Royer SF12 Users Manual

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Table of Contents page 1

Introduction page 2

Descriptionpage 2

Users Guide page 2

Amplification Considerations page 3

Recording Techniques:

-Conventional X-Y Recording page 6

-Mid-Side (M-S) Recording page 7

Applications page 9

Care and Maintenance page 11

A Little Bit of History page 12

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Features page 13

Specifications page 13

Wiring Diagram page 14

Frequency Response and Polar Pattern page 14

Warranty page 15

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Congratulations on your purchase of a Royer Labs model SF-12 ribbon microphone. The
SF-12 is a handcrafted precision instrument capable of delivering superior sound quality
and overall high performance.
This operator’s manual describes the SF-12, its function and method of use. It also
describes the care and maintenance required to ensure proper operation and long service
life. The users guide section of this manual offers practical information that is designed to
maximize the performance capabilities of this microphone.

Royer Labs products are manufactured to the highest industrial standards using only the
finest materials obtainable. Your model SF-12 went though extensive quality control
checks before leaving the factory. Normal care, given to any quality instrument, is all that
is required to assure years of trouble-free service.

Please read the manual thoroughly in order to become familiar with all of the SF-12’s
capabilities. It will assist you in making the most of its superior acoustic properties.

This owner’s manual is a handy reference guide and we suggest you refer to it whenever

questions arise on the use and care of your SF-12 ribbon microphone.

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The SF-12 is a compact stereophonic ribbon microphone array consisting of two (2)
matched microphone elements that are placed one above the other. When held vertically,
connector down and the “ROYER” logo facing the sound source, the upper microphone is
the right channel and the lower one is the left channel, from the perspective of someone
behind the mic. The microphone elements are each bi-directional (figure-eight) and may
be addressed from either side with equal sensitivity. The in-phase signals are achieved
when the microphone is addressed from the front, as indicated by the “ROYER” logo. If,
however, the microphone is hung on its cable, the connections to the preamplifier should
be reversed since what was the left transducer is now responding to signals from the right
and vice versa from the perspective of someone at the microphone location.

Your SF-12 is equipped with a 5-pin XLR extension cable and an adapter that fans out to
twin 3-pin male XLR connectors. As shipped from the factory, the connectors are
marked “upper” and “lower” since calling them ‘”left” and “right” could lead to confusion.

The SF-12 is tolerant of shock and vibration, and is unaffected by changes in temperature
or humidity. Normal care appropriate to any precision instrument is all that is required
to assure years of trouble-free service.

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Using the SF Ribbon Microphone

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The SF-12 is a versatile device capable of accurate sound reproduction. There are a few
important facts about ribbon microphones that are key in understanding how to use them

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intelligently.

1. The SF-12 is a side-address, bi-directional microphone and the rejection in the “dead”
areas is very strong. Due to this directionality, ribbon microphones should be placed at

1.3 times the distance normally used with omni-directional microphones, or about the
same distance used for cardioid microphones. This method is used to achieve the same
ratio of direct to reflected sound.

2. In the horizontal plane, ribbon microphones do not discriminate against the “highs” off
axis, nor do they boost them on axis. Therefore, several instruments or vocalists can be
placed in front of the microphone without favoring the performer in the center of the
group.

Several performers can be grouped at both the front and the back of the microphone, with
one proviso; since the outputs are out of phase at the front and back of the microphone,
cancellation can result if two tenors are placed on opposite sides at equal distances and
are singing in unison. Therefore, listen to the feed before committing to it.

3. The Royer model SF-12 requires no power supply and is safe to use on consoles with
phantom microphone powering, provided that the cabling is done properly. It should be
noted that not all ribbon microphones are compatible with phantom-powering systems,
so check the manufacturer’s recommendations before using other ribbon microphones.
Faulty or improperly wired cables could also cause problems with your SF-12.

4. Never attempt to “test” the SF-12 or any ribbon microphone with an ohmmeter. A
blown ribbon could result.

5. Always provide adequate protection for your SF-12, or any ribbon microphone for
that matter. If the microphone is to remain set up on a stand when not in use, place a
“mic sock” over it until it is to be used. Do not carry the microphone around without
placing a “mic sock” over it. Failure to follow this common-sense practice may yield a
stretched ribbon and compromised performance!

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The performance of a ribbon microphone is directly affected by the choice of microphone
preamplifier it is paired with. With so many mic preamps on the market, how do you
select one that gives the best possible performance with a ribbon microphone?
Additionally, what kind of performance can we expect from the preamplifiers built into
our mixing desks? While most preamplifiers will handle ribbon microphones well in most
recording situations, some preamps that work perfectly well with condenser or dynamic
mics may prove to be poor performers with ribbons.

To begin with, we must understand the fundamental differences between ribbon
microphones and other popular types, namely condenser and moving coil dynamics. A
ribbon microphone is actually a dynamic microphone that uses a flat, extremely low mass
ribbon element, rather than a coil/diaphragm assembly. For this writing, any mention of

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“dynamic” microphones will relate to moving coil dynamics.

All condenser microphones have a built in preamplifier called a head amp and therefore
put out a hefty signal. Because the signal is buffered through the head amp, the output
impedance is rather low and less affected by the input impedance of the microphone
preamp. Most dynamic (moving coil) microphones generate a healthy enough electrical
current to work well with a variety of preamps, and their limited frequency response
characteristics make mic loading less of a concern.

Ribbon microphones generate a highly accurate signal, but the average ribbon mic
generates approximately 20dB less gain than that of condenser microphones. Remember,
the ribbon transducer does not have the benefit of a condenser mic’s built in “head amp”,
so a ribbon microphone relies solely on the microphone preamp for all its gain!

The so called ideal preamplifier is the proverbial “straight wire with gain”. This may be
considered the technological ideal and does not include “coloration” as a desirable feature.
However, coloration is often desirable and has given rise to the popularity of certain
preamps and even preamp stages in mixing desks. Neve® preamps and the famous
Trident® A Range mixing console are highly praised for their classic sound.

So what should we use with our beloved ribbon microphones? The features that translate
into top performance for a ribbon microphone are the following:

1. Lots of gain! A ribbon microphone works best with preamplifiers that have at least
60-70 dB of maximum gain.

2. Low noise is a must! With this much gain being required for efficient operation of a
ribbon microphone, the noise characteristics of the preamp play a pivotal role in overall
performance of the captured acoustic event.

3. Load characteristics: A suitable preamplifier should have input characteristics that
impose the least amount of loading to the ribbon element. In other words, the input
impedance should be high enough that its effect on the performance of the mic is
negligible. A good rule of thumb is to have a preamplifier with input impedance at least
five times the impedance of the microphone. For example, if the mic is rated at 300 Ohms
(as Royer’s are), the preamp should have an input-impedance of at least 1500 Ohms. If
the impedance of the preamp is too low, the microphone will lose low end and body.

4. Transparency: A good preamp should sound natural with no edginess. Tube preamps
sound warm, yet wonderfully transparent. Transformer coupled preamps sound punchy.
When recording with condenser or dynamic microphones engineers often choose mic
preamps that help “warm up the mic”, but warming the signal up does not need to be a
consideration with ribbon mics because they are by nature warm and realistic sounding.
At this point personal taste should prevail over anything.

Stereo Microphones and Ground Loops

Some preamplifiers are prone to developing ground loops when used in conjunction with

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