RB 100 : Surprising results for the price!

I was looking to expand my microphone repertoire and decided to go for a ribbon microphone. I spent a long time trying to settle on one and, due to budget restrictions, ended up buying the RB 100.

It?s not a very versatile mic even for a ribbon one; the highs are quite attenuated and the mid-lows are quite accentuated. This frequency response makes it nicely suitable for recording guitar cabinets, especially those that sound harsh in the higher frequency range, the mic naturally smoothens out the highs but adds a nice warm punch in the lower mids. This also sounds really good if you use it as a drum ambience mic; it gives the drums that extra ?Unf!? without the deafening frequencies of the cymbals in the way, especially when placed near to the ground in front of the set facing between the snare-drum and the kick.

The figure eight polar pattern can be problematic for full band live recording situations, as it will capture anything behind it. On the other hand, if used for overdubbing or isolated instruments it can give them a nice colour and organic feel, unobtrusively capturing the size and sound of the room, but unless you are clear on the sound you?re looking for, I?d only use this mic along with others and use the RB 100 to add colour and room to the mix.

The mic comes presented in a sturdy well-padded wooden box and a very decent shock mount that I?d be tempted to buy separately for other narrow mics.

If you?re looking for a clean versatile ribbon microphone this isn?t the one for you, but if you?re looking for a microphone with a lot of character, warmth and punch to give your mix that little extra push, this is what you want. Good mic at a good price.