Monoprice LR100 ribbon mic

[bill5]

There is an interesting discussion some of us have going on at gearspace.com about this mic...apparently it was on sale for as little as $28 recently and those who have it mostly seem happy with it. It's $88 on Amazon now, but that's still crazy cheap for even a respectable ribbon mic, not to mention shockmount and a nice carrying case included and free shipping. 

 

Anyone have/use this mic be interested in your thoughts

[KuruPrionz]

I haven't used that particular mic. I used to own a CAD D82 ribbon mic. It wasn't expensive either, especially not used. I liked it but I didn't like it. 

 

Most ribbon mics have a figure of 8 pattern so they pick up from the front and the back. There is too much background noise where I record for that to be useful.

If the mic doesn't have a built in gain boost of some sort then you need a Cloudlifter since they are relatively low output and you can't get too close with vocals without causing plosives and sibilance. I already owned a Cloudlifter since they are great for moving coil dynamic mics too, not a problem there. 

 

In the end, I sold the CAD and unless I can use a much quieter space to record I don't think I'll buy another ribbon mic. 

I've heard recordings made with ribbons, we probably all have. They are good sounding mics and in some situations the deep null on the sides can be very useful. 

So I am not suggesting that others should not try one and see if it works for them. I wish they worked for me!

[Paul Vnuk Jr.]

The one cool thing about ribbon mics is that even dirt-cheap ones can add new flavors to even the most well-stocked mic locker––the same with dynamic mics.

 

The only caveat with cheap ribbon mics, in my experience, is they tend to tilt toward the stereo-typical dark side of the spectrum, and one thing I learned stepping into some of the industry standard ribbon mics like the Royer R-121, Cloud 44A and AEA R44CE is that a good ribbon mic is not dark––its neutral and natural. Which we often think of as dark since many modern condenser mics are so dang bright. 

 

All that said, I have zero experience with the LR100

[Anderton]

It's also worth checking whether the response from the front and back is the same...it isn't always, and that might be part and parcel of being a "cheap" mic.

[KuruPrionz]

57 minutes ago, Anderton said:

It's also worth checking whether the response from the front and back is the same...it isn't always, and that might be part and parcel of being a "cheap" mic.

Or, it could be useful if both sides are different but both sound good in their own way. 

[Dave Bryce]

3 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:

Or, it could be useful if both sides are different but both sound good in their own way. 

 

AEA's R84 and R92 are intentionally designed to sound slightly different depending which side you're one.  It can be quite useful.

 

dB

[Anderton]

12 minutes ago, Dave Bryce said:

AEA's R84 and R92 are intentionally designed to sound slightly different depending which side you're one.  It can be quite useful.

 

I didn't realize that, I thought for recording duets (e.g., two nylon string guitar players and such) they both needed to be identical? Then again, I guess "slightly" different is not the same as "different."

[Dave Bryce]

3 minutes ago, Anderton said:

 

I didn't realize that, I thought for recording duets (e.g., two nylon string guitar players and such) they both needed to be identical? 

 

All the other AEA Figure 8 ribbons are identical front and back - even the R88, which more than a few folks mistakenly assume is essentially a pair of Blumlein'd R84s...but the Blumlein configuration wouldn't work correctly if the front and back were different.

 

This is a conscious design choice...and kind of a fun one, IMO.  I had a ball deciding which side was going to point at the hammers of my piano and which was going to point at the lid; or, on vox, which side to point at the vocalist and which one at the wall.🤔 😎

 

dB

[KuruPrionz]

51 minutes ago, Anderton said:

 

I didn't realize that, I thought for recording duets (e.g., two nylon string guitar players and such) they both needed to be identical? Then again, I guess "slightly" different is not the same as "different."

As dB says, both types are available. 

I can see having the "one of each" sound being useful for a variety of things. A pair of them could really be a hoot, 3 different stereo sounds. Subtle but noticeable. 

[Anderton]

2 hours ago, Dave Bryce said:

 

All the other AEA Figure 8 ribbons are identical front and back - even the R88, which more than a few folks mistakenly assume is essentially a pair of Blumlein'd R84s...but the Blumlein configuration wouldn't work correctly if the front and back were different.

 

This is a conscious design choice...and kind of a fun one, IMO.  I had a ball deciding which side was going to point at the hammers of my piano and which was going to point at the lid; or, on vox, which side to point at the vocalist and which one at the wall.🤔 😎

 

dB

 

I learn something new every day in these forums

[Bill Stunt]

I love ribbon mics. Even inexpensive ones, as Paul points out can offer a different flavor. I have a Nady RSM-2, a relatively inexpensive Chinese manufactured ribbon mic. Acting on Matt McGlynn's advice, I swapped out the stock transformer for a Samar RT32 toroidal transformer. It turned a decent mic that I used occasionally into a really great mic that I use all the time. It's an easy modification. 

[Dave Bryce]

11 hours ago, Anderton said:

 

I learn something new every day in these forums

Okay, here’s another fun ribbon tidbit:

 

One of the things RCA modified when they changed from their 44A to the 44B and 44BX is that they moved the ribbon a touch towards the back of the mic in order to slightly reduce the size of the rear lobe.

 

Hmmm…Fun Ribbon Tidbit.  Not a bad band name, but probably a better album name. 🤔😁

 

dB

[Paul Vnuk Jr.]

Royer R series mics use an offset ribbon as well. 
 

PS-Bryce I love the way your brain works. “Fun Ribbon Tidbit”. 

[Anderton]

6 hours ago, Paul Vnuk Jr. said:

PS-Bryce I love the way your brain works. “Fun Ribbon Tidbit”. 

 

You'll be happy to know I checked with Bing's ChatBot, and that name is not in use and available for trademark protection!

 

The domain name funribbontidbit.com is also available.

[Alphacharlie]

I just bought 2 of these on the clearance price. They sound good! No harshness, slightly dark and the high end roll off like one expects with a ribbon mic. The amps have a low noose floor with no audible hiss. I’m happy. 
 

Pulling them apart they are rebranded Eikon RM8 microphones. So definitely a good deal for $25 each.

[bill5]

After some odd bouncing around with price/availability, they're back at about $25-30 FWIW. I bought one earlier and got it, but my interface went belly up, so testing is delayed...

[Bill Stunt]

It sure looks like and has the same stated specs as an Eikon RM8. I just ordered one. It will be fun to experiment with and at this price point there won't be much risk involved with taking a look at how it could be improved with a modification. 

[Bill Stunt]

If I do decide to modify I'll post my results on Bryce's new website, funribbontidbit.com  

[Doerfler]

Yall got while the gettin' was good. 

 

[bill5]

Yeah they've said that twice now and it came back, so stay tuned

[Bill Stunt]

So I've been trying out the L100 for a couple of weeks and I have to say it's pretty good. Sounds great on spoken word. Very "broadcasty" sounding. The proximity effect is off the charts so you need to work it farther back than most mics. It has one really serious flaw...the body is very resonant.  I'm going to line the mic body with silicon caulking to try and damp it down. Otherwise it's a very serviceable mic that will come in handy. 

[KuruPrionz]

2 hours ago, Bill Stunt said:

So I've been trying out the L100 for a couple of weeks and I have to say it's pretty good. Sounds great on spoken word. Very "broadcasty" sounding. The proximity effect is off the charts so you need to work it farther back than most mics. It has one really serious flaw...the body is very resonant.  I'm going to line the mic body with silicon caulking to try and damp it down. Otherwise it's a very serviceable mic that will come in handy. 

The Rycote shock mounts have 4 threaded mic holder pads that screw in and hold a mic tightly. Mine does reduce mic body resonance considerably. It's also a great shock mount, simple to use and it works. I have no affiliation, just appreciate well designed products. 

https://mymic.rycote.com/products/shock-mounts-suspension/invision-studio/