User manual AEA R92

[. . . ] To help ensure a long life and consistent sound, keep the microphone stored upright to prevent "sagging" in the ribbon that may occur during long term horizontal storage. Because AEA ribbon mics sound great on a variety of sources, many people like to leave their mics set up vertically on a stand in their studio with the protective bag on. [. . . ] We call the front the "crisp" side and the back the "smooth" side. Try recording on the rear side to get a warmer sounding HF response (the phase of the recorded signal will be inverted as well). Like any bidirectional microphone, the bass response of the R92 is very sensitive to micing distance, but its excellent horizontal off-axis performance makes it easy to find a "sweet spot" when, for example, close micing an acoustic guitar. It is possible to use the bidirectional pattern to provide excellent isolation between musicians playing in the same room. The bidirectional pattern features a `null plane' which provides more sound rejection than any other microphone pattern!Also the excellent off-axis response of the R92 means that whatever bleed is left over from nearby instruments will be reproduced with accurate phase information, so it won't muddy or distort your mix. Here's an illustration of the pickup pattern of your R92. The AEA logo on the front of your R92 points directly towards the `principal axis' indicated in the diagram. The "+" and "-" in this diagram refer to the electrical polarity of sounds arriving at the front and back sides of the microphone respectively. Mic Positioning Suggestions Here are a few ideas to get you started learning how best to use your R92 Ribbon Microphone. They are just suggestions, your creativity and ears will guide you to many uses we haven't listed here. Guitars The R92 has a very sweet, warm tone when used to record guitar amplifiers. Using the R92 makes it possible to get very solid low end with present, yet transparent highs using one easy to position microphone. Try starting with the mic at about 6" on axis from your speaker. When using the R92 to record small, low powered amplifiers try moving in to 4" or closer to get a fuller, warmer tone. For high powered amps coupled with closed back cabinets and hefty bass output you may need to pull the mic back as far as 8" or more from the speaker grille to get the right balance of treble and bass frequencies. Don't place the mic directly on the speaker grille. [. . . ] 548-586, 1985 July/August; republished in the STEREOPHONIC TECHNIQUES ANTHOLOGY, pp. 297-305 THE BIDIRECTIONAL MICROPHONE: A FORGOTTEN PATRIARCH, was first presented at the 113th AES Convention in Los Angeles, 2002 October, Preprint no. [. . . ]