Tucked into the mix, I found no need for reverb, letting the R88 do the job naturally. We used the nulls and center points of each ribbon's figure-8 pickup pattern to our advantage - both for rejection and for managing frequency response. What the R44 can do for vocals, the R88 can do for drums & other room/overhead applications. Burl Audio, under the direction of owner/designer Rich Williams, has developed some of the best new recording equipment over the last eight years. Post Jan 03, 2018 #1 2018-01-03T07:19. Recording two Ampeg Gemini guitar amps in stereo was totally killer. The warmth and the stereo field is nothing short of amazingly gorgeous. But the RPQ500 has magic inside. The R88 mk2 is optimized for recording instruments and ensembles in stereo. Clubhouse Studios (Rhinebeck, NY) engineer/producer Neil Dorfsman and owner/engineer Paul Antonel put up an AEA R88 mk2 stereo ribbon microphone on drummer Ray Levier’s kit. It can take compression well, too; when I hit it with some 1176 compression, it made the drums explode. For her jams, we used an RPQ500 and R84 on both vocal and guitar, and the R88 Mk2 as a near-ish room mic to capture the full intensity of her voice when loud. JZ's promotional literature touts its old world, no-compromise... Bruce Bartlett and Steve Mills, former mic designers for Crown and Shure, now create their own designs under the Bartlett Microphones banner. The AEA R88 is, in rather simplistic terms, two R84 figure-of-eight mics mounted one above the other in a common housing. Again, the detail was great. There is no easier way to track natural stereo than by using a stereo mic. By Rich Tozzoli And I've got a large collection of mics, with some of them costing many times what the most expensive of... How many good vocal mics are there out there today? Platinum Blonde. The above sessions are just a few instances involving the R88 Mk2 and RPQ500 that readily come to mind. Found for $250 and restocked with fresh tubes by my friend Vincent Miragila of Analog Design Group, it looks like a small radio from the 40s— but it’s much more. With its black, textured paint (reminiscent of the Coles 4038), it’s a big, classic-looking mic, clocking in at over 15 inches tall, but wow—it does sound fantastic in a room! The two ribbon elements measure 59.7mm x 4.7mm. AEA R88 MKII Microphone. We were going for a big, wide, powerful drum sound, and they placed the mic about 6 feet from the kit and about 5 feet high, running it through two channels of 31102s, from a Neve 8068. Being on a budget, when Wes came by, I was not expecting to purchase a stereo ribbon, especially since I already owned a Royer SF-12. Vintage microphone recreations are hot right now —... Jim Williams has spent much of his 56 years working with some of the biggest names in the music business, including Frank Zappa, John McLaughlin and Stevie Wonder. The R88 uses the large ribbon configuration of the classic RCA 44 series mics, which gives the mic solid 20Hz bass response and a smooth high end which is flattering to complex tones. There is a substantial difference in price. Any low-end issues were easily tamed by employing the RPQ500's high-pass filter and CurveShaper controls. Pressed for time, I grabbed the R88 from the drum kit and placed it in front of Rob, mentioning in passing that it was a stereo mic. AEA : R88 Mk2 stereo ribbon mic, RPQ500 mic preamp Reviewed by Chris Koltay If you have a pulse and have been making records during the last few decades, then you are aware that Wes Dooley and Audio Engineering Associates have been making the finest ribbon mics available. The drummer is a guy who loves his toms - all three of them. Luckily she has great mic technique, and with a pop screen, we were able to get her close enough on the quiet parts to make the R84 we used sound awesome - quiet or loud. AEA confirms that this spec is for signal above 1 kHz; the max levels drop 6 dB per octave below 1 kHz—ed.] Their mic preamps, summing amps, and control room... Jim Williams: Behind the Gear with Audio Upgrades, Restoring the "Holy Grail of Compressors": Behind the Scenes at the Vintage King Tech Shop, From WWII Planes to Stax Consoles: Behind the Gear with Bill Cheney & the History of Spectra Sonics, Rich Williams: Behind the Gear with Burl Audio. hank alrich. We were all super stoked. As a room mic for percussion ensemble overdubs, for backing vocals, etc. AEA confirms that this spec is for signal above 1 kHz; the max levels drop 6 dB per octave below 1 kHz—ed.]