AEA N22 User Manual

AEA N22

OWNER’S MANUAL

ACTIVE NEAR-FIELD RIBBON MIC

WELCOME

Congratulations on your purchase of the AEA N22 phantom-powered
ribbon microphone and welcome to the AEA family. Hard working
artists, honing their musical craft for many years, feel strongly about
their personal tone, so they need a microphone that translates their
signature sound in a recording. Whether you are a musician, home

studio owner, or experienced producer/engineer, you will nd that

the N22 provides a great ribbon tone without the need for EQ in most
applications. Most importantly, the N22 was designed by listening

rst, and measuring only after experienced musicians told us the

microphone sounded great. Bridging the gap between vintage
and modern, studio and live, the N22 is the perfect companion for
musicians and engineers alike.

Your N22 microphone is 100% handcrafted in Pasadena, CA. AEA is a
family owned company with a small crew of skilled technicians – most
of them being musicians themselves. Proudly independent, we still
manufacture all our ribbon microphones and preamps by hand from
locally sourced parts.

We hope that the N22 will help you capture many magical
performances that touch the heart. Read this manual thoroughly to
make sure that you get the best sound and longevity from your new
microphone. Please don’t be a stranger and become part of the AEA
community by sharing your experiences with the N22 via e-mail, phone
or our social media channels.

Wes Dooley

President of AEA

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CONTENTS

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WELCOME
INTRODUCTION
SUPPORT
GENERAL GUIDELINES
APPLICATION ADVICE
SPECIFICATIONS

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INTRODUCTION

The N22 is a side-address, phantom-powered ribbon microphone
with a bidirectional (or figure-of-8) pickup pattern. It was designed
for close-up miking applications like acoustic and electric guitars,
vocals, drums, or piano, but it is also well suited to be used at
a distance thanks to its healthy output level. With phantom­powered JFET electronics and a custom German transformer
the N22 achieves optimal performance with a wide range of
preamps ranging from vintage high-end models to USB or Firewire
audio interfaces in home studio setups. The highly protected
pure aluminum ribbon allows for using the N22 in live sound
applications and vocal recording without the need for an additional
pop-filter. The N22 is the first member of AEA’s NUVO series.
Rooted in the RCA tradition just like other AEA ribbons, all NUVO
microphones are designed to offer a fresh approach to the ribbon
transducer and represent Wes Dooley’s take on the evolution of the
ribbon microphone.

WARRANTY

Your N22 mic comes with a one-year limited warranty
on parts and labor, shipping not included. Registering

your product with AEA will extend the warranty to a
full three years.

Register your microphone at AEAribbonmics.com/

register-your-aea

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SUPPORT

If you should encounter any problems with your microphone
or have questions regarding using your N22 mic in specific
application, please contact our customer support team at support@

ribbonmics.com.

To talk to a live human being, call [phone], between 9:00
A.M.- 5:00 P.M. PT Monday through Friday. AEA's repair center is
located at 1029 N. Allen Ave, Pasadena, CA 91104, U.S.A.

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