Gallery: Ribbon Microphones: Audio Icon You Can Build in Your Garage
01jeffrey-bartletts-bathroom-rail-microphone-hack
*\[This article is the second in a two-part series. [Read Part 1: Relics Reborn — Ribbon Microphones Rally for Vintage-Audio Geeks](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/rawfile/2011/01/gallery-ribbon-mics-part-1/) .\]* As studio-quality home-recording equipment has become cheaper over the years, a good microphone — a key component of a bedroom setup — has remained prohibitively expensive for many amateurs. Ribbon mics are widely considered among the best microphones, but they can easily cost thousands of dollars. See Also:[](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/rawfile/2011/01/gallery-ribbon-mics-part-1/) [Ribbon Microphones Rally for Vintage-Audio Geeks](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/rawfile/2011/01/gallery-ribbon-mics-part-1/) [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/rawfile/2011/01/birth-of-the-microphone/) [Birth of the Microphone: How Sound Became Signal](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/rawfile/2011/01/birth-of-the-microphone/)So it was no small boon when, over the last decade, a crop of cheap, Chinese-made ribbon mics appeared on the U.S. market. Suddenly the landscape for music engineers on a budget was more inviting. And while the quality of these microphones is predictably questionable, a handful of tinkerers have found that small modifications to these imports can exponentially improve their quality, thus shrinking the price tag for a comparable mic by a factor of 10. Though multiple Chinese companies sell ribbon mics under different brand names (most commonly Apex, MXL or Nady), many American customers suspect that most, if not all, of the Chinese mics are made in the same factory. Michael Joly, who upgrades Apex mics commercially, believes that portions of the Chinese imports are clones of the American-made AEA R84, which retails for $1,000. In most industries, the kind of direct copying perpetrated by Chinese manufacturers would trigger a lawsuit, but the original patents for ribbon mics have long since expired, and the technology hasn't changed radically since the old days. As a result, the basic design of ribbon mics, from the guts of the ribbon assembly to the glossy chrome of the exterior, is something akin to collective property. Present-day builders can emulate the tried-and-true mics of the past, often copying a single element, such as the body of the mic or the layout of the ribbon. Even AEA, one of the most respected companies in the business, makes replicas of classic and copyright-free RCA ribbon microphones. What distinguishes top-quality mics from the mass-produced Chinese copies is craftsmanship — and a fixed address. As studio owner John Vanderslice points out, if something goes wrong with one of his American-made mics, he can pick up the phone and talk to the person who made it. Murky origins aside, some audio enthusiasts were surprised by the quality of Chinese-made mics, which offered respectable sound for around $100, a relatively low price. __Top photo:__ College student and musician [Jeffrey James](http://jeffreyjamesmusic.com/) used a piece of bathroom handrail for the chassis of a ribbon mic. James used plans from Rick Wilkinson, profiled later in this article. __Bottom photo:__ The completed mic. *Photos by Katherine Anderson.*
02larry-killips-microphone-collection
Larry Killip , a New Zealand musician and ribbon-mic enthusiast, helped introduce Chinese mics to the English-speaking market. Killip, who makes his living as a studio engineer and [writing jingles for commercials](http://www.larrykillipmusic.com/wawcs0135474/tn-jingles.html), has been a home-recording geek since the 1960s. Back then, recording gear was tough to come by in New Zealand, so building and modding was a necessary part of life for aspiring musicians. As a teenager, Killip used a tape recorder with a small ribbon mic, and today the fidelity of those early recordings still impresses him. Now Killip has all the modern tools available to professional engineers, but he still tinkers with his own gear. In 2003 he discovered a new line of cheap Chinese ribbon mics that were easy for hobbyists to upgrade. Some were unbranded and others badged with the brand name “Nady,” but all were manufactured to roughly the same specs, and probably came from a single factory. “I had one of the earliest Nady microphones,” he says. “And in one magic moment I managed to find a website of the actual factory in China.” Killip liked the sound of the Nady mics and thought that they offered an opportunity for audio hackers to get a high-quality ribbon mic for a fraction of the cost of name-brand models. Killip and American friends from an online audio forum began to buy Nady mics and find ways to improve them, helping give birth to the community of ribbon-mic hackers that has burgeoned in recent years. __Photo:__ A collection of Larry Killip's microphones. *Courtesy Larry Killip.*
03shinybox-46-series-and-apex-205
Through an internet forum on ribbon mics, Killip hooked up with Seattle's Jon Ulrigg, a musician who had been building some of his own studio equipment. “I had this little light bulb go off,” says Ulrigg, “Essentially ribbon mics are a pretty simple technology. Why are they so expensive?” Ulrigg teamed up with Killip to put in an order to the Chinese factory. The microphones they received, according to Ulrigg, were modified versions of the Nady ribbon mics. “Once I got the microphones in," says Ulrigg, "I figured out some stuff that could be done differently that could improve the quality without necessarily jacking the price up a whole bunch. That’s what I’ve been doing ever since.” Ulrigg founded a company, Shinybox, which builds mics using custom body components made in China and ribbons he produces himself. __Left:__ A 46-Series microphone from Shinybox. *Courtesy Shinybox.* __Right:__ A Chinese-made Apex 205 modified by Michael Joly of [OktavaMod](http://www.oktavamodshop.com/). *Courtesy Michael Joly.*
04michael-jolys-octavamod-mics
Since the arrival of the Chinese-made mics, several companies have started offering professional upgrades. Michael Joly (pronounced like the Green Giant), a mic builder from Springfield, Massachusetts, provides upgrades to several different models through his company [OktavaMod](”). For $260, Joly offers a comprehensive upgrade for the Apex 205, which retails umodded for $100. Joly swaps in a higher-quality transformer made by Lundahl, a Swedish company that specializes in transformers for audio applications. To increase the mic’s sensitivity, Joly removes the wire mesh and pop filter that surround the ribbon, and adds material to dampen unwanted acoustic resonances within the body of the microphone. While he’s at it, Joly replaces the wiring with a heavier gauge and winds it differently to minimize stray signals. “When you do all of these things to these hundred-dollar microphones,” Joly says, “You end up with a microphone that can go head-to-head with a $1,300 Coles, and be chosen over the Coles and used on the record.” Joly started his career working for inventor David Blackmer, whose noise-reduction technology [dbx](”) lost the mass market to Dolby but ended up a standard of Tascam four-tracks as well as professional tape equipment. __Photo:__ A collection of microphones from OctavaMod. *Courtesy Michael Joly.*
Jim Merithew05beyerdynamic-m160
Engineer and musician John Vanderslice of Tiny Telephone studio in San Francisco is skeptical that ribbon-mic quality can be purchased at a discount. “If people’s thrill in modifying a cheapo, junky ribbon mic is that they want to actually learn about microphones, I think that’s the most beautiful thing,” he says. “But I have noticed this really bizarre offshoot where people are just trying to save $50. If you start to look at microphones as a tool and nothing else, you don’t want any variation. You don’t want to polish a turd; you actually just want a good screwdriver. It’s not like a Beyer 160 is really that expensive.” At $500 new, a Beyer m160 (above) does cost another few Benjamins, but Vanderslice expresses greater confidence in Beyer, a German firm, than its Chinese competitors. “There’s no bargains in audio,” he concludes, “You have to bleed to get a good microphone. It’s going to be expensive.” __Photo:__ A Beyerdynamic m160 from Tiny Telephone studio. *Jim Merithew/Wired.com.*
06matthew-mcglynns-recordinghacks-com
Due to the ribbon mic's simplicity, many amateurs are modding mics on their own, including audio enthusiast Matthew McGlynn from Sonoma County, California. His encyclopedic website [Recordinghacks.com](http://www.recordinghacks.com) hosts Joly’s buyers guide and features an extensive database of microphone specs. McGlynn is a believer in “shootouts.” where multiple mics are used to capture the same sound, followed by the audio equivalent of a blind taste test. Listeners rate each individual track without knowing which mic recorded it, ensuring that the results are not biased in favor of major brands. __Photo:__ Not a whole lot to it. The Chinese-made ACM-3, ready for a transformer swap. *Matthew McGlynn/Recordinghacks.com*
07acm-3-shootout
Some audio professionals, including Tiny Telephone’s Vanderslice, are skeptical about whether shootouts reveal much about the quality of a piece of equipment. Critics say that a user can only develop a real understanding of a mic’s performance by putting it to work in dozens of sessions with diverse kinds of music. Nevertheless, shootouts are a common technique with intuitive appeal, giving consumers a side-by-side comparison of at least one application of a mic. For his own shootout, McGlynn recently upgraded the transformer in his ACM-3, a Chinese ribbon mic, using a component from the awesomely named microphone company Tab Funkenwerk, and recorded a comparison between the stock and home-modified version. He also sent a similar model, the ACM-2 (which features the same internal components in a different housing) to Stephen Sank, a professional audio technician who restores classic ribbon mics. Sank dumped the Chinese transformer and installed a new one made by Cinemag, a respected manufacturer based in California. He also removed some of the mic’s protective wire mesh. To test the impact of these changes, McGlynn recorded a grand piano using all three mics simultaneously. To most listeners’ ears, the distinctions will be subtle: McGlynn emphasizes details like the hammers’ striking the strings and the resonance of big chords. For fastidious studio types, such seemingly minor differences loom large, and are the wellspring of endless debates over gear. You can compare the mics' sound here in MP3 or WAV formats: __320-kbs mono MP3s:__ [ACM-3 stock](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/rawfile/2011/01/ACM3-stock.mp3) [Stephen Sank ACM-2 with Cinemag transformer](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/rawfile/2011/01/ACM2-Sank.mp3) [Matthew McGlynn ACM-3 with Tab Funkenwerk transformer](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/rawfile/2011/01/ACM3-transformer.mp3) __24-bit, 44.1-kHz WAVs:__ [ACM-3 stock](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/rawfile/2011/01/ACM3-stock.wav) [Stephen Sank ACM-2 with Cinemag transformer](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/rawfile/2011/01/ACM2-Sank.wav) [Matthew McGlynn ACM-3 with Tab Funkenwerk transformer](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/rawfile/2011/01/ACM3-transformer.wav) __Music credits:__ "At The Museum," by Darryl Webb Darryl Webb, piano Recorded at [Banquet Studios](http://www.banquetstudios.com/), Sebastopol, California __Photo:__ The three mics hover above the piano strings. *Matthew McGlynn/recordinghacks.com*
Jim Merithew08rick-wilkinson
Some motivated DIYers forego the Chinese mics altogether and just build their own from scratch. It might seem like a task best suited to an electrical engineer with a little spare time, but a few web-oriented audio hackers have put DIY mics within the grasp of the average person. Or at least the average nerd. And surprisingly, some professional studio types have been impressed by the sound quality of mics that look like the handiwork of MacGyver. Rick Wilkinson, a technical writer and frontman of [Chum](http://www.chumusic.com/), “Southern California’s Killerest Surf Band,” has been a trailblazer for homemade ribbon mics. As a father and homeowner, Wilkinson had to keep his rock band on a tight budget. He was excited by the reports that a few simple and affordable modifications could make a Chinese mic sound competitive with models that cost $500 and up. __Photo:__ Rick Wilkinson, homebrew mic guru and San Diego surf rocker. *Jim Merithew/Wired.com*
Jim Merithew09austin-microphone
“In 2007, I wanted to buy an entry-level ribbon mic," says homebrew mic guru Rick Wilkinson, "While researching the various Chinese offerings I discovered that other people were modifying the Chinese mics with USA parts.” Wilkinson had a background in electronics and when he looked at the modified mics he decided that he would be better off starting from scratch. “I figured I could build a ribbon mic with quality USA parts for about the same price as a cheap Chinese mic. So I did it,” Says Wilkinson. Wilkinson succeeded in building some home-brew ribbon mics for about $100 in parts. Then he developed a set of plans, so other audio hobbyists could follow his lead. He started selling the plans online for $10, and now offers [kits with all the necessary components](http://www.rickshawrecords.com/), plus instructional videos, for $200. Between ordering the parts, letting glue dry and successfully cutting the extremely fragile ribbon (be prepared for many failed attempts), Wilkinson estimates that building one of his mics from the plans alone would take “about a week of weeknights.” But he insists that his kit, with all the parts already included, takes just 90 minutes to assemble.  Wilkinson’s end product turned out to offer more than just an education. While he readily admits that “you can spend $1,000 or $1,500 on a mic and get what you pay for,” Wilkinson believes that mics made to his specifications are a cut above the budget imports. Kevin Ink, owner of the Studio That Time Forgot in San Francisco, was impressed by one of Wilkinson’s early versions of the "Austin" microphone. “It sounds huge,” he says, “I would use it. It’s got really nice bottom and nice detail on the top.” Even Michael Joly, whose Chinese-mic–modding business could potentially be threatened by a successful DIY kit, gave the Austin favorable reviews. If home-brewers choose to buy the more expensive magnets and transformer recommended in Wilkinson’s plans, Joly believes that they can create a mic that is competitive with his modified Apex 205. He estimates that it will take 20 hours to complete, but he is optimistic about the end result, saying, “If you build that mic according to his plans, you’ve got a really nice mic.” The world of audio recording is full of debates, even feuds. Web forums overflow with arguments over which gear gets the best results, the most value for money, the most chicks. (With microphones, the answer to that last one is almost always 'none.') Many studio professionals and equipment manufacturers admit that when it comes to the high-end microphones, there is no absolute standard of comparison. That makes sense, of course, because when it comes to the final product, tastes vary widely. What one engineer describes as a classic recording, or a classic microphone, another might dismiss as outdated and clunky. Case in point: We fully anticipate our own readers to weigh in with their opinions in the comments section below. __Top photo:__ The stereo version of Wilkinson’s Austin microphone, made largely from parts available at the hardware store. “I’m using common parts in uncommon ways,” says Wilkinson. *Jim Merithew/Wired.com.* __Bottom photo:__ The Austin mic in action at San Francisco’s Studio That Time Forgot. *Jim Merithew/Wired.com.*
