sE Electronics VR1 Ribbon Microphones
We’ve got some new mics in the studio!
sE Electronics sent over 2 of their VR1 ribbon microphones for me to review. Check out the review and sound comparison below on my YouTube channel and consider subscribing to the channel to see more audio gear videos like this one! (Spoiler, the mics were so good I decided to keep them for Online Drum Studio!)
I had always thought of ribbon mics as fragile, expensive mics that I would probably never own. You might have had the same preconceptions as me but modern ribbons can be quite different to this idea. First off, for ribbons these VR1 mics are very affordable - and are even affordable mics regardless of being a ribbon! They are currently available here in the UK for just under £300 ($420) which means a pair is going to run you just under £600 ($840). That’s cheaper for a pair than a lot of single ribbon mics!
Secondly, they aren’t fragile mics and are actually quite rugged. I can’t say I’ve tested this out but it means you don’t have to worry all that much when handling them like you would vintage ribbons.
So they are affordable and rugged which is a big plus for ribbon mics, but what’s the sound like?
That Ribbon Sound
Ribbons are renown for their warmth and character and that is why they are loved by so many. One downfall of ribbons is that they tend to lose some of the high end clarity. Cymbals can lose their sheen, the snare can lose it’s snap and the hi hats lose their bite. It’s not all bad though if that’s the warm low end/mids sound you’re after. These SE VR1 mics however have near full frequency response meaning they capture 20Hz to 18kHz with an almost flat frequency response, as you can see below.
(Almost) Full Frequency Response 20Hz - 18kHz
And quite flat
According to the sE Electronics the VR1s achieve this frequency response by “a clever mechanical device” and a “hand tensioned ribbon”. It’s difficult to know exactly what that means but I can tell you they do sound great!
Being ribbon microphones the VR1s do of course have the figure 8 polar pattern as shown above. This means they pick up sound both in front and behind them. Here in the studio they have been sounding amazing as room mics to add some warmth, character and natural reverb to the drums. I’ve tried them as a spaced pair of room mics and also in a Blumlein Pair both as room mics and overhead mics. In the above YouTube video you can hear them in different configurations to compare the sounds. I’ve currently got them set up in the studio as a spaced pair and they sound fantastic.
VR1 or VR2?
Quite a size difference!
There are 2 variants of the VR series. Both perform almost the same with the main difference being the VR1 is a passive mic and the VR2 is an active mic. This means the VR2 requires 48v phantom power whereas the VR1 does not. The VR1 has protection for if you accidentally send them 48v though which is a nice addition! The VR2 also features a higher sensitivity since they are active mics. Running the VR1 through my Focusrite Clarett interface I did have to turn the gain quite high when using them as room mics, and this is why you might want to opt for the VR2 over the VR1 depending on your setup and needs. For how small it is I thought the VR1 was heavy coming in at 230g while the larger VR2 comes in at a heavier 360g.
What can they handle?
Generally ribbon mics are very sensitive and should not be close to a loud sound source. These VR1s have a high SPL (Sound Pressure Level) of 135dB which means you actually don’t have to worry about them being near a loud source. For some context, my Earthworks DM20, which are designed to be close mics, have an SPL of 150dB so for a ribbon mic the SPL levels are amazing. The high SPL coupled with their affordability and ruggedness make for a very special ribbon microphone.
Conclusion
I was sent these mics to review and I liked them so much I ended up keeping them! For application on drums I have so far experimented with room mic and overhead configurations but I have plans to try these mics on kick drum and also in the “Wurst” configuration. For anyone looking to add 1 or 2 ribbon mics to their mic locker then I would highly recommend the VR1s. They honestly can’t be beaten on the price to performance ratio.
And if you don’t have any ribbon mics available to you don’t worry, just visit onlinedrumstudio.com to get that ribbon sound on your next drum recording!
