preferred both mics without the booster on all instruments. preferred the royer on everything except the guitar

Wonderful, helpful video. Got to bring the SF-12 home from work -- very excited to try it out. Thanks!

@ToddUrban

2 жыл бұрын

It’s a modern classic 🏆

I bought an SF-12 because of this vid and have zero regrets, it sounds like nothing else in my locker and is stupid fast and fun to explore placements and angles. I just wanted to say, I friggin' love the tuning and snare tension on that drum in the first few clips, it lights up the ER's in your room in all the right ways.

@ToddUrban

4 ай бұрын

Thanks! I’ll need to check out that snare again. 😂 I’m always going nuts trying to get the perfect tuning as a non drummer. I probably overthink that way too much!

@monoplectronic2010

3 ай бұрын

Hell, I'm on day 5 of voicing my Rhodes, I get it... over here, 'overthinking the tuning' is a sacred calling!

What a wonderful video. Congrats. The Royer shines on this one. The R88 almost seems to disappear in comparison - which can be a good thing in non musical sound recording. Excellent playing too! Never meet anybody who can play drums (kinda left handed) AND violin (right handed). Subscribed.

@ToddUrban

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words! Yeah, Dave is great! And he sings too! 🎤

First, this vid is criminally under viewed, and a few orders of magnitude better-recorded than what I'm used to hearing on YT shootouts. It is crazy how differently the two mics in the over-snare position capture the space around the kit so differently. AEA grabs more of the space and puts a bit more distance between us and the source, and (therefore, to my ears at least) is more 'natural' sounding... but those are why I like it less in this application. The image is so different as well, I wonder if nudging the AEA 6-12" lower would reduce those differences. Man, the Royer's HF texture just hits me in all the right ways. Anyway, thanks for doing this.

@ToddUrban

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and for the comment. Yes, the imaging between the two is very different. But for me, it is also the vibe. I argue that both are worth having, but if you are only doing one, it’s a difficult choice!

They both sound good, but to me the Royer sounds more like what you'd hear in the room. The AEA sounds a bit "boosted" in the low mids that gives the impression of being more rolled off up high. I prefer the Royer as a more natural capture.

@ToddUrban

2 ай бұрын

Exactly. 💥

loved the video! i really do prefer the royer mic; except maybe on the violin. also: the booster seemed to have had a greater impact on the aea r88 than on the royer mic. would love to get a comparison of different pre amplifiers for the royer sf-12.

@ToddUrban

3 жыл бұрын

They are both great and really do sound different. They definitely perform differently with different preamps. But that was too much to cover. It was easier (and more accurate) to show the dBooster. Maybe on another video!

Excellent video. Thanks for demonstrating both fingerstyle and strumming on the guitar, which are two totally different sources. Boosters definitely help with definition on each mic. R88 much better bass response (i.e. the bass drum) & better high end. The R88 on guitar is *much* closer to mix ready; the Royer would require more aggressive EQ. Didn't like either mic on the violin. R88 w/boost is the overall winner.

@ToddUrban

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching and supporting the channel. 😃

Both great mics. Best classical guitar sound I've ever heard was an SF12, best piano recording was an R88A.

@ToddUrban

Жыл бұрын

Definitely. You can’t go wrong with either. Both are great, but different sounds to them.

Nice looking mics. Better looking host ;-)

@ToddUrban

3 жыл бұрын

Aww...🥰thanks! The mics sound as amazing as they look too!

The micro tones are amazing with Royer. Subtle intonations while playing are really noticeable. The R88 sounds duller that mutes subtle changes. Thank you for putting this together.

damn it - was hoping to not like the SF-12 so much. :D Thanks guys - great video.

@ToddUrban

2 жыл бұрын

Of course! Thanks for watching.

@diavimusic4523

2 жыл бұрын

Picked one up by the way...your fault 😀

@ToddUrban

2 жыл бұрын

😂 you won’t regret it!!! I promise!

@diavimusic4523

2 жыл бұрын

@@ToddUrban You were right - been running some tests with it and just sounds so good. I ended up adding a Dbooster 2...even with my Neve & ISA110 mic pres...it just sounded better that way.

@ToddUrban

2 жыл бұрын

Nice! Yeah the dBooster helps a ton to open up the top end. I love it on my SM7b and RE20.

great job, thank you.

@ToddUrban

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching and supporting the channel. 😃

this is a great video. I thought the boosters made the sound more dry and took away the more refined HF decay, especially from the Royer. I would love to hear how these would sound with a pre with higher impedance and gain.

@ToddUrban

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed. The RPQ2 is great with both. I considered using that instead of the dBoosters, but it was too much to cover in one video.

Sounds like AEA has a more bass & less edge, generally rounder, when listening to the bass & violin. But what do we know? 🤣🤣🤣 we'd like to hear an arco bass & cello back to back !!!

@ToddUrban

3 жыл бұрын

The character is definitely different between the two. While I usually will pick them based on Sonics, size is also a huge consideration. A smaller mic in front of a cello is less intimidating to a client. While on the other hand, I really like the 88 as a room mic on drums that will be crushed later.

@sybarite5videos

3 жыл бұрын

@@ToddUrban haha yes. Size & shape. I recently did a recording with a Grammy winning cellist and the cellist was kinda miffed because the engineer had the RCA ribbon mic on the bass ...they had a cole on the cello, and the cellist thought it looked too much like a should pad lol.. They wanted my rca. (!)

on the Doublebass: I do prefer the AEA while on violin: Royer wins. On the other instruments: at my ears they sound pretty similar

@ToddUrban

3 жыл бұрын

They both do a great job but the character is different! I own both and can easily justify why I have them. :)

@Not-Only-Reaper-Tutorials

3 жыл бұрын

@@ToddUrban right but with the violin (I’m violinist), Royer definitely wins. At least from this take.

@Midee

3 жыл бұрын

@@Not-Only-Reaper-Tutorials Yeah, I'm a violinist with an R88 and while it's really good, the Royer sounds like it can get a better "centered" sound with a bit more flavor, whereas the R88 is a lot more roomy and neutral sounding. Even if I'm up playing close the R88 still wants to capture as much of the surrounding area it can. Great if I'm doing fake layered "ensemble" recording, but not as good for solo stuff IMO.

I never get blown away by a ribbon mic before eq…the Royer sounds a lot more balanced without eq….there’s a lot more bass energy in that r88. The Royer reveals the bell of the cymbals and the zing of the strings better here. At the end of the day there’s just more bass available to eq in the R88.

@ToddUrban

2 ай бұрын

Absolutely. Spot on. Both are great, but completely different characteristics

I hate cymbals in drum recordings, but the AEA handles them so well. don't feel like my ears are bleeding or that the cymbals would cloud an entire mix. lots of depth and low end energy from both mics, very high quality.

@ToddUrban

2 жыл бұрын

Yes. Definitely reduces sibilance!

@hxhdfjifzirstc894

10 ай бұрын

Yes, I absolutely refuse to use anything but ribbon mics on drums.

Amazing video! Thanks so much for taking the time to do this. Dave is so great as well. My question is this: what are both of your impressions, since I’m mostly interested in how accurately a mic picks up the source audio in the most complimentary way. You could hear the sound in the room so, what do you guys think? I am a fan of the R88, and I like the slight woolliness to the double bass sound (I’m a bass player), but much prefer the Royer on violin. I may prefer the Royer on both kit clips too. Prefer the R88 for the guitar, but by a tiny margin.

@ToddUrban

3 жыл бұрын

They are both awesome. I would consider size and ease of placement too. For a violin or guitar, using the Royer is much easier due to size. For drums, it doesn’t matter as much since there is so much room around the kit. But in terms of sound, they definitely have a different character. The R88 is a little more open on the top end with a low boost. The Royer is a little flatter and just warm sounding. But you can go wrong with either.

@BarDono2

3 жыл бұрын

@@ToddUrban ah ok. I wasn’t sure if those low frequencies heard with the R88 were boosted by the mic or there live in the room and the Royer just wasn’t picking them up as well as the R88. That’s good to know. Thanks a lot!

@ToddUrban

3 жыл бұрын

The shootout is well balanced and objective. I think the differences you hear will be what you hear with those mics in any room.

Interesting. The R88 sounds better to me on every example except violin. The Royer definitely sounds richer and more alive, and the R88 was thin in comparison. Are you sure the distance and gain was the same??

@ToddUrban

5 ай бұрын

Hi! Thanks for watching and for the question. Yes, I absolutely level matched and measured the distance of each mic. (Though visually they can look different on camera) In person, they do sound very different. I don’t have a preference sonically, as the artist and genre can completely change which one I select. The one thing I think is super important is the size. If I want the mic to disappear, I go for the Royer. If I want people to be impressed with a big mic, I go for the AEA. Obviously sound is important, but it can be equally important as to how the visual affects the artist emotionally. I hope that extra info helps a bit.

@DanielKurganov

5 ай бұрын

@@ToddUrban definitely! Thanks for your great content!

hej! where can i buy the Royal Labs SF 12? thanks!

@ToddUrban

Жыл бұрын

Hej! :) The SF 12 isn't as easy to find as an R-121. However, if you are in the US, I would contact any of the premium mic dealers such as Sweetwater, Vintage King, etc. In Canada, I know L&M can get them, and in the EU, Thomann should be able to. Hope that helps a bit.

Must be a better bass response on AEA given the surface area of the ribbon.

@ToddUrban

2 жыл бұрын

I don’t know about better, but a little more pronounced. I’m not sure if that is due to the surface area of the ribbon or something else about the way it is voiced. But yeah, the Royer is a little more neutral.

who is this talented multi instrumentalist??

@ToddUrban

3 жыл бұрын

Dave Edwards. Amazingly talented, and super nice guy. And he sings great too!

@nathanielbrice8725

3 жыл бұрын

Was gonna say the same thing! Great player!

should I buy a stereo microphone to record a saxophone in my apartment room?

@ToddUrban

3 жыл бұрын

That depends on if your room sounds good. If it does, then it will be super easy to capture a Sax evenly. But if the room has a bad sound, you might be better off with 2 directional cardioid condenser mics.

4:49 5:37

Why does it sound like it lacks mid-highs?

@ToddUrban

3 жыл бұрын

Which one? Or did you mean both? They are ribbons, so they will be less open in the top end than a condenser.

@ColocasiaCorm

3 жыл бұрын

@@ToddUrban maybe both... I know that if I were standing where the mic was on the drum demo, the hihat would kill my ears. Royer reports their SF-12 as being flat +/- 2dB, though... I wonder if its directionally dependent.

@DuanePadillaViolin

3 жыл бұрын

ribbons in general tend to roll off the mids and the highs.they are generally not as flat response as condensers. good to tame screechy things but maybe not the best of you like sparkle

@jonburbank

3 жыл бұрын

@@ColocasiaCorm they’re both two figure-8 ribbon mics stacked, 90° off-axis from each other. The only rejection you’re getting is at the very top and bottom. (In reply to you wondering about pickup roll-off)

Aea smashes

@ToddUrban

2 жыл бұрын

I love them both, but agree, the AEA has an awesome character!

My R88 has a lot more noise. Also with a Cloudlifter.

@ToddUrban

Жыл бұрын

Yes, all ribbons will have a little noise. I haven’t tried the active version of the R88 yet, but do have the active R84 and find that the noise floor is very good. It’s possible there are improvements with the 88.

@TheWeazel01

Жыл бұрын

@@ToddUrban Unfortunately it's not a little noise. Also read a lot of different stories on the web; some people have noise and some don't. A bit strange for such an expensive mic. For me it's unusable on quieter sources.

@ToddUrban

Жыл бұрын

Ah. I didn’t know about that. Mine has some noise, but is what I would expect from any ribbon. Maybe there were some manufactured without the same noise floor. Thanks for sharing.

@hxhdfjifzirstc894

10 ай бұрын

@@TheWeazel01 If it's not an 'active' model, then there's nothing inside the mic to HAVE noise (the only thing inside is a transformer, which are virtually noiseless). I can't say for certain, but I think it makes the most sense that people are hearing noise from whichever particular preamp they are using (being cranked up for the gain that a ribbon mic needs), and that explains the mixed results of some people having noise, and other people not. Aside from that, the difference between the vast array of preamps available will naturally be far greater than the individual differences between two mics of the same model -- for example, the difference between a Toyota and a Ford, compared to the difference between two Toyota Camrys of the same exact model/year.

@TheWeazel01

10 ай бұрын

@@hxhdfjifzirstc894 I actually found examples from the R88 with their own preamp specifically made for their ribbons mics, noisy as well. Of course it depends on what you're recording, but this mic needs so much gain for anything other than drums or brass that it gets noisy real quick. Maybe not the mic components that make the noise, but how the mic is build makes it noisy by design.

piano please

@ToddUrban

2 жыл бұрын

I have a video on the 88 on my channel, but not the Royer. It would be great to do a shootout of both on piano!