AEA R84 SE RIES OWNER’S MANUAL CLASSIC RIBBON MIC INSPIRED BY THE R44
WELCOME Congratulations on your purchase of an AEA R84 series microphone. R84 series mics are flexible and practical in a myriad of recording settings. Developed to have a classic sound from the same family as the R44, R84 series microphones deliver exceptional headroom while maintaining an intimate performance quality with smooth highs and extended lows. These aspects, combined with the milder proximity effect, make R84 series mics incredibly well suited for both close-up and ambient mic applications.
CONTENTS 2 WELCOME 4 INTRODUCTION 4 SUPPORT 5 GENERAL GUIDELINES 8 APPLICATION ADVICE 11 SPECIFICATIONS 3
INTRODUCTION The R84 and the R84A are pill-shaped, side-address, ribbon microphones with a bidirectional pickup pattern. They are assembled with the same Big Ribbon™ tuning (16.5 Hz) as the AEA/ RCA R44 and share many of the unique sound characteristics with their historic predecessor. Designed to accommodate distant and medium miking duties, they exhibit a flat frequency response when placed 3 feet (1 meter) away from the source.
GENERAL GUIDELINES Your microphone is a valuable and important investment. Like most recording equipment or musical instruments, it requires common sense and basic care to keep it functioning properly. Given care, your new microphone will perform dependably for decades. PHANTOM POWER R84 Passive Microphone Phantom power is not required or recommended for the passive R84.
MICROPHONE STORAGE Keep the microphone covered when it is not in use. This will reduce the damage that may result from a gust of air. Place the supplied protective bag over the microphone when it is not in use. For longterm storage, keep the microphone in its protective case. An unprotected ribbon microphone can attract minute iron particles, sometimes known as "tramp iron".
STRAY MAGNETIC FIELDS Ribbon microphones are fundamentally prone to picking up strong external magnetic fields caused by light dimmers or nearby power transformers. Guitar players will know this phenomenon from singlecoil pickups. Even though much attention was paid to suppressing such sensitivity to external magnetic fields in the design of your microphone, it is still possible that you might encounter this problem.
APPLICATIONS ADVICE We actively encourage users to visit AEAribbonmics.com to access our comprehensive collection of in-depth articles and tutorials featuring the R84 series microphone, along with a library of audio and video demonstrations of the R84 series in action. A FIGURE-OF-8 MICROPHONE Figure-of-8 microphones are constructed with positive polarity on the front and negative polarity on the back.
While gobo isolation panels can be effective in isolating performers from each other, they introduce their own set of problems - including reflections close to the performers and/or microphones that result in comb-filter distortions. Because gobos usually are bulky and occupy valuable floor space, they also inhibit the ability of the musicians to hear and see each other easily. Such a setup requires complex and often cumbersome headphone monitor mixes for the musicians.
R84 series ribbon microphones deliver classic ribbon mic tonality similar to the legendary R44, but engineered with an extended topend and reduced proximity effect. It is perfect for mid-range and close-range recording. The R84 exhibits a flat frequency response when placed 3 feet (1 meter) away from the source. FREQUENCY RESPONSE Data below 200 Hz omitted due to measuring room restrictions. 0 dVB is equivalent to 2.5 mV/Pa (-52 dBV) Normalized to 0 dB at 1kHz.
SPECIFICATIONS Operating Principle: Directional Pattern: Frequency Range: Polarity: Off-Axis Response Horizontal: Vertical: Transducer Element Material: Thickness: Width: Length: Pressure gradient transducer Bidirectional <20 Hz to >20 kHz Pin 2 high for positive pressure on front of mic Up to 90 dB rejection at right angles to the front and back axis. Level changes with angle of incidence, but frequency response is consistent. Pure aluminum corrugated ribbon 1.8 µm 0.185 in (4.7 mm) 2.35 in (59.
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