HEY! OVER HERE... The Harpmobile is cruising the peripheral bi-ways of the Microphone
Kingdom, out where the pavement's as patched as a gingham quilt. Misfit Boulevard is
paved with such a mixture of new and old technology that it can make for a bumpy ride.
Even so, it's a stretch that makes for some mighty interesting sonic sightseeing. You will
spy a wide (and sometimes historic) variety of Ribbon and Condenser microphones,
weaponry much more accustomed (and some would say well-suited) to applications other
than delivering the gospel of Saint Harmonica. Harpsters do have a knack for improvising...
even with Misfits.
On our last outing we looked at the development of the Ribbon and Condenser
microphones. As for their uses: for decades they've both been favored for a variety of audio
tasks; they each excel at the transduction of audio sources for the purpose of highresolution
sound reproduction; they both can be utilized as audio-shaping tools. Example:
the Ribbon microphone is known for its "warmth." It has been employed as a principal mic
for recording vocals from its inception. We've all seen photos of Elvis recording with an
RCA 77, of Sinatra crooning into a 44, even Kate Smith singing "God Bless America" into a
Ribbon mic. In fact, in this age of digital recording, Ribbon technology has found new fans
for this reason: It is often utilized to soften the clinical "edge" of the digital format. Although
the RCA 77's and 44's are long out of production, the surviving examples are in high
demand among professionals. Stories about the RCA 44 maintained for recording Michael
Jackson's vocals are well known (I didn't mean to frighten you…) and we've all seen the
iconographic RCA 77's conspicuously positioned in front of Larry King and David Letterman
(though principally as visual props). Newer Ribbon mics by Royer (patterned after the
Danish Bang & Olufsen models) and Beyer have found wide acceptance, primarily for
recording and vocal applications.
So what about the SOUND and WORKABILITY assessment of Ribbons when applied to
the Tin Sandwich? Well, the warm tone for which the Ribbon is known could certainly be
deemed an asset, UNTIL cross-referenced with its WORKABILITY: The great majority of
Ribbon mics are side-address, meaning their pick-up pattern is oriented at 90 degrees from
the mic's vertical body (making them virtually impossible to cup); they are very susceptible
to "pop" and wind (so cupping need not apply); they are considerably more fragile and more
expensive than, say, a comparable dynamic. All these aspects would relegate Ribbons to a
hands-free, non-cupped application such as off-mic country harp or their specialized use for
bass and chord harmonica (as seen in harmonica trios). The exception to all this would
have to be the Beyer line of Ribbon mics, Lee Oskar's choice for harp. Configured for polar
or "top" address, they are of a "ball and wand" design (the M160 and M260 being
somewhat sleeker than an SM58) and were primarily conceived as high-end vocal mics for
sound reinforcement applications (the M500 being a favorite with Kenny Rogers and Stevie
Nicks) so they're less susceptible to "pop" and "blow-out". But for harp? Well… How would
you spend YOUR allowance?
All condensers, great and small… Next Time, on THE MIC BENCH.
----------------
For pictures and descriptions of most of the microphones listed visit
http://www.harmonicamasterclass.com/vintage_collection.htm
----------------
To contact Fritz for his Custom Mics or Repair email him at
harpmicman@earthlink.net
