I am considering adding another ribbon mic to my studio and was wondering about the Royer R-10. I currently own a Cascade Vinjet which I love.

Obviously, I want the R-121 but can't really afford it right now.

Would the R-10 give me a significant upgrade from the Vinjet or would it be more of the same? I mainly want a better mic for recording loud guitars and it seems like the R-121 is a favorite. Should I just save up for R-121? Any alternates y'all recommend?

Talk me in/out of it.

hah.. I was considering listing mine in the gear liquidation thread as I'm doing less home recording. I've used it for a couple years and it does everything I want a ribbon to do. However: I was in a studio 6 months ago and brought it to do a side by side with a Cascade as a drum overhead (I don't remember if it was a fathead or vinjet) and neither the engineer and I couldn't hear much of a difference. So I dunno..

Couple thoughts- I wouldn't buy another solid midshelf mic to use for similar purposes unless I was short on mics or was thinking the one I had wasn't for me. For example a used m160 is similarly attainable, but brighter. If the Vin jet is too dark, worth considering. An r10 sounds like it might have fairly similar characteristics to your Cascade, but maybe it's a little better- that's a contest I've never had.

My take in recent years on gear acquisition is to go without a new mic for longer, save and buy the real deal. As for the R121 everyone I've known with them seems to only use them on guitar amps. Sure you can find videos and reviews with them on overhead (then you need a pair) or acoustic, but no one seems to really choose it in practice. A mic that costs a grand but isn't flexible is not great unless you've highlighted it as your holy grail for one purpose you value. There are a million useful guitar amp mics, I'd have to feel like it had some fairy dust to commit to the expense.

There are a bunch of cool new ribbon designs (and old ones) from Aea, some of which are probably versatile. I'll also say the 4038 is flexible and lives up to reputation. But also pricey.

I have heard very good things about the sE Voodoo VR1/VR2 ribbon mics, which are in the R10 price range.

Mason wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 6:36 am I have heard very good things about the sE Voodoo VR1/VR2 ribbon mics, which are in the R10 price range.

I've heard the same and just bought a VR1 last week (haven't had a chance to actually use it yet, though). I found one on Reverb for $300 and then found that you can get demo models from Prymaxe for $293 and not have to pay tax or shipping. https://www.prymaxe.com/products/se-ele ... -case-demo

I can't comment on comparing the two, but I absolutely love my R10. I've been using it exclusively on guitar amps since I've gotten it and it sounds full, thick, and smooth. It sounds so much like my guitar amp I almost never even EQ it in post. For comparison I've previously used the following on my guitar amps: SM57, SM7B, M88, PR30, PR40, MD421, e906, and AT4040. If I ever get to the point I want some more top end I might start using it with the e906 (also close miked) or the AT4040 (room) but for right now I'm super happy with what I've been getting with just the R10. I'd recommend it to anyone, but I cannot compare it to another ribbon mic.

Side note, I've accidently fed it phantom power for several hours on two occasions without negatively impacting the mic. I hate that my interface doesn't have individual phantom power on each channel. Grrrr.

tommy wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 9:49 am Side note, I've accidently fed it phantom power for several hours on two occasions without negatively impacting the mic.

Most recording consoles of yesteryear didn't have phantom on/off switches, and people hot-plugged ribbon mics all the time without issue.

Also since the R10 has a transformer (as do most ribbon mics), it's going to block any phantom DC anyway. The exception is when phantom is first applied, as the inrush current is by definition an AC signal. That could potentially cause a problem if it was some old timey unbalanced ribbon mic where the ribbon was directly connected to the connector. P48 phantom is supposed to be current-limited to 10 mA and applied simultaneously to the differential pins through matched 6.81 kohm resistors, so there shouldn't be any measurable AC across pins 2 and 3 of an XLR during startup.

Nate Dort wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 10:00 am

tommy wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 9:49 am Side note, I've accidently fed it phantom power for several hours on two occasions without negatively impacting the mic.

Most recording consoles of yesteryear didn't have phantom on/off switches, and people hot-plugged ribbon mics all the time without issue.

Also since the R10 has a transformer (as do most ribbon mics), it's going to block any phantom DC anyway. The exception is when phantom is first applied, as the inrush current is by definition an AC signal. That could potentially cause a problem if it was some old timey unbalanced ribbon mic where the ribbon was directly connected to the connector. P48 phantom is supposed to be current-limited to 10 mA and applied simultaneously to the differential pins through matched 6.81 kohm resistors, so there shouldn't be any measurable AC across pins 2 and 3 of an XLR during startup.

Good to know! I had just heard all those rumors of phantom power killing ribbon mics that seems to keep being perpetuated...

Though I assume that inrush you describe is happening every time I turn on my interface and pic preamps because I never turn the phantom off unless I'm physically plugging in/ unplugging a mic.

I'm not a fan of much of the royer stuff. I've used almost all of it, and I've really only liked the sf-12 that I've used and I liked that a lot. I guess the question is what're you doing with it? I can think of a lot of current, or recent production ribbons in that price bracket that sound much nicer, or ones that are cheaper that sound just as good. If you're really jonesing, check out beyer m500s. They're often on the used market and are great.
Shit. I have a pair I'd sell you.