Fav Pro Mics for the DIYer: Part 3

Today we’re on to discussing ribbon microphones! One of my very favorite styles of mic design, these can be super flattering and warm sounding, while still retaining lovely natural detail. But, this style of mic is not a design usually recommended for the home studio setting. Why?

Cons of using a ribbon microphone design in a DIY home music studio

-Generally more expensive.

-Can be difficult to use.

-This design usually has a fixed pickup pattern (often in figure 8). This means the mic will pick up sound both in front of and in back of where it’s pointing, while rejecting sound to the sides. This is not always a useful pattern in a noisy or unflattering recording situation, like a bedroom or living room.

-These mics have very low output, which can require spending thousands of $$ purchasing higher quality mic preamps in order to get a useable sound.

-Delicate and fragile: these mics are easily broken if dropped or hit by a drum stick. On some vintage ribbons, you can break them if you blow into them wrong!

But, our recommendation today is a unique mic that avoids many of these issues.

Favorite Ribbon Microphone for the Home Music Studio: The Beyerdynamic M160!

The M160 has a very unique ribbon design that is more durable, and can handle higher volume sources-it’s one of my favorites for trumpet and other brass instruments! This mic also sounds freakin great on violin, acoustic guitar, and can really smooth out a harsh electric guitar cab, or a pingy hi hat.

It’s also got a “hypercardiod” pickup pattern. This means that the mic is only going to pick up what's placed directly in front of it, like a very tightly focused flashlight beam in a dark room. That makes this particular ribbon easier to use in a noisy environment like a home studio; you’ll have less chance of picking up background noise.

This is a very durable ribbon mic. I still wouldn’t drop it, but its higher durability makes it more useable at home, and the sound quality will make your recordings sing!

~

You will need to invest in a high quality preamp to get the most out of this mic.

This is a very low output mic, and if you try to put it through that cheap red focusrite interface, it will just sound hissy and awful.

Or, try using an in-line preamp like a Cloudlifter or FEThead, this could be a cheaper option for getting a useable clean sound out of this particular mic.

For more of this kind of thing, we’ve got a full category of free articles that discuss getting the most out of your home music studio: Home Recording Basics. And, don’t forget to support our Patreon feed-Patrons keep the lights on around here!

One last free resource for you-our Mixing Cheat Sheet. If you’re learning how to mix for the first time, or want to dial in your existing workflow, it’s got all the steps to a great mix, all in one place!