Re: Passive Ribbon vs Active Ribbon vs Condenser Shotgun?

E

ectobuilder

Veteran
Re: Passive Ribbon vs Active Ribbon vs Condenser Shotgun?

What are the pros and cons between Passive Ribbon vs Active Ribbon vs Condenser Shotgun?
 
The advantage of an active ribbon microphone is that you have potentially better sensitivity while reducing noise.

A shotgun microphone is a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT kind of thing from a ribbon and they really can't be compared at all.
Some context might help us understand the question.
 
Applications would be:
1) Voice over (this is the primary reason)
2) Location sound (i.e. in a documentary setting. Capturing dialogue in a public space. Capturing natural sounds)
 
ectobuilder said:
Applications would be:
1) Voice over (this is the primary reason)
2) Location sound (i.e. in a documentary setting. Capturing dialogue in a public space. Capturing natural sounds)
Click to expand...

Ribbons are typically (there are exceptions) figure 8 patterns. That means they "hear" as well pointed toward you as they do pointed exactly 180 degrees away from you. Said another way, they hear both front and back. But hardly any to the sides.

This makes them less than ideal for either of your proposed uses. I really wouldn't want to use them for dialog.

That said, the "big" advantage of an active ribbon over a passive one is that it vastly reduces the mic/preamp interaction on the final sound. Most passive ribbons will change how they sound based on the electrical characteristics of the preamps inputs. An active ribbon pretty much takes this interaction out of the equation -- you get a much more consistent sound, and you get the sound the manufacturer designed. Is this good or bad? IDK.

The second advantage is that you can run an active ribbon just like a condensor -- run it on phantom power, same-ish gain levels, etc. This is a large consideration in my book. Maybe not in anyone elses'. IDK.

If I could only have one mic to do voice over, dialog, and "natural sounds" it would be a hypercardioid, probably a Sennheiser MKH 8050. Maybe a cardioid like the 8040. But I wouldn't like being forced to do all these tasks with the same microphone. Not at all.
 
Announce/voice-over recording is typically done with large-diameter condenser (LDC) or small-diameter condenser (SDC) microphones. But many people use dynamic microphones like Electrovoice RE-20 or even Shure SM-57. There are even some people who use condenser shot-gun mics for this application. There may be SOME people who use ribbon microphones, but it is rather rare in modern times for voice use because of how fragile most ribbon microphones are.

Capturing dialog outdoors from a boom microphone almost always uses condenser shotgun microphones. Because they have the best performance for sensitivity, low-noise, and rejection of noise from off-axis. Ribbon microphones are unsuitable for boom dialog pickup because they are big, heavy, and have sensitivity and directional characteristics that make them almost completely unsuitable for that purpose.

Capturing natural outdoor sounds is most typically done with SDC. Typically shotgun mics are too directional to capture audio that sounds "natural" for ambient sounds. And LDC and ribbon microphones are typically too fragile for use outdoors without considerable protection against even the slightest puff of wind.
 
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ectobuilder said:
Applications would be:
1) Voice over (this is the primary reason)
2) Location sound (i.e. in a documentary setting. Capturing dialogue in a public space. Capturing natural sounds)
Click to expand...

This is not going to sound very helpful, but in my professional opinion microphone selection whether for voiceover work, or for location sound depends a lot on the location. For example.... I use different microphones for location sound, depending on whether it is an exterior, or an interior location. As well as the size of the location, reflections, ambient noise, so on. Likewise for voiceover work, much depends on location. For example... The majority of my VO work is done using a Neumann U87 or a Sennheiser MKH416. But both of those mics would be a poor choice in an untreated environment like sitting at your computer.
 
"1) Voice over"?: Would not be 'my' 1st choice... but an active ribbon could be used for VO. A quiet pre amp and an anechoic recording environment is recommend. A large diaphragm condenser is a popular type of narration mic.
"2) Location sound": A ribbon mic would be my last choice.... Typically, a shotgun mic for exteriors; hyper-cardioid for interiors and some wireless lavalieres. Many capture nature and S/FX in stereo (single-point or pair). That said, I suppose a ribbon could be used for the sides of an M/S rig.
 
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