How Stuff’s Made - Royer Ribbon Microphones

In 2009, The Discovery Channel did a segment on Royer Labs for its How Stuff’s Made series. See how every Royer mic is hand built in our Burbank, CA factory.

[@DavesTrumpet]

Wow! Fascinating! I own an R-101 and R-122. This video gives a deeper appreciation to what's involved in making such a great mic! Thanks for sharing!!!

[@glennleishman8464]

Royer could learn a lot from Røde's manufacturing processes.

[@Powhart]

Now I know how it feels to be in love

[@TiqueO6]

Ribbon Mics have the most natural reproduction of sound in my opinion. Good recordings on ribbon mics have a "tactile" feel to them and give what seems like a true shape to the sounds.Condenser mics had their purpose with their it exaggerated high-end when signal loss was much more of an issue and highs had to be pre-emphasized in the high frequencies early in the signal chain. Somehow we got accustomed to the unnatural sounding results as signal paths have become more and more transparent and accurate.

[@artysanmobile]

TiqueO6 So much misinformation. Condenser microphones have no inherent exaggeration of any kind, period, and they were not created, nor were they ever used to compensate for signal loss. The sound of many microphones includes deliberate exaggeration at high frequencies for various reasons. In dynamics it is particularly strong to compensate for the enormous low end boost that results from frequent close use, as well as to enhance the sound of the human voice. Many condensers and even some dynamics are made with a deliberately flat response across their entire range. These are prized by recording engineers because they give us a blank canvas to work with to achieve the sound that we actually desire. They are generally the most expensive microphones of their type, and I actively seek them out. There is wide consensus that the best condenser microphones represent the state of the art for accurate sound reproduction. Ribbon microphones have an attenuated high end by nature of their mechanical design. They have excellent dynamic response due to the extreme lightness of the moving element which results in a pleasing sound with many musical instruments, but this comes with many well known drawbacks. Extremely delicate, very low output level, and an inherently dark tone are all issues that require a lot of extra attention. I’ve gotten great results but found that expensive preamps which work perfectly well with every other mic in the room are literally unusable with many ribbons. Royer is the only manufacturer that has resolved that with its built in phantom powered preamp. EQ is also a necessity rather than an option and I prefer to track without EQ.

[@pnuttrjohnson]

Nice 👍👍

[@djdksf1]

Yeesh. Now I know why they cost so much...

[@GrotePVVfan]

5:51: "The combined transistor and transducer" ???? I suppose he means: transformer!

[@WoodieLarsen]

thought the same thing.

[@judyjackson7321]

Fascinating and informative video but the term 'Worker' is used a couple of times, for example 'to start with, a 'worker' adds a windscreen to the inside of the casing'(5.40). Maybe it's just me , but it sounds strangely negative. How is it better than just saying 'A windscreen is added to the inside of the casing' ? I'm absolutely not a PC type person, but I find myself interpreting 'Worker' as 'Underpaid operative who doesn't care much about what he/she is doing' :-) Edit: Just saw that this film was not made by the company involved!

[@royerlabs]

Thanks, Judy. Yes, this one was not made by us, but we appreciate your feedback!

[@curtvincent3728]

I came up with a question this month that the Internet has not solved for me. I watched videos from Royer about using an oscilloscope in X-Y mode to produce a Lissajous curve to set the ribbon to the exact right tension based on the resonant frequency. OK, I understand but I will be damned if I know where to place the two scope probes! If you put them on each end of the ribbon they are in phase so the Lissajous is in phase regardless of frequency. Maddening. Any thoughts? I don't even know who to ask!

[@royerlabs]

Hi Curt. I'm going to put your question to David Royer and Rick Perrotta (Royer's President) and will post their comments here in a day or two. -John Jennings

[@curtvincent3728]

@@royerlabs Awesome! Thank you John! I have exhausted google and youtube. I have studied under Clarence Kane and talk to Wes Dooley at the audio events, but David is my hero. Brilliant guy. I have watched all of his youtube a few times. Meeting him one day is on my bucket list and I better hurry as I am 66 LOL. Thanks again!

[@ComplexPole]

I would imagine it's an impedance measurement, so X would be the applied voltage and Y the resulting current, or vice versa. A large change in the phase between the two occurs around around the resonance frequency, which will be quite evident (like around 4:50). This is also how an Octopus curve tracer works.

[@TheChadPad]

Watch "Royer Labs - A Factory Tour of the Ribbon Microphone Manufacturer." They show them placing the probes at 5 minutes in

[@curtvincent3728]

Thank you ​@TheChadPad ! Yes! Found it and have watched it many times. They do an awesome job! Not enough detail for me but I am a bit of a freak and want more data and the public doesn't need it. I befriended Stewart Tavener of Extinct Ribbon Microphones in England and he taught me the details of using a lissajous curve on an O-Scope to set tension. Tedious, but very interesting! I bought his stereo version. Awesome! Thanks so much for your help @TheChadPad!

[@Frank55]

5:49 : "When the screens are in place, the combined transistor and transducer which hold the ribbon and the two magnets, slide into two long slots along the side of the casing". Huh? TRANSISTOR ????

[@daveBit15]

Transformer. Obviously a mistake.

[@aelucif]

can someone explain the process on 4:45?

[@KYDY]

It's mentioned in another video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eF6ukoafjr6Werc They stretch the ribbon until its resonant frequency is 40 Hz.

[@andrewoof4649]

makes one out of gold leaf :)

[@royerlabs]

Maybe we already have... :-O

[@510rob]

@@royerlabs What about using beryllium for the ribbon?

[@arievanderreijden714]

The soundtrack (or noisetrack) makes me sick though...

[@HSet77]

should be the tinkling of angel light ribbons