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Thread: Fathead II ribbon mic for stage use? Your opinions?

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    Registered User SincereCorgi's Avatar
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    Default Fathead II ribbon mic for stage use? Your opinions?

    We need a LDC mic. We've been borrowing a nice CAD for shows, but we've gotta bite the bullet and get our own, and we'd been leaning toward an AT4033 when a sound guy suggested that instead of LDC we try the Fathead 2 from Cascade. This is a ribbon mic, which makes me wary since I've heard so many stories about their fragility and how easy it is to blow them up with carelessness. Does anybody have any opinions about these? Part of me is just suspicious of a $230 Chinese ribbon mic.

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    Registered User Pete Martin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Fathead II ribbon mic for stage use? Your opinions?

    Has the sound man you talked to used these in the context you want to use it? If yes then take the following with a grain of salt

    I doubt the Fathead would have enough depth of field to work well and ribbons are VERY prone to feedback as they pick up in a figure 8 pattern.

    I haven't used a Fathead, but I have tried a few Chinese inexpensive ribbons that appear to be pretty similar (there are a bunch that are basically the same branded different names). They are OK at best to me. Of course, I am used to Royers, AEAs and RCA ribbon mics, so they will of course pale in comparison...
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    wood butcher Spruce's Avatar
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    Default Re: Fathead II ribbon mic for stage use? Your opinions?

    I have a pair of Fathead IIs with the upgraded trannies, and like them a lot...
    But as Pete stated, it's not a very good choice for stage work...

    I just had a gob of nice ribbons here at the Olgabowl, and did a little mic shootout...
    The Fathead held it's own against this bunch, which is saying something...


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    Is there a "talent" knob? Christian McKee's Avatar
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    Default Re: Fathead II ribbon mic for stage use? Your opinions?

    I've gotten really good results with fatheads as drum overheads, and even heard good vocal tracks from them, but those were both studio. I think Pete's right on the money in terms of feedback risk/hassle: in order to place the monitors or audience in the null spot of the mic's pattern, you'd have to stand facing the side of the stage. That might actually work well sonically, but strikes me as too big a pain, or too off putting. If you use wedge monitors at the front of the stage, I wouldn't give this serious consideration unless you have a fulltime sound engineer who is willing to work with this set up. Good luck!
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    Registered User foldedpath's Avatar
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    Default Re: Fathead II ribbon mic for stage use? Your opinions?

    The figure-8 pickup pattern will be a major headache for stage use, unless you're using in-ear monitors. And even then, it could give you problems with FOH speaker and/or ambient reflection bleed It's just not a good idea unless you have a very carefully controlled stage setup, and even then, I think they're mostly used for things like drum overheads where the monitors can be in the null. Royer makes a few "ruggedized" ribbon models for that application, but they're not cheap.

    The only ribbon mic I'd recommend for normal vocal or instrument use on stage would be the Beyerdynamic M160, which is unusual in having a hypercardioid pattern instead of the usual figure-8. It's not inexpensive either, but reasonably rugged for stage use. Unless you're leaning strongly toward the ribbon sound, I'd go with a conventional LD condenser mic like an AT4033 or something similar.

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    wood butcher Spruce's Avatar
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    Default Re: Fathead II ribbon mic for stage use? Your opinions?

    Quote Originally Posted by taboot View Post
    That might actually work well sonically...
    I don't think any ribbon--even a cardioid--would work all that well in a single-mic setup, compared to what a condenser can do...
    YMMV...

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    Registered User SincereCorgi's Avatar
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    Default Re: Fathead II ribbon mic for stage use? Your opinions?

    Thanks guys, this has been very helpful. (I do kinda want to get a pair just for recording now since they get such good reviews...)

    Anybody got a favorite LDC to suggest in the sub-$1000 range?

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    Registered User rockies's Avatar
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    Default Re: Fathead II ribbon mic for stage use? Your opinions?

    Spruce, I see that you still have the old RCA ribbon that I had, I was doing some recording back a while ago and wished that I still owned it. I think that was one of the best microphones I ever used. I didn't see you at Wintergrass and had my eye out for you.
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    wood butcher Spruce's Avatar
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    Default Re: Fathead II ribbon mic for stage use? Your opinions?

    Hi Dave...
    Your 44BX is now in Pete Martin's quiver...
    It went to him a few years ago, and I only replaced it a couple days ago with the 44 in the pic...
    Didn't you have another 44BX too??

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    Default Re: Fathead II ribbon mic for stage use? Your opinions?

    I can,t disagree with any thing that has been said about ribbon mikes,except that all mikes have their peculiarities in my experience. The bluegrass gospel group I play with has used one (a hundred dollar Nady) for years and have learned how to overcome most problems. The mic picks up great with very little off axis variance and sounds like 1st generation bluegrass. Most of those were recording on ribbons. We use the one mic and no monitors. I don't know what music you play or where you play it, I can see a big problem using a figure 8 in a noisesy environment because the backside of the mic would pick up room noise and amplify it, but for us it works and sounds great. Dale Perry helped me when I was starting to use this. He was still with Doyle Lawson at the time and they played a show near Dale's home, he used a ribbon one mic, and I fell in love with that sound. If it sounds like something you will try let me know and I,ll help point you in the right direction. I may start something here, but I think a ribbon mic is so much more mellow (less harsh) than a condenser. YMMV of course

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    Registered User Pete Martin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Fathead II ribbon mic for stage use? Your opinions?

    And Dave that 44BX is in good hands here
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    Registered User rockies's Avatar
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    Default Re: Fathead II ribbon mic for stage use? Your opinions?

    Well Bpruce I know it's in good hands there with Pete. Glad it's being used. Unfortunately I didn't think I'd need them again so the other one went to a fellow in Atlanta a few years ago so I can cry about that one too. A guy should learn and never sell anything and then end up wifeless and on that tv hoarder show.
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    Default Re: Fathead II ribbon mic for stage use? Your opinions?

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandoplumb View Post
    I can,t disagree with any thing that has been said about ribbon mikes,except that all mikes have their peculiarities in my experience. The bluegrass gospel group I play with has used one (a hundred dollar Nady) for years and have learned how to overcome most problems. The mic picks up great with very little off axis variance and sounds like 1st generation bluegrass. Most of those were recording on ribbons.
    They were performed with ribbons, too, in many cases (when not using moving coil dynamics). None of the early bands used LD condensers in performance.

    Volume expectations were very different in those days (they rarely used more than 25W in total, too) and there were no monitors.

    Hey... the Beatles also used ribbon mics in live performance, but I can imagine they had a few problems with screaming girls in the audience and feedback.....but note how here (Reslo R8 in 1962) the Vox amp is off to the side, in the null of the pickup pattern:

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    Registered User mandobassman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Fathead II ribbon mic for stage use? Your opinions?

    I know someone who used a RCA ribbon mic for live use and it was a pain, but the results were incredible. However, I would not recommend it. Way too much hassle for me. I have also used the AT4033 and had feedback problems with that as well. For the past 8 years I have been playing with two bands that both use the MXL 990 LCD. It sounds wonderful, has practically zero feedback issues and is cheap enough that you could own two or three and have readily available back up mics should anything happen to one. One might be able to hear the difference between it and a high end mic in the studio, but I doubt anyone could tell that it's a cheap mic in a live setting. Several times I have had people stare in disbelief when I tell them what it costs.
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    Default Re: Fathead II ribbon mic for stage use? Your opinions?

    Great little ribbon mics and a bargain for what they are, but definitely not a great live mic.

    Have you considered an Audio Technica 4050? It's an LDC with multiple pickup patterns, so you can always experiment with which patterns might work best for you.

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    Default Re: Fathead II ribbon mic for stage use? Your opinions?

    Some info on the kind of venue you are playing and the style, other amplification etc. would be helpful.

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