AEA KU4 Owner's Manual

A
udio
1029 N. Allen Ave.
What made the KU3A so special? Based on the smooth long-ribbon sound of RCA's classic model
44BX, the KU3A provided a unidirectional, rather than a bi-polar, response pattern. In contrast to the
RCA 77-D(X), the KU3A had a fixed pattern. Thus, RCA was able to improve the polar response as
a function of frequency by optimizing the shape of the ribbon motor and by fine-tuning the acoustic
design of the microphone. With its wider sweet spot and reduced proximity bass boost, it expanded the
recording engineer's range of placement options making it a standard for location sound, film scoring,
and recording studios around the world.
By the end of the 1960s, condenser (capacitor) microphones had become the new standard throughout
the recording industry, replacing their bulkier and more fragile ribbon ancestors. Nonetheless, ribbon
microphones - both old and new - are highly valued for their sonic characteristics by experienced music
recording engineers and remain in daily use. Because the KU3A is a rare collector's item, few studios
or rental houses own them, so opportunities to work with a good KU3A are limited.
Following our tradition of providing "reincarnations" of the original RCA microphones, AEA is proud
to introduce the new AEA KU4 studio ribbon microphone, featuring new-old-stock (NOS) RCA ribbon
material, parts interchangeable with the original KU3A, and the consistent and reliable performance for
which our microphones have gained a world-wide reputation.
E
ngineering
Associates
Pasadena CA 91104
Owner's Manual
INTRODUCTION
Unless you have used an original RCA KU3A (also known by its manufactur-
ing number M-10001), the new AEA KU4 is unlike any ribbon microphone
you have ever experienced. This is due, in part, to its unique supercardioid
polar pattern. Designed in the late 1940s to fulfill the uncompromising de-
mands of the Hollywood movie studios, the KU3A was RCA's most expen-
sive ribbon microphone, and many engineers consider it to be the best unidi-
rectional ribbon microphone ever made. Fewer than 600 were manufactured,
and those that remain in existence are highly prized for their sensitivity, their
rich lower midrange, and their surprisingly strong high-frequency presence.
www.ribbonmics.com Phone: (626) 798-9128
KU4
Fax: (626) 798-2378