Ribbon plus 57 on a guitar cab
Royer released the R-121 in 1998. Back then ribbons were mostly something you found in the closet of an older studio, and the R-121 is a big part of why they came back into everyday use, especially on electric guitar.
Engineer Ross Hogarth was one of the first to pair it with a Shure SM57 on the same speaker. The 57 brings the bite, the ribbon brings the low mids and a softer top, and you blend to taste. Hogarth described his video series on it as a way to “crack the code.” Steve Genewick used the same pair on every guitar amp on Spinal Tap II, according to Mix, and Royer’s library has Slash’s Marshall miked the same way.
Getting the two mics to agree
It’s all phase. Put both mics on the same spot on the cone, with the capsules as close to lined up as you can get them. Solo both, flip the polarity on one, and keep whichever setting sounds fuller. Then move the ribbon back half an inch at a time while you listen in mono.
Two things about ribbons. The back of the mic hears as much as the front, so whatever is behind it ends up on the track. And loud is fine, but a blast of air (a kick drum port, a bass cab with no grille) is not.
Watch and read
- Royer Labs: Ross Hogarth and Tim Pierce, Recording Electric Guitar video series
- Mix: Ross Hogarth on Royer history
- Mix: Hogarth’s guitar miking videos announced
- Sweetwater InSync: Ribbon mics on electric guitar
Gear in this post: Royer R-121, Shure SM57
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