Recording Sat, October 11, 2008

Recording | Product News |

For Joe Chiccarelli, Royer Ribbons Capture The True Essence Of A Performance

Summary

  • Burbank, CA… When it comes to the intricacies of the recording studio, multi-Grammy® Award winning producer/engineer Joe Chiccarelli whose clients have included Beck, U2, Elton John, The White Stripes, The Shins, Tori Amos, and Morrissey, has strong opinions about the studio gear he uses—and when the subject of microphones arises, Chiccarelli clearly prefers Royer Labs ribbon mics.

He routinely uses Royer R-121 Ribbon Microphones, R-122 Active Ribbon™ Microphone, along with the SF-12 Stereo Coincident Ribbon Microphone and his SF-24 Stereo Active Ribbon™ Microphone for a wide range of recording tasks..

“Most ribbon mics are kind to sounds with sharp transients,” notes Chiccarelli, “and they are especially kind to instruments with harsh midrange qualities. Royer microphones, warm electric guitars and they sound rich and fat on drums., and they are most realistic and pleasing on difficult to record instruments such as classical guitar, solo violin, trumpet, and hand percussion.. The way they capture the size and depth of a rock guitar is unique. These microphones actually present the guitar in a way that the guitarist is accustomed to hearing their instrument. I find the musicians actually play better when they can hear their guitar with this level of detail and warmth.”

Chiccarelli also offered his perspective on dealing with high SPL sources. “I find that a R-121 about three feet out in front of the drum kit is a very powerful sound for drums. As for miking kick drum or a guitar amp, I find in those situations where there is lots of air movement—as is the case with these two instruments—a traditional nylon windscreen works wonders. The same can be achieved by angling the mic about 10 degrees downward.”

Additionally he finds that taking advantage of the ribbon microphone’s figure 8 polar pattern and backside bleed are also benefits. “For instruments like solo violin,” notes Chiccarelli, “I love how the figure 8 captures the true sound of the instrument. As for the mic’s backside bleed, I find that by moving the mic closer to and further from the instrument, I can control the direct to room ambiance ratio of the sound, which is extremely useful. In a live room, by placing an SF-12 or SF-24, I’m able to find just the right spot where the mic rejects the messy reverberant qualities of the room, yet gives me the correct amount of direct sound and early reflections that I’m looking for to yield a thick and powerful tone. This is most useful when recording a horn section.”

He added. “The modern day recording studio is not complete without a wide variety of mic choices and a pair of these Royer mics seems essential to me.. I use them on every album project. If it’s jazz, it’s on a trumpet or piano. If it’s rock, it’s on the electric guitar. If it’s classical, it’s on a violin or a woodwind instrument. Most importantly, the musicians respond positively to their sound, and that’s always a major indicator to me.