Royer Labs has been making quality ribbon mics for decades. They are no-compromise products that meet the demands of everyday use. The newer R-12 is a phantom-powered ribbon microphone that features the same 2.5 micron ribbon element as the R-121 [Tape Op #19]. It handles high SPL (160 dB at 1 kHz), making it perfect for horns, electric guitars, and kick drum. Features include an onboard -15 dB pad and a 100 Hz (6 dB per octave) high-pass filter. It has a figure-eight polar pattern and a claimed frequency response of 30 Hz to 15 kHz (+/-3 dB). The mic weighs around one pound and has a beautifully-machined body that feels solid in the hand. My pair came in a nice compact metal case with velvet mic sleeves and sturdy metal stand mounts.
The timing for reviewing the R-12 coincided with a few days of tracking guitars on a record I have been working on. While tracking at Johnny Sangster’s [Tape Op #164] Crackle & Pop! recording in Seattle, Washington, I placed one of the R-12s on a vintage Fender Twin Reverb and the other on a vintage Vox AC30. Both were routed through preamps on Johnny’s beautiful Auditronics console. The R-12 is marketed as a “tough ribbon” that can handle serious SPLs. I love the sound of both these amps when cranked up, so we went ahead and trusted that the mics could take the volume. Without the pad, it was a bit too much for them to handle, but – wow – once we switched the pad on, my jaw hit the floor. What a glorious sound! On everything from the cleaner tones of the Twin to the saturated sound of the AC30, the R-12 captured all the meat and body of the guitars with a fantastic halo of top-end shimmer without any harshness. I kept quietly thinking to myself, “This might be the best guitar sound I have ever captured.” As we all know, it is the combination of the instrument, amp, microphone, preamp, and hands of the player, not to mention all the intangibles – like the humidity that day and whatever sage was waved through the room – that contribute to the final sound. I will say that for three days, the combination of all of the above created magic. (Johnny, I didn’t burn any sage…)