It’s hard to believe, but it has been nearly two decades since 1998, when innovator David Royer launched Royer Labs, a mic company dedicated to creating modern ribbon microphone designs. The first product was the R-121, which employed a patented (U.S. #6,434,252) proprietary offset ribbon technology based on a pure aluminum ribbon and neodymium magnet structure. The result was a smooth, warm sound in a compact and rugged design that quickly found favor with audio engineers everywhere.
Well, almost everywhere. The R-121 and the more ruggedized R-121L version optimized for live applications both currently carry a $1,295 street price, which limits access to these to many live users. That said, Royer ribbons found their way onto Broadway shows, as well as tours with artists such as Aerosmith, George Strait, Brian Setzer, Pearl Jam, Kenny Chesney, Shania Twain, Maroon Five, Ben Harper and dozens more.
Royer responded with the R-101, which shares the patented offset ribbon design of the company’s other mics, yet at a more affordable $799.
Enter the R-10
The latest entry from Royer is the R-10, a passive ribbon microphone design intended for critical studio and live performance applications.
The R-10 has a street price of $499 ($1,048 in matched pairs) and, quality-wise, no corners were cut. The mic is 100-percent assembled in the Royer plant in Burbank, CA, and shares the 2.5-micron ribbon element (the same used in the R-121) and has a custom David Royer-designed transformer for high overload threshold — up to 160 dB @ 1 kHz. The transducer’s flux-frame design and rare earth neodymium magnets create a powerful magnetic field that increases sensitivity while reducing stray magnetic radiation.
The mic element is protected by a multi-layered windscreen, and the ribbon transducer is internally shock-mounted. The layered windscreen provides protection from air blasts and plosives, and also reduces proximity effect, so guitar cabinets and acoustic instruments can be close-miked with less bass build-up. And, speaking of protection, the R-10 is covered by a five-year warranty, which includes one free re-ribbon. As another plus, the R-10’s ribbon transducer is wired for humbucking to reject electromagnetically induced noise.
The R-10 is more compact than Royer’s other mics, being just 5-7/8 inches long and just 13 ounces. It ships with a swivel mount, carry case and foam mic sock.
The Sound
Like all other Royer microphones, the R-10 has a figure-8 directivity pattern and is suitable for electric and acoustic guitars, drum overheads, percussion instruments, brass/horns/strings (individual and sections), acoustic piano and vocals.
The R-10’s patented offset-ribbon design positions the ribbon element towards the front of the transducer, which allows for the higher SPL handling of the front (logo) side and the option of a brighter response when capturing lower-SPL sound sources on the back side.
Compared to the R-10, the R-121 has tighter bass and more high end, although the R-10 still exhibits a respectable frequency response of 30 Hz to 15,000 Hz (+/- 3 dB). The differences are a function of the R-10’s transformer and body style. The R-10’s custom-designed transformer gives 5 dB less output than the R-121 in order to give the mic more headroom on high-SPL sound sources.
Royer ribbons have been said to take equalization extremely well. The company actually encourages using EQ to dial in more highs when desired, such as opening up 12 kHz on acoustic instruments and vocals. EQ’ing an R-10 can be particularly useful on live electric guitars if the FOH engineer wants more bite in the highs, but wants to use only one microphone on the guitar cabinet to avoid phase-related issues brought on by multi-miking.
The End Game
At $499, Royer may have a real hit on its hand with the R-10, offering a combination of great sound, durability and affordability — all of which should offer ample appeal to the sound reinforcement community. Visit royerlabs.com for more info.
At a Glance
Rugged, Affordable Ribbon Mic
Royer Labs’ R-10 microphone offers high-end ribbon mic performance in a tough, roadworthy package that’s well suited for live applications, yet with an affordable street price.
Features include the R-10’s internally shock-mounted ribbon transducer; multilayer windscreen to tame air blasts and plosives; and passive circuit with custom transformer to keep high-SPL overload to a minimum.
The latter makes this mic well suited to applications that normally wouldn’t be recommended with more delicate ribbon mics. It can be used for electric and acoustic guitars, brass, strings, drums, cymbals, piano, vocals and more.
Royer R-10
STATS
- Design: Electrodynamic pressure gradient ribbon
- Element: 2.5-micron R-series ribbon
- Polar Pattern: Figure-8
- Frequency Response: 30 Hz to 15,000 Hz (±3 dB)
- Sensitivity: -54 dB, 1 V/Pa
- Max SPL: 160 dB @ 1 kHz
- Impedance: 100 Ohms
- Price (Street): $499, including case and swivel mount
- Manufacturer: Royer Labs
- More Info: royerlabs.com
