Noted producer/engineer Elliot Scheiner recently deployed his Royer Labs R-121 ribbon microphones to capture a string quartet performing as part of the Broadway musical Caroline, or Change. Based on the book and lyrics by Tony Kushner, with music by Jeanine Tesori, the show is set against the tumultuous backdrop of the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy assassination and the Civil Rights Movement.
“For this project, I used two R-121s on the violins and a third R-121 on the viola,” Scheiner explains. “The Royer R-121 has an awesome threshold. From no level to extreme level, the R-121 showed the attack of the strings. I set the instruments at one fader setting and never had to touch them again. There was no EQ in the circuit — I recorded them ‘flat’ and captured the instruments exactly as they originally sounded.”
Talking about his long history with Royer, he adds, “I’ve been using R-121s for over 15 years. I use them for capturing strings, as drum overheads, on electric and acoustic guitars, and often to record piano and upright bass. They’re very reliable and strong – I’ve never once had a problem with them, and I’ve never used EQ on them. The R-121 Is the best ribbon mic there is. Before starting a new project, I always call the studio I’m working in to find out if they have any R-121s. If not… I bring my own.”
Scheiner has received 28 Grammy Award nominations, eight of which he won, and he has been awarded four Emmy nominations—and two Emmy Awards for his work with the Eagles on their farewell tour broadcast and the documentary film History of the Eagles. He also has three TEC Awards nominations, is a TEC Hall of Fame inductee, and is a recipient of the Surround Pioneer Award. Scheiner also holds an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the Berklee College of Music and is one of the only Americans to be awarded the Master of Sound honor from the Japan Audio Society.
