In our previous post, we shared in overview of ribbon mics and how they’re popularly used by producers. When you’re seeking to produce a professional-sounding mix and master, things go a whole lot smoother if you can capture the sound you want in the recording process. Often, this is matter of selecting the right mic.
These five ribbon mics are some of the top models available. They each share the figure eight polar pattern which is excellent for picking up a blend of the source and the space and the warm, natural sound that many producers and engineers love about using ribbon mics.
Royer R-121
Perhaps the most widely known ribbon mic on the market today is the Royer R-121, the flagship model from American designer David Royer. First released in 1998, the R-121 reintroduced the classic sound of ribbon mics with a modern, lightweight durability. It’s a favorite among artists for recording electric guitar and brass. It retails at $1,295 and comes with a remarkable lifetime warranty.
Coles 4038
First introduced in the 1950’s, the Coles 4038 is a legendary ribbon mic. Described as being “British with a BBC politeness,” the 4038 has been used for drum overheads on some of the most iconic recording to come out of the U.K., including cuts from The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. It’s certainly not limited to drums, though. Producers love it on electric guitar cabs, brass and even some vocals. It has also been used extensively for broadcasting.
World-renowned producer/engineer Steve Albini said that if he could have just one microphone, the 4038 would be it. Considering that Albini’s worked on over 1,000 albums, that’s quite an endorsement for a mic that retails at $1,563.
Both the Coles 4038 and the Royer R-121 would make an excellent addition to any studio's mic locker. In our next post, we’ll cover three more top-of-the-line ribbon mics.
Make Pro Songs
There are 8 unique value-points inside the Sage Audio membership, so let’s go over each one so you can decide if it’s the right fit for you.
1. 50 Free Mastered Songs Per Year
- 50 free mastered songs per year with your own dedicated professional mastering engineer so you can get all your mixes sounding like professional songs.
- You’ll get your own dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer to create custom masters that are specific to you and sound exactly how you want.
- Unlimited revisions with your dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer. As a standard of our service, we are not happy until you are happy with the sound of your masters.
- All masters are delivered as commercial, industry-standard high-resolution 24-bit HD WAV masters so they will sound clean and clear on every platform.
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2. 1-on-1 Mentorship
- The Sage Audio 1:1 Mentorship gives you direct access to us to answer all your questions and receive unlimited advanced mixing feedback directly from us.
- Unlimited direct access to us for in-depth discussions to help you improve your mixes and masters.
- Unlimited advanced mixing feedback with detailed suggestions for improvement.
- Fast communication to answer all your questions and get tailored guidance that’s specific to your needs.
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3. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
- Unlimited mixing feedback so you can improve your mixes quickly.
- This is highly valuable - giving you access to a thriving community of mixing engineers who can provide feedback about what you can improve before sending your mix to be professionally mastered.
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4. Sage Audio University™ (SAU) — (Mixing and Mastering Education Platform)
- SAU is a modern audio engineering education platform that includes in-depth mixing and mastering course curriculums that match the new music industry.
- SAU is designed for every experience level, ranging from first-time mixing engineers to advanced engineers. The techniques and concepts taught can be applied to any DAW to create industry-leading mixes without expensive software or plugins - and free plugin alternatives are suggested throughout every course curriculum.
- SAU course curriculums include Start-to-Finish session walkthrough lessons for multiple genres so you can follow along with your preferred genre.
- SAU Certification Document, which can be downloaded and showcased on your website, social channels, and portfolio for as long as you remain a member.
- Get first access to all future SAU course curriculums to continually build and refine your mixing and mastering skills as the industry evolves.
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5. Mixing and Mastering Competitions
- Compete in Mixing Competitions and Mastering Competitions to win prizes and connect with friends and colleagues.
- This is a great collaborative way to improve your skills alongside both aspiring engineers and seasoned industry professionals.
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6. Community
- The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers who can provide you with real-world mixing feedback, meaningful discussions, networking, collaborations, and more.
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7. 70+ GB of Curated Sage Audio Downloadable Content, Including:
- 36 multitrack sessions spanning multiple genres for mixing practice.
- 57 un-mastered mixes spanning multiple genres for mastering practice.
- 62 Recommended Free Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 39 Recommended Paid Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 71 Sage Audio custom plugin presets to improve your mixes and masters.
- Sage Audio Membership Badge to showcase on your website, social channels, and portfolio.
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8. 700+ Video Catalog
- Access 700+ in-depth Sage Audio mixing and mastering videos - curated and organized into playlists so you can take a deep dive into all aspects of audio engineering with thousands of hours of concise, expertly crafted Sage Audio videos to continually improve your mixing and mastering skills at your own pace.
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