Our assortment of ribbon microphones is very diverse. Although (or because) the transducer principle of this type of microphone is very simple, over the decades manufacturers have found very different design solutions. Therefore, ribbon microphones vary greatly in size, housing design, the magnet type, the length of the ribbon, etc.

For overhead recordings, the Coles 4038 are regularly rented - a kind of international standard with an distinctive earthy, full sound. The French Melodium 42B is a very nice ribbon, which has more top end than the Coles. Before many sources - especially wind instruments - it makes an excellent figure. Even vocal recordings have already been realized by some of our customers with this classic. In turn, the Royer R-121 has become the undisputed ribbon standard for guitar amp recording in the last 20 years. All of these ribbon microphones work with figure-of-eight characteristics.

If a stronger directivity is required, the Beyerdynamic M160 is recommended. With its hypercardioid characteristic, it minimizes ambient noise. The top model of the Beyerdynamic ribbon microphones is the M360 (cardioid). It has a remarkable top end, which is more like that of a condenser microphone.

A very convincing stereo ribbon mic is the Bang & Olufsen BM5, which was recently serviced by Xaudia. For the recording of string or brass ensembles, for example, it delivers first-class results.