The VR2 active version is based on the same capsule design as the VR1 and, although the body is rather longer, it follows generally similar physical styling. No cons that aren't shared by other ribbon mics. First Look: Pro Tools | Carbon. It's also worth pointing out that while modern ribbon designs are mechanically more robust than most vintage models, they still need to be handled with care. €1,845.69. Classic ribbon sound but with more high‑end extension. Re: Why does Liam Gallagher's vocals sound shit? SE VooDoo Ribbon Microphone - For the price - a "no-brainer" - buy it! Mastering Essentials Part 4 - Mastering EQ: Balance, Don’t Match. Ribbons are normally chosen when the high end of the source material needs smoothing out — common examples being bowed strings and guitar amps — so adding the wrong kind of top end could negate their benefits. Q. On spoken word, the two mics again sounded very close to the RNR1, with only the RNR1's extra low-end warmth giving it away as the pricier mic. £274. I was surprised at the subjective similarities in tonal character between the three designs, given that the Voodoo models and the RNR1 achieve their extended high‑end response in very different ways. This was designed by Siwei Zou, the company's CEO, who is also a respected classical musician, happens to have very good ears and knows exactly how well‑recorded instruments should sound! Ryan Pickett, FOH and live performance archive recording engineer for the band My Morning Jacket, uses VR1 passive ribbon microphones for the band's live drums in a Blumlein pair - at a 90-degree angle with the capsules coincident.Pickett, who has been working with the band for eleven years, also using the VR1s for the band’s front man Jim James on his first solo project: That’s why I like this microphone - it’s a no-brainer! Although closer to the original R1 in price, the Voodoo mics sound surprisingly similar to the rather more costly RNR1, and they should suit many studio applications. The are two versions of the Voodoo ribbons — the passive VR1 and the active VR2 — and both models claim a 20Hz‑18kHz frequency response. Sensitivity figures are 1.6mV/Pa for the VR1 and 10mV/Pa for the VR2. The active VR2 sounded virtually identical to the VR1 but was, as indicated by the specifications, far more sensitive. The engineers at SE are not saying too much about how their Voodoo capsule design works (there wouldn't be much voodoo about it if we knew! £1,969. After all, if the response of a ribbon mic can now be made similar to that of a capacitor mic, wouldn't that defeat the entire reason for building a ribbon mic in the first place? $1,435. This was achieved using state-of-the-art custom transformers and a Rupert Neve-designed circuit to reveal HF usually absent. Both mics respond well to EQ and their smooth‑but‑extended top end might see them being used in situations where you'd normally pick a capacitor model. I've not personally tried the Blue Woodpecker, though apparently that also provides extended high end and may therefore be worth auditioning. This translated well with both clean and dirty guitar sounds, and though a little EQ may be needed to tame the inevitable proximity bass-boost when working up close, achieving a good electric guitar sound using this mic was no problem. © 2020 sE Electronics International, Inc.All Rights Reserved. Both the Voodoos and the RNR1 responded well to EQ, and further tests with acoustic guitar and percussion again revealed results so similar that it was often difficult to tell any of them apart. Before packing everything away I put up my original SE R1 — the company's first ribbon model, which has a much more old‑school ribbon sound — and in all the above applications it sounded warm and punchy, but was far less well defined at the top end. Great care has been taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this article but neither Sound On Sound Limited nor the publishers can be held responsible for its contents. This was achieved using state of the art transformers and a Rupert Neve designed circuit board to reveal HF usually absent. The result is a superbly detailed, open and natural recording of acoustic instruments and guitar cabs. Both models can handle up to 135dB SPL, and the VR1 has a self-noise figure of 17dB while that of the VR2 is 20dB. I'd describe the vocal character as warm and smooth, but not dull, and it could really help singers with 'thin' voices. Active circuitry can be designed to add gain, which in this case means that there's no need to use a specialist low‑noise, high‑gain mic preamplifier: the VR2 has some 14dB more output level than its passive sibling, which means it can give good results with a typical console front‑end or audio interface's mic preamp. Sanken CS-3e. Most of my tests were done using a Universal Audio Solo 110 preamp, but I also got perfectly good results from the VR2 using the preamps in my M‑Audio interface. £1,244. $315. ), other than that it includes some precision diffusion elements — but my tests here show that whatever they've done, it works. Nevertheless, the benign high-end of the ribbons kept the sound from becoming aggressive, so it may suit some styles, where a deliberately bright sound is not required. Or your e-mail address Screen + se Electronics VR1 Voodoo views expressed are those of the art transformers a... 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