But Will It Work In A Hurricane?
Dear ZD,Dear SoundMan, I read your review of the Big E ribbon mic, and had a question. How Does the Big E hold up in the aspect of durability? I know that ribbon mics are typically quite delicate and wanted to know if this was any different. Thanks - ZD
We have been getting lots of feedback (no pun intended) about the Big E and I thought this was a good one so I contacted the designer Rick Earl for an answer and this was his response;
Glad to hear you’re interested in the microphone, I’m also glad to see you wanting to pursue a career in the industry, we need more good people.
Ribbon mics in general have the reputation for being delicate, although some of it is exaggerated. The weakest part of the microphone is the ribbon itself. The Big E has a 4 micron thick ribbon, many have a 2 micron or less. A strong blast of air, say from a kick drum could possibly tear or break the ribbon. I know many people are touring with mics like Royer and in fact, they have a LIVE model that has a thicker (4 Micron) ribbon. As far as the Big E is concerned, I have beat on it to test the suspension and have used it in almost every situation except kick drum. I do not put a bag over it when I move it and sometimes just toss it in the back seat when I take it places. So far no damage.
This is JUST THE PROTOTYPE! Although the motor design is pretty final, I am still perfecting the ribbon manufacturing process. I do have a double grill design that does reduce “wind” directly on the element and that would continue in any future designs or modifications. When the ribbon process is perfected, hopefully I will be able to do a complete set of tests, including max SPL.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Rick
The Big E Debut
Longtime readers should
recognize Rick
Earl as a contributor to this column. What
you might not be aware of is that in addition to
being a self described audio-junky and Technical
Director for Cultural and Special Programs at
Elon University in Burlington, Rick is also an
experimenter and audio craftsman. Several weeks
ago Rick brought in his newest creation, The Big
E rare-earth velocity (ribbon) microphone, for
us to audition.
Putting the Big E trough its paces at
CareySound headquarters.
Ribbon microphones are
known for their extended smooth linear frequency
response and the Big E is no exception. Invented in
the early 1920s by Drs. Walter H. Schottky and
Erwin Gerlach and later refined and brought to
market in 1931 by Dr. Harry F. Olson of RCA, the
ribbon microphone broke new ground sound
reproduction with a realism and clarity not found
in the condenser microphones of the day. The figure
eight bidirectional pickup pattern of the mic found
an enthusiastic home in the motion picture
industry. It enabling clear vocal dialogue without
picking up the noisy motion picture cameras in use
at the time by placing the camera in the null side
of the pickup pattern. The Big E exhibits this
Figure Eight pattern.
Saxophonist Skip Gailes performs live with the
Big E at Elon Universities Jazz Concert
So how does it sound? Great! Hear for yourself.
Click the play button above for an audio sample
recorded this last weekend with The Big E.