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A
udio
1029 N. Allen Ave.
one of the quietest mics on the market and the quietest ribbon microphone ever. The 7 mA version has
a 9 dBA noise floor and handles 136 db SPL. The custom 9 mA version has a 6 dbA noise floor and
handles 132.5 db SPL. The A440 can drive very long mic cables without signal loss.
It's Only a Microphone. Why Do I Need an Owner's Manual?
Your new ribbon microphone, like all of the equipment in your recording system, is an investment in
your future. It also may be the most sensitive and delicate item in your studio. Knowing how to use it
properly will enable you to maintain its performance and value for decades to come — long after most
of your other equipment has become obsolete.
Your Microphone Needs Good Support.
By now, you have discovered that this is a large, rather heavy microphone. In fact, it is more than 12
inches long and weighs about 8 pounds. In order to support it safely, you need a strong and sturdy mi-
crophone stand, such as the Atlas MS20 or MS25. If you want to use a boom arm, you could add an
Atlas PB21X or better yet, use the Atlas SB36 studio boom stand. While there are many suitable stands
from other manufacturers, conventional "musicians' series" folding tripod-based microphone stands are
not recommended because they are not robust enough to support this microphone safely. If you do need
a portable stand for your mic, check out the Modular Microphone Stands page at the AEA website:
http://www.ribbonmics.com/aea/modular_microphone_stands.html.
E
ngineering
Associates
Pasadena
CA
91104
AEA R44 and A440
Owner's Manual
The AEA model R44 and A440 ribbon microphones carry forward the classic
tradition of the venerable 1930s RCA-44 into the 21st century. AEA's range
of Big Ribbon™ mics offer the same warm, rich "long ribbon" sound of their
ancestors. The R44 series even uses "new old-stock" RCA ribbon material
and features a re-engineered output transformer that recaptures the sonic
signature of the original RCA-44 and surpasses it in frequency response and
dynamics. The R44C is a visual and sonic reproduction, taking the best of the
RCA-44B and BX design, while the R44CX is the high-output version.
The A440 marries the high-output CX motor to a phantom-powered discrete-
JFET impedance buffer with a very high turns-ratio transformer. The result is
www.ribbonmics.com
Phone: (626) 798-9128
Fax: (626) 798-2378
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Related Manuals for Audio Engineering Associates AEA R44
Summary of Contents for Audio Engineering Associates AEA R44
- Page 1 91104 www.ribbonmics.com Phone: (626) 798-9128 Fax: (626) 798-2378 AEA R44 and A440 Owner’s Manual The AEA model R44 and A440 ribbon microphones carry forward the classic tradition of the venerable 1930s RCA-44 into the 21st century. AEA’s range of Big Ribbon™ mics offer the same warm, rich “long ribbon” sound of their ancestors.
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Page 2: Environmental Hazards
Phantom Power: Friend or Foe? The AEA R44, like most ribbon microphones, neither needs nor wants phantom power. (More about the A440 Active Studio Ribbon Microphone in the next paragraph.) What will happen if you connect this microphone to a phantom-powered input? In a perfect world, nothing will go wrong, and the mi- crophone will work just fine. - Page 3 Getting the Most Out of the Bidirectional Pattern As described earlier, pressure-gradient microphones are inherently bidirectional, with equal sensitivity to the front and back of the diaphragm. In a well designed mic, the only difference is the absolute po- larity of the signal. (ref. Figure-1A) Because the polar response of a pressure-gradient microphone obeys a cosine-law, the sensitivity decreases evenly as the soundsource moves away from the primary 0°...
- Page 4 Minimizing Feedback Deep nulls mean good rejection of unwanted sounds. This can be most beneficial in sound reinforce- ment situations, where feedback is always threatening. Figure-2 shows a typical concert setup, where a performer is downstage-front and a central loudspeaker cluster is directly overhead.
- Page 5 Reducing Environmental Noise Out of doors or in large interior spaces such as soundstages, factories, or warehouses, environmental or general background noise tends to approach a microphone along the plane of the horizon if its source is either reasonably distant or random in nature. Because this soundwave will, in effect, produce equal pressure on both sides of the diaphragm of a vertically-oriented bidirectional microphone (i.e.
- Page 6 Although this is generally considered the result of working at a very close distance to the microphone, the AEA R44 and A440 exhibit measurable proximity effect at distances closer than six feet. (ref. Fig- ure-4) This rising low-frequency response at closer working distances can be used to good effect, par-...
- Page 7 ticularly with male voices to give them an almost “superhuman” richness and depth. Like most things in audio, however, the potential tradeoff is reduced articulation or clarity that can result from excessive bass response or “boominess.” Proximity effect should be treated like any other form of equalization and, as such, used with care and moderation.
- Page 8 THE AEA R44 BIG RIBBON™ MICROPHONE Design Concept: The AEA R44 is an exacting reproduction of the original RCA-44B/BX velocity microphone originally produced in the mid-1930s. After producing replacement parts and repairing these venerable classics for more than a decade, AEA decided to reissue a new version of the microphone — one that would be as close as possible to the original in every respect.
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Page 9: Specifications
Specifications: Operating Principle: Velocity microphone Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Maximum SPL: 165 + dB SPL above 1 kHz for 1% third harmonic Output Sensitivity: 2.25 mV / Pa into unloaded circuit Output Impedance: 270 Ω broadband ... - Page 10 THE AEA A440 ACTIVE STUDIO MICROPHONE Design Concept: The AEA A440 is based on the model R44CX Big Ribbon™ microphone, but uses a transformer with a higher turns ratio and adds an internal phantom powered JFET low noise buffer amplifier. These in- crease the output level by 20 dB and reduce the self-noise, making the A440 ideally suited for the most critical recording applications.
- Page 11 Displayed range from 100 Hz up due to measurement room size limitations.
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Page 12: Warranty
WARRANTY Audio Engineering Associates warrants the AEA R44C, R44CX, and A440 against defects in materials or workmanship for three (3) years from the date of purchase. Ribbons damaged by phantom power or excessive air turbulence are not covered by the warranty. For repairs to units exhibiting ribbon damage, abnormal physical abuse, or that are out-of-warranty, AEA will provide a repair estimate and will not proceed with service without the customer’s authorization. - Page 13 Appendix 1 1. THE PHYSICS OF RIBBON PRESSURE-GRADIENT MICROPHONES All microphones respond to the minute changes in air pressure as a soundwave arrives at their dia- phragm. As transducers, they convert this acoustical energy into electrical energy that can be amplified and recorded or broadcast.
- Page 14 The first directional microphones responded to the difference in pressure between the front and back of the diaphragm as the soundwave passed by. These were termed pressure-gradient microphones and exhibited a figure-of-eight polar pattern. The diaphragm in these early microphones was a very thin aluminum ribbon that was exposed on both sides;...
- Page 15 The significant operational difference between the bidirectional and omnidirectional microphone is that while the omni responds with equal sensitivity to sounds arriving from any and all directions, with a properly designed single-diaphragm bidirectional microphone, a response null of almost -90dB will oc- cur at precisely ±90°...
- Page 16 1930s until today. Since the early 1980s, Audio Engineering Associates has been proud to spearhead the reintroduction of these venerable classics to the industry, and to continue their tradition with new and improved models.
- Page 17 Appendix 2 Evolution of an Icon 1932 RCA-44A to the 2008 AEA A-440 The oldest piece of pro audio equipment still in regular use is the RCA 44. A revolutionary microphone design, it became the standard of reference for live sound, broadcast, film sound, and recording. It was developed when audio tests were difficult and critical listening was crucial to the process.
- Page 18 RCA 44s. This allowed “Lord of the Rings” scoring engineer John Kurlander to mix his AEA R44 string pair almost as high in the mix as his main Neumann M-50 tube microphones on the Decca Tree.
- Page 19 Detail changes continue to be made to the AEA 44 series as AEA gains more experience. The most dra- matic technical revision was changing the internal wiring from the top of the ribbon to the transformer input leads. Examination of the RCA 44 production from England revealed that their wiring scheme reduced hum sensitivity by 20 dB without altering the sound.
- Page 20 “The Connection” which Nashville producer/Engineer Brian Ahern recorded using a single an ‘X’ mo- tor AEA R44. In 2008 The Turtle Island String Quartet album “A Love Supreme” won a Grammy for Best Classical Crossover album. All the closer microphones were AEA ribbons, with the electric cello on an AEA R44CNE.
- Page 21 Appendix 3 Bidirectional Microphones for Stereo and Surround Sound For working in stereo, two bidirectional microphones, oriented at 90 degrees with respect to each other, create the classic crossed bidirectional pair. This also is commonly called a Blumlein pair, in recogni- tion of Alan Blumlein who first proposed this technique in his seminal patent of 1934.
- Page 22 There is another important stereophonic microphone configuration that Blumlein defined in his 1934 patent, the mid/side technique, and this too has the bidirectional microphone at its core. In fact, it is the bidirectional component that provides all of the directional information in this stereophonic pickup technique.
- Page 23 By using the mid/side technique, an extremely natural and versatile stereophonic image can be pro- duced. Not only can this rival or surpass any other conventional stereo pickup, it also is the only one that is capable of providing a virtually infinite variety of stereo perspectives while remaining fully mono compatible.
- Page 24 Other Products by Audio Engineering Associates: RPQ - Active Studio Ribbon Pre with Curve Shaping AEA/Fred Forsell collaboration preamp with no phantom power and 83dB of clean gain TRP - The Ribbon Pre AEA/Fred Forsell collaboration preamp with no phantom power and 83dB of clean gain...
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