What a cool idea: a microphone housing that has both a ribbon element and a large diaphragm condenser perfectly aligned to eliminate phase issues. It is no secret that I like JZ Microphones, especially their BH-1 Black Hole LDC [Tape Op #71]. I use that mic on just about everything from kick drum to vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, and everything in between. It has a big, bold sound, with lovely clarity and top end. I also utilize ribbon microphones for their ability to smooth cymbals and mellow overly bright or brash sources, such as horns. When I learned about JZ's new MU-1, a collaboration with NYC-based engineer and producer Marc Urselli [#139], I was excited. It is, as described above, a burly rectangular metal microphone body that employs what is essentially a Black Hole condenser mic and a phantom powered ribbon mic side by side. The provided Y-cable splits the single five-pin connector on the mic to two XLRs. Use them individually or use both combined. Having two level-matched capsules side by side eliminates placement and phase alignment issues.
The MU-1’s electrostatic, pressure-gradient condenser mic has a cardioid polar pattern, a claimed frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 kHz, a max SPL handling of 134.5 dB (2.5 k ohms, 0.5% THD), S/N ratio of 87.5 dB-A, noise level of 6.5 dB-A, and dynamic range of 128 dB. The ribbon element is a figure-eight, has a claimed frequency response of 35 Hz to 35 kHz, max SPL handling of 125 dB (2.5 k ohms, 0.5% THD), and has a toroidal transformer design. As noted, the mic requires +48V DC phantom power. The MU-1 comes in a large foam-lined wood box with a custom shock mount and the Y-cable.
I have been leaning heavily on ribbon mics lately for recording electric guitars, so I first employed the MU-1 for this task. I sent the mic’s outputs to a pair of Heritage Audio 73Jr II 500 Series mic preamps and centered the mic on the cone of one of the speakers in my vintage Marshall 2x12 combo amp. I prefer using ribbons on this particular amp because it is a little brighter than some of my other options, but I love the bell-like quality of its clean tones. The MU-1 captured a big image. As I expected, with both tracks at equal volume, it was a little brighter than I prefer. But dialing back the condenser side and leaning more on the ribbon was a revelation. The ribbon sounded warm and rich, and bringing in the condenser added sparkle and excitement to the sound. Another interesting experiment was processing the two mics differently. Compressing and EQ’ing them via separate devices and adding effects such as delay and reverb to one and not the other opened up a world of possibilities. I often do this type of processing with different takes, but having a single perfectly aligned take with two distinct tones was a fantastic option.
Another favorite use for a ribbon mic is for drum overheads. Coles 4038s are my current go-to favorites; they mellow out the cymbals and keep them rich and un-hyped. I only had one MU-1 for review, so I put it up over my studio drum kit as a mono overhead via two BURL B1D preamps. Once again, it was cool to play with the balance of the two mics once it was recorded. I smashed the condenser with a compressor and left the ribbon more on the natural side. Lowering the level of the crushed signal and blending it in under the ribbon gave me a lovely natural sound with the option to incorporate some excitement and energy to taste from the compressed condenser signal.
The MU-1 was solid on vocals, acoustic guitars, and percussion elements. I found myself enjoying blending the two mics; I pushed the ribbon forward on a tambourine and used more of the condenser on acoustic guitars. Although I started out by using two of the same preamps, sending the two mic elements to different preamps also yielded interesting character combinations and results. I was grateful for some solo time with the MU-1 to explore sonic possibilities, make some bold choices, and live with them for a minute before I committed to using them on a client’s project. Over the course of a week or so, I spent several days using the MU-1 in different scenarios, signal paths, and processing experiments. I found myself down the rabbit hole on several occasions, and I liked it there! EQ each of the mics differently, compress one and not the other, add effects to one and not the other. The MU-1 sparked some creative energy into the process, and after years of making recordings, that is always something I welcome. You are getting two excellent mics, and they work well both as individual choices and combined.
Of course, you can (and probably should!) go through the exercise of lining up capsules of two different mics, whether they be ribbons, dynamics, or condensers. It is a difficult but useful skill. But, having the option to capture two different mic flavors side by side with no alignment issues certainly makes it easy, and with two excellent mics inside the MU-1, the results are fantastic.