Royer Labs R-10 Ribbon Microphone
By Adam Gallant
The Royer R-10 is a compact , passive ribbon microphone designed for use in the studio and in live performance settings . Hand-built alongside the rest of the Royer arsenal in the company ’ s Burbank , CA factory , the R-10 represents the lowest-cost entry point into the Royer family of ribbon microphones to date .
Overview The R-10 comes in a sturdy , foam-lined hardshell case with a swivel-mount and a cloth storage pouch . The microphone is hefty in weight and has an attractive shape and finish . It has a compact size that makes it easy to position , and the included mount is rugged with quality threads on both the mount and microphone .
Royer ribbon mics are an industry-wide staple on guitar amps , and the R-10 is no exception . It captures low end and midrange warmth with amazing attack times , all the while dodging abrasive high end and harshness . The R-10 , like all mics in the R line , handles aggressive EQ really well and the resulting sound in a mix tends to be controlled , rich , and natural .
In Use On drums , I found the sound to be fullbodied and realistic . The R-10 ’ s figure-eight pattern does a great job with direct drum sounds while offering ambience and depth . A single , compressed R-10 in front of the kit sounds lively and can be mixed in aggressively without feeling harsh or stepping on vocals in the centre channel .
On voice , during our tests , I used the back side of the microphone . This side of the mic has a slightly brighter sound and outputs a little more volume , as per the offset ribbon design ( more on that in a moment ). I did notice that the proximity effect ( a boost in low end when moving closer to the sound source ) is less apparent on the R-10 when compared to our studio ’ s Royer R-122 .
On strings and brass , Royer ribbons tend to produce the most pleasing and realistic sound on playback , as far as I ’ m concerned . I find that with condenser mics , the top
end on strings and brass comes across as brittle and often takes up too much space in the high-end where I prefer the vocal to sit . I compared the R-10 to our R-122 on violin , viola , and upright bass . In my opinion , the R-10 beat out the R-122 for long , padded violin sections though the R-122 did a better job of handling the low end on upright bass and plucked violia .
The R-10 can handle close-miked trumpets , trombones , and other brass instruments with no overloading and presents a very pleasing sound on playback .
Musicians , especially string and brass players , tend to comment on the Royer ’ s sound on playback more than any other microphone that we use at our studio . I suspect this is due to its natural and inviting sound . A lot of string and brass players are used to hearing their instrument in the room with its full-bodied sound and feeling and
Royer ribbons , the R-10 included , are able to reproduce that feeling on playback .
The R-10 contains the same patented offset ribbon transducer as the ever-popular R-121 . The aluminum ribbon is positioned toward the back of the microphone , which allows for high SPL handling ( up to 160dB @ 1 kHz ) on the front side as well as the option of a brighter response when recording lower SPL sources ( acoustic guitar or vocals ) on the back side . The transducer is also internally shockmounted , isolating the ribbon element from shocks and vibrations and increasing its durability . The R-10 utilizes a David Royer custom-designed transformer for high overload threshold , which minimizes saturation at extremely high SPLs . All this to say , the R-10 makes a great microphone for recording loud rock instruments at close proximity . If used on low-level sound sources , a nice preamp with lots of clean gain and a high impedance will offer the best results .
Summary The R-10 is unprecedented in its value . At its core , it shares the same handmade transducer as the costlier R-121 and R-122 . Manufacturing costs were lowered by having the body and internal frame made in China ( at the same factory that produces parts for the Mojave line of microphones ). With that said , the R-10 is of the utmost quality and produces results that are comparable to our more expensive R-122 MkII .
The R-10 is available in matched pairs , and in my opinion , that would be a perfect solution for drum overheads , drum room mics , and stereo acoustic guitar .
If you record a lot of electric guitar , drums , strings , or horns , then an R-10 ( or a pair ) would be a wise investment and a great introduction into the world of Royer ribbon mics .
Adam Gallant has worked in all facets of digital audio production , from music composition to location and post audio for television and film . He currently owns and operates The Hill Sound Studio in Charlottetown , PE .
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