AEA R84 Review - Page 2

john caldwell · 23rd November 2005

I hadn't been aware of that thread but my comments remain. I think he's a good contributor for those seeking feedback on the mp3 group.

John-

PHILANDDON · 23rd November 2005

Well, I haven't listened to the MP3, but feel I must chime in about the R84, which I own. The R84 is based on the old RCA 77, which along with the RCA 44, is the VOCAL mic of the twentieth century. Judy Garland, Hank Williams, Gene Autry, Nat King Cole, Sinatra, Sam Cooke. You name it. More modern ears are used to the sizzle that condensers give you on vocals, but to my ears the smoothness of a R84 is much preferred. You do lose some level though (which you can partially make up for with a quiet, high gain preamp), but level isn't everything.

The original poster said the R84 wasn't much good for rock. Well I don't know if Pete Townshend is using it on his voice or on his amp, but he's a big fan of the R84 and R88. (See AEA's website). Like I said I have the R84. I don't know yet if I'm the right kind of singer for the mic. I might be better off with the R92. I'm also interested in the R88, largely for the reasons Pete Townshend talks about.

bongo · 23rd November 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by PHILANDDON

Well, I haven't listened to the MP3.

I think there should be a rule on this thread.

You must listen to the MP3 before posting.

Just a thought

pan60 · 23rd November 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongo

I think there should be a rule on this thread.

You must listen to the MP3 before posting.

Just a thought

i agree you must listen to the MP3 before posting.

PHILANDDON · 23rd November 2005

Hey,

I've listened to the MP3 and am very impressed. It's not my kind of song or my kind of singing but the guy has pretty good pitch. Anyone else reminded of Tom Waits? The mic sounds good on the voice and I think the room sound is okay and certainly fits the spirit of the recording.

Listened a second time. Very funny.

Jamz · 23rd November 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by PHILANDDON

Hey,

I've listened to the MP3 and am very impressed. It's not my kind of song or my kind of singing but the guy has pretty good pitch. Anyone else reminded of Tom Waits? The mic sounds good on the voice and I think the room sound is okay and certainly fits the spirit of the recording.

Take a breath...

Quote:

Originally Posted by PHILANDDON

Listened a second time. Very funny.

Thank you

FWIW I'm happy to own a pair of R84s and totally agree with your feelings on ribbon mics. thumbsup

Matt Grondin · 23rd November 2005

Holy shit, Swedish people are funny! You sound like that poker player Marcel Luske.

bradb · 23rd November 2005

Awesome, there definitly needs to be more fun here at gearslutz...

PlugHead · 23rd November 2005

WOW!

That clip just made my day! I'm really trying to be objective here: yes, the room is a bit too heavy in the picture, but the R-84 does sound pretty good on the voice. I can understand wanting more 'excitement' in the vox, but a hi-shelf boost a coupla dB almost always works with a ribbon like the R-84.

IMO, any studio requires at least one good ribbon mic to round out the tonal possibilities for tracking: brass, electric gtr., woodwinds, etc. can all benefit from ribbon mics, esp in the digital age. They take EQ impeccably, and lack of 'fizz' are all reasons for having a 'darker' sound, as opposed to the harsh metallic edge we constantly hear from so many current condensers. I have a few ribbons that I use on almost every project, and the more I use them, the more I like them IMNTLFBHO...

Man, those lyrics are too much - I'm sorry, but I just can't wipe the smirk off my face: it seems too much like an old SNL skit or something.

Seriously, all the best with it! thumbsup

Jason Poulin · 23rd November 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by moeses

i can't get over how many of you think it's not a vocal mic...
it sounds amazing on vocals, well, at least people who have real good voices

i have this singer, who sings jazzy blues music, in the likes of ella and billie, her voice is incredible, and the AEA 84 is the best mic i've heard on her, and a few other singers who are as equally talented

For sure it's a great vocal mic but this guy's interested in modern recording and in every mic shootout I've done with the R84, it lost to a condenser. (for the particular singers I've tracked)

If jazz is the fancy, well hell I'd grab that one first.

The mic is good for warm/intimate type vocals IMO.

To each his own.

Just don't think I'm not exploring this mic's capabilities!

Jason

dim light 🎙️ · 23rd November 2005

Jason, you are totally ribbon! thumbsup

madriaan · 23rd November 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by PHILANDDON

Hey,

I've listened to the MP3 and am very impressed. It's not my kind of song or my kind of singing but the guy has pretty good pitch. Anyone else reminded of Tom Waits? The mic sounds good on the voice and I think the room sound is okay and certainly fits the spirit of the recording.

Listened a second time. Very funny.

I don't know about Tom Waits... Mabe "Fat Bastard" in the shower???? I don't think the R84 is a good match for this voice; I would definitely be looking at a Brauner VM1 KHE, coupled with maybe a GML pre...

M.

moeses · 24th November 2005

wait, he wasn't trying to sound like fat bastard?

adamcal · 24th November 2005

thats some funny shit. heh

5 5 5 oh yeah.... thumbsup

I dont know whats funnier the song or the accent!

Anyway, I think the mic sounds fine, I think the bigger problem is the amount of room sound. get rid of that and it would sound like a perfectly fine vocal recording.

jslevin · 24th November 2005

I'm just trying to figure out if the original post was a gag.

We have a bunch of mics in the same price range as the R84, quite a few below (dynamics and such) and several above, some WAY above. All I know is, when we got in our R84 six months ago, all my engineers basically wanted to marry it. Of course it is not tremendously versatile, but it is absolutely magic on many singers, good for voiceover work, terrific for acoustic guitar, a nice "flavor" choice on piano and a good room mic, too. It is a great, great mic and one of the best values in microphones available today.

All of that said, if you were only going to have one mic over $400, this would probably be a poor choice. And in any event ... it always helps if you really know how to position your mics ... and in particular it's good to know what polar pattern you're working with.

Soundog · 24th November 2005

Hey Dim,

I've got an R84 and I just loooove it - especially on the bottom end. Did you know that the front sounds different to the back ? I prefer the backside. When I'm singing, I find that if I'm a bit up tight, the R84 opens things up nicely and helps me stretch for those high notes....

And are you still looking for a bass player ? I'm thinking of learning it since I liked your recording so much....

Slipperman · 24th November 2005

I made the mistake of briefly featuring this mp3 on my "music on hold" in endless loop mode.

Most unfortunately.... My best tracking guy has become obsessed with it and has taken to doing "page-all's" building wide in which he attempts to match the tremendous performance on carbon-mic technology.

Apperantly... The band he is working with is considering adding it to their new record, as he and the producer have memorized EVERY nuance and inflection.... to say nothing of the lyric which I am currently watching scroll across the screen saver in the now darkened control room, from my vantage point down the hall at the reception desk.

He will most certainly be fired as soon as his part in this particular record is completed.

Unfortunately.... That will be 6(12hr.) days per week till Jan. 22nd. 2006

No.

I am not kidding(except the part about firing him...).

Any and all suggestions are most welcome.

SM.

stardustmedia · 24th November 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by dim light

...
Conclusion: ribbon microphones is of no use in a modern recording environment. Unless maybe if you like music like Chic Corea.

maybe for your taste. i did some very nice choir (in fact voice doubling) recordings, that suited very well to the lead voice. i loved the fact that ribbon is usually darker than condenser. i even only needed slight eqing and the coir sound was phatt

at least for my taste heh

ps: i do mainly very modern dance music

Juanathan · 25th November 2005

I just wanted to note again how much that track rocks. In case, anyone hasn't yet, go back to the beginning and listen to "the" track. You'll be glad you did. Somebody should pay that fellow money just to sit around doing his thing in front of a microphone.

First word that comes to mind...maniacal. In need of some editing, perhaps. But pretty amusing/entertaining nonetheless.

And that R84 does him just fine. Its actually a great demonstration of what that mic does with that kind of meaty male voice, like, as someone mentioned, Tom Waits.

Jonathan

raal · 26th November 2005

just heard it.

.... walters, you rock my world.

polimorfos · 26th November 2005

What a voice

He would sound like gold through a RadioShack lavalier, though.

check the homepage, btw. There's been such a new influx of Nu-B hacks on this board that I too thought he was serious until I heard his mp3....

dim light 🎙️ · 26th November 2005

Thanks guys for the feedback on my review and singing – made my day! Thanks again!

thermos · 28th November 2005

Thats the best music I've EVER heard on Gearslutz. I'm totally serious.
I actually love how that mic sounds. I think it sounds smooth as hell.
55-545......Still waiting for the rest.

Capt. Kirk · 19th February 2006

Quote : Ok, first of, I’m not a pro.

I liked the mic. I just thought that it was a penticostal preacher on the radio doing the Saturday morning serman, then I realized the lyrical content then I knew it was a joke....
Kirk

jpupo74 · 19th February 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by dim light

Ok, first of, I’m not a pro. But in all sincerity not many of you actually are either. So my thoughts and humble opinions in things concerning pro-audio should matter just as much as anyone’s.

This is the first in what I hope will be a series of reviews of products available to us striving audio engineers. This time my ears have found a microphone that created some buzz when it first hit the market. The AEA R84, a cardoid ribbon microphone that according o the paper can handle up to 165db spl.

I’ve been messing around with recording fro a couple of years now. Most of the times I record my own voice. Once a friend of mine came by with his guitar, but frankly that session turned to shit.

However, I received the AEA R84 in its soft and quite strikingly gorgeous case. Custom made.

First I just put it up on a stand and took some polaroids of it. Looked great in my studio. After that I plugged it in and started my new-mic-routine. Singing in to it with my headphones (AKG) blasting.

I began with some classics, Elvis and such. Then moved on to some more contemporary material, I was kind of blue so mostly ballads today.

First impression, VERY little brightness. I was surprised, I mean this is a brand new microphone. This fact made me realise that the microphone is useless for ballads.

So I digged a bit deeper in my repertoir and started to sing more rock stuff. But no. Not for rock either. No way could this mic handle it. Sounded no way near the records I like and are the reason I got into the AE business.

The AEA R84 is not suitable for ballads and not for rock. So what the f**k do I use it for? Jazz fusion? I hate jazz fusion.

I record my own voice almost every day. Never has it sounded as bad as through the AEA R84. And it is actually is the most expensive microphone in my studio.

Conclusion: ribbon microphones is of no use in a modern recording environment. Unless maybe if you like music like Chic Corea.

Here is a short snippet of my day with the AEA R84.

With all due respect!
Your voice sucks!
It's so...I DONNO!

You have no idea of what you are talknig about!

The AEA R84 is figure8 - biderectional microphone...and your conclusion is...shit!
I know YMMV but....

Pupo

borau · 19th February 2006

Thanks for bringing this thread back to live, so more people could see it.

Dim, You are my hero!

dorkjackson · 8th February 2022

I bought an R84 on the accolades. First project was used on a fiddle. Purrrfect choice. Tried on Vox. No Go. It was way too dark on the female and I was disappointed. Did further research to find the impedance needs to be matched to the preamp. Bought AEA TRP gen one. Voilla! The cloud is Lifted! Pardon the pun. I was using the CL (one without adjustable impedance) and it was okay. The TRP was MADE for my R84s. Recorded male Vox today and it Killed. Can't wait to try in the live room on drum OH.

If at first you don't succeed, keep Reading GS!!!!

SpicyBlue · 9th February 2022

LMAO at this guy's singing clip 17 years after he posted. Epic thread resurrect

lobsterinn · 9th February 2022

If nothing else, I hope that mp3 survives the zombie apocalypse.

Progger · 9th February 2022

This might be my favorite necrobump in internet history. I'm fascinated with OP! Was he serious? Was he a troll? Is this a comedic bit? It's really hard to tell (a perfect example of Poe's Law) and either way my life is changed for the better.

If serious: indeed, a dim light inside that noggin.

If comedy: pure genius.

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