Dear NoHype Audio aficionados and ribbonaires everywhere,

From posts i read it seems quite a number of us have used NoHype ribbon mics for some years now and keep loving them way after the honeymoon period.
I feel this would be a good time to start a general NoHype Audio thread, consolidating a bit and hopefully inspiring new sharings of your experiences and favorite moments with one or all of JPs gems.

Obviously, the interest in gear that doesn't wear a famous/expensive badge yet performs like a champ will not decrease in the foreseeable future for most of us, to put it mildly.

Also, i keep noticing threads popping up with someone asking for an affordable ribbon mic for this or that task, and usually one or to two NoHype connaisseurs pop in as well, yet it often seems to me that folks new to ribbons still feel one of these supacheap models will perform miracles because «it's basically a simple design» etc.

To me, mediocre in ribbon mics equals dull and boring, and bad…
So here's hoping as well that some newbies find inspiration to not go for a mic that they regret having as soon as they hear a classy one.

For a few dollars more, folks – and i still marvel how JP pulls it off - you can have an experience like the one described below, that rosewood123 allowed me to quote:

«Hey, wanted to send you a quick follow-up note. Used the LRM-Vs on a drum session about a month or so ago .... Man, I am really blown away. That's not hyperbole; this pair of mics brought the drum sound to a whole new level. The spaced pair with the u47 in the middle is a superb match. Two things that immediately stand out when using the LRM-Vs: (1) The drum sound is suddenly "huge" and deep, and (2) the cymbals come to life. The second thing is something I can't overstate; all the richness and overtones and largeness of the cymbals is captured beautifully now. There's so much subtlety and life and bigness. It's amazing.

I've only really gotten to try them on a bass guitar amp as well and they shine there too. Big and deep and all that. I can see these working on a ton of sources, and I think grabbing another pair is a no-brainer at the price. I almost don't want to tell others about them too because they're like a hidden weapon .…

These mics are insane value for the money, up there with my much more expensive mics (also just different from my expensive condensers). They're easily the highest quality out of affordable gear I've encountered for all the affordable gear I've tried (well, the CAPI stuff is great if you know how to build, as well as Hairball preamps and some others -- but the price for a pair of LRM-Vs is around the same for just one of the aforementioned EQs or preamps, and the LRM-Vs have had a much, much bigger sonic impact in my experience since they're at the front of the chain.»

This vivid description triggered me to actually start this thread.

And while i hope i am pardoned for waxing lyrically on my impressions from a musician perspective on the previous respective threads, this site is really first of all for and by engineers and i think the way rosewood expounds is where. it's. at! for sophisticated recordists such as all of you.

So thank you for sharing if you have the inclination and time folks.

And for a little kick-off teaser, here a short interview with the man behind the mics:


Q: JP, how did it all start for you, was there an Elvis moment that got you into music, recording,
making microphones?

A: Into music: finding a horribly cheap Gypsy guitar that belonged to my dad which he never played and led to the purchase of a cheap Strat. Into recording: finding out how important production was listening to my favourite bands from the 60’s and 70’s. Into making microphones: expanding on the discovery of music production, the importance of microphones became obvious – after collecting various classics at the studio and starting to do maintenance myself since back in the late 90’s there were few techs I could afford whom I could trust, I started designing, hooked up with ADK and helped them with various redesigns and then fresh designs. I eventually started producing microphones under my own brand.

Q: I know you ran your own recording studio, repaired many vintage microphones over the years and are the «Belgium genius» mentioned on ADKs website, who had quite a hand in getting their fabulous sounding emulations of the holy grail mics to where they are today. But what triggered this passion that still drives you to create amazing sounding microphones with such obsessive attention to every aspect and detail?

A: Hard to pinpoint but once you get your hands on an old Neumann or AKG after playing with cheaper mics for a while, you realize that contemporary mics may not give the engineer the proper tools… going back and finding out what made the old classics great was possibly the beginning of what you could call an addiction that lasted a couple of decades, to date. I still prefer simple efficient designs rather than modern circuits with lower noise and THD but no character or an unpleasant one.

Q: Since someone sent an AEA 84 eastwards for retroengineering, we have seen a veritable flood of 100-200 dollar ribbon mics come out, under many names but all seem to be chosen from the same «take-out menu» and probably the same factory, exemplifying the mercantile spirit of cutting cost and maximizing profits that is so very much the opposite of what music is about to me.

I have tried three or four of these and to me they sounded between dull and plain bad.

Please explain the difference between such a cheapo ribbon mic and an affordable but well made example under 500 dollars, that luckily also exist, such as obviously yours, the latest by Samar, the new arrival Alder, good old Shiny Box and I am sure there are more, at least I hope so…

A: It’s quite simple and you answered your own question: it’s more profitable to order an off the shelf cheap copy and bring it to a market at a low cost with “optimistic” marketing than to get on the drawing board and creating something from the ground up, trying to make a profit selling it, to a market that typically wants cheaper not better. Most imports come from China and roll off an assembly line with zero QC, other than sometimes a “work/doesn’t work” test, which is rare. It’s cheaper for a model based on an automated warehouse to ship out products with zero QC and deal with returns than paying a human to test the product and deal with the problem. A lot of cheap ribbons do not work properly but the new owner doesn’t realize it and uses it thinking the muddy, noisy performance is what you get from a cheap “house brand” ribbon. I’ve worked on a number of cheap ribbons with loose ribbons, which should have never left the factory floor. So you get what you pay for. The market mostly wants cheap products, that’s what’s being offered. R&D is too expensive and frankly, there are very few people on this planet who understand both microphone design and manufacture. Copying is so simple and cheap. The main reason we see basically nothing innovative is led by the market wanting cheaper clones of vintage mics. So if there’s no profit in designing new microphones, but there’s good money still to be made making copies, that’s what investors put their money in.

Q: “ ...there are very few people on this planet who understand both microphone design and manufacture.” - - - wow... that gave me something to ponder!

Do you have any personal favorites among all the mics you have heard or recorded with?

A: As an all rounder, the C414E with the later brass capsule (not the peaky bring early one but not the Teflon one yet) was hard to beat although I’d be quite happy working with a C414EB (Teflon). Ribbons can be anything that’s good. Dynamics top 2 probably SM7b, RE15, RE20 in 3rd place.

Q: While on the «favorite» subject and so we see a bit of the more personal side of the mad professor, what are some of your favorite bands and records?

A: I just couldn’t answer this properly as it varies over time so I’ll skip ������

Q: Favorite books?

A: Eargle’s microphone book, Borwick microphones technology & technique, AIP Handbook of condenser microphones, Yamaha’s Sound Reinforcement handbook, Everest’s Master handbook of Acoustics, among others.

Q: And of course – favorite foods and liquids? You being from Belgium it must be fries and one of those 1008 kinds of beer they are famous for! ... Right?

A: I stay away from fried foods and alcohol. Local clean meats and vegetables, mostly organic. Tex Mex is my go-to but anything goes to make a good chicken breast pop. Fresh fish. I probably fall in the “low carb” diet type but only because I focus on good Carbs. Nuts & fruits are my snacks of choice. Water is best for hydration. I enjoy various Milk variations, cow, oats, almond etc. A mix seems to work best for me.

Q: Bon appetit! To end for now on another microphone question: Please share what your next mic projects/productions look like so I (and I guess I am not the only one) can start salivating?

A: The mono version of the SRM-1 is taking so long but it’s in production. Then a condenser mic is in the works, I’ve postponed it for years, now’s the time to turn it into a tangible product. It’s the first in a short list of active (externally polarized condenser) projects. It could come out next year as it’s less troublesome than ribbon mic manufacture / parts sourcing although the chaos plaguing the supply chain may push a release to 2024.

Thank you JP and… keep them coming!

A: Baby steps…
- - - - - - - - - - - - -


Main threads and samples dedicated to the three ribbon mic models so far:

LRM-V

https://gearspace.com/board/product-...pe+audio+lrm-v


LRM-2B

https://gearspace.com/board/product-...pe+Audio+LRM-2

SRM-1

https://gearspace.com/board/product-...t=NoHype+audio

NoHype Audio website:

https://nohypeaudio.com/nhaproducts.htm

Cool interview! I have massive respect for JP and will happily jump on the NoHype love train. My LRM-V remains my only ribbon, and it's my go-to for tracking high percussion instruments like shaker and tambourine... they sound immediately right with no processing, where otherwise I'd need to EQ the crap out of them to make them blend. I'll definitely be in for one of JP's condensers when they're out in the world.

The LRM-V is also great on horns for a darker vibe, and here's a shootout I did testing it (the LRM-V) alongside two much more expensive ribbons from AEA, the R92 and R84, on my tenor saxophone. As you'll hear in the recordings, the LRM-V is absolutely comparable to both of them quality-wise. In all cases, I preferred the LRM-V to the R92 on my instrument, and it was essentially tied with the R84 – comparable quality, slightly different flavor.

I recorded saxophone and woodwind parts for a wonderful old-school swing/jazz album that's coming out in a couple weeks, the lead single from which went surprisingly viral on social media, eventually getting featured in Variety Magazine, People Magazine, Newsweek, and CBS Evening News – and all my parts were recorded with my u87 paired with my LRM-V. Here's that single (it has something like a million hits on TikTok of all places):

Thanks for sharing! Diggin' your suave horns on the track above, and can vividly imagine the LRM-V sounding great on sax!

I don't even like jazz or sent but this was really good and I love horns my favorite instruments woodwinds. I'd actually bump this in the whip.

Hey Progger,

Thank you for the great mic comparisons! Just had time to listen properly.
I get you prefer the LRM-V and R84 to the R92 on your instrument as they obviously have more body and "room" to capture the bigness and bass freqs. But as a sound itself, the R92 still sounds sweet i think, reminding me of the N22 i had. In the mix both R84 and LRM-V sound great to me.

To my ears, the difference between the R84 and LRM-V are similar to what i experienced with vox/acc guitar: LRM-V sounds/feels just a lil richer and more exciting/vibrant. Because i owned an R84 for some years, when discovering the LRM-V that comparison added another dash to my enthusiasm about it as i'm a huge Wes Dooley fan! (ever tried the 44? ?

So thanks again for taking the time to set it all up and sharing here!
And by the way, Love Train sounds so much cooler than Love Feast... tried to change the thread title but can't get into edit...

Cheerio and blow steady!

I hear you on all that, the R92 is a quality mic, for sure! I borrowed both the AEA mics from a friend of mine who's a veteran jazz guitarist (and a Berklee professor of some 30 years), and he loves the R92 for guitar cab in particular, which seems to be its intended purpose. It'll get the job done on horns, but the LRM-V and R84 were both much more to my personal preference.

I still might pick up an R84 one day, since it really is such an excellent mic... but the reality is that I don't NEED it in any way, thanks to the LRM-V. The R84 seems to capture a bit more high-end detail, but I think that's easily fixed with a little EQ, if needed! (Massive respect for Wes and AEA all around, though.)

Yes the AEA R84 is a great all-rounder i'd say as well.

Now with my three NoHype ribbons i love the color choices i have between them, from smoky phat LRM-V to gorgeous elegant LRM 2B to sweetly seducing SRM-1.

Nice interview. I look forward to that condenser that JP has up his sleeve ....

My plan is to get two more LRM-Vs so I have a set of four (two matched pairs each). They should be incredibly useful for recording small ensembles and having versatile matched mics just around to use for whatever pops up.

I've been doing lots of mixing and haven't been able to track much lately, but next is trying them out on guitar amps for a deep, rich sound. I tried sticking my Soyuz 023 on my AC30 with a Strat just the other day, going into a Silver Bullet, but I'm after something warmer. Part of that is needing a warmer guitar (e.g., 339 or 335 or what have you) and different strings, but I anticipate the LRM-Vs will be standouts for this situation -- a warm and lush guitar sound. I will report back, in any case.

Thanks Rosewood for your great reports!

Whenever i record electric guitar it's LRM-V time for crunchy fat sounds here... can imagine you'll dig it too.

Got a 'Frankenframus' hollowbody from a luthier friend recently and not only the tone feels 'warm' but the feel of the neck also gives this homey playing feel... don't know how to put it...

Looking forward to your next findings!

Thanks again for the comparisons!
Bumping this in hopes ribbon aficionados have time to listen in, as i find them very good and instructive.

... woke up with a short dream fragment that went: now that i'm in this great sounding room and with this lovely song, i'm gonna put up the LRM-2B - - wonder what it meant?
Whatever it was, the 2B always is a nice surprise when listening back to the recording! During tracking it sometimes felt less exciting/fat (to me) etc than the LRM-V due to it's more linear/hi fi sound, yet the recorded tracks have something really special going on - the kind of subtle but addictive 'je ne sais quois' that keeps you coming back for more, the kind of understated elegance that carries a whiff of shibumi to our rusty shores...

I do hope DeadPoet will come across this thread and perhaps be able to share some of his female vocal recordings!

Do you all recommend the Triton FET addition on the LRM-V? I have pretty good preamps, so the gain isn't really needed. Just curious if it adds anything else.

Thanks.

IMHO the Soyuz Launcher has more of that "Mojo".

Not that you'd want it on every track, but I think it has more latitude on mellower dynamics, and/or cutting through a thick Mix. Particulary Olde Skool style Ribbon tone.
Chris

I never tried a Triton Fet but i have a Cloudlifter and never use it, something about it i just don't like, like it constricts the sound a bit. Plus i don't seem to be one of those who like high/superhigh impedances with ribbon mics (i have the one with adjustable Z), even the universally recommended 3000 sounds too strident to my taste, 1200 sounds good on my LaChapell pre, 600 and even 300 i used most often on Groove Tubes Vipre - with lower impedance the mic has less top but more reach.

Anyway with pretty good preamps IMO you don't need anything. In my non-scientific comparisons with the LaChapell also noise is not diminished (not that there's much to begin with).

So i'd be more interested in something like Chris mentioned above, being Soyuz must be top sound quality. There's also a Spanish mic company that makes about five flavors right?

Finally for a general serious contender i saw recently that sE Electronics made one, sounds like seriously well thought out and built. And ribbon-wise they come recommended with their Voodoo mic which i hear is great.

AEA makes preamps intended for ribbon mics. I had Tritons and they were good, sold them with my NoHype's when retiring.

I'm thankful to Tony (Drumsound) for pointing out when the Launcher isn't right. Sometimes-especially on Ballads, you want more of the natural tone of the voice (or instrument) to shine through.

So IMHO it wouldn't be for someone like Plush, on Classical stuff.
Sometimes I think the need for a Line Booster, goes overboard too.

There's so many Pre's at/over 70db clean gain nowadays.
Chris

Chris has spoken, and Soyuz listened... Deluxe Launcher out now!

Wow!
El Cheapo here ended up getting a separate Phantom power supply, to mess around with, a while back.

Over time, felt my stock Oktava 319 and Soundelux U195 (on FAT) had so much personality to begin with...
That the power supply hardly gets used.

If I had around $300 burning a hole in my pocket for a supplemental dohickey... I'd either get the Useful Arts Hornet, or "slum it" with the GAP-73 Jr. *
Chris
*Of course "Ribbon" is the (eventual) missing food group.

Weeell... Kris you are a krooner at heart... and every ka-rooner needs a ra-ribbonne to snuggle up with when it's dreamy time down south...

Chris, I think you'd sound excellent on the LRM-V. Might actually make you wish your voice were brighter!

I know you're an AEA fan, as I am. But in terms of sound, the NoHypes are alarmingly comparable.

Thanks! I put JP among the top microphone maker pantheon too. (Not that I'm some real expert)
Chris

Yup, what Progger said... you know i own an AEA44 and it may just be finest mic in the world... if you have a wonderful room... it is HYPERrealistic and picks up a mosquito coughing a mile away... which is one of the reasons my NoHypes see a lot more action... and with a bit of EQ, a lil StaLevel (joking) etc you can, if you wish, to quote Progger, indeed get alarmingly close to the Rolls Royces and Jags of the ribbon world. Not that i try to achieve that as they sound just so fine the way they are. Sometimes i do EQ a bit depending on situation, more often not, and i remember once putting some on and a few days/listens later pulling it off again

And indeed the LRM-V would suit you like a glove from what i heard and read from you!

Thanks Satchmo!
If I'm fortunate enough to land an affiliation, with a prospective children's TV show...

I plan to expand my vocal mic collection, into Ribbons. (including NoHype)
It may take me a while to get there though, partly due to medical concerns/costs.
Thanks again guys.
Chris

Music and children are good for your health...

Chris you are like the good spirit of this forum.

Some of my happiest years in music were when my health was good and i was busking seven days a week... instant gratification and no middlemen except:

So in this spirit allow me to throw 20 bucks into a symbolic hat i'm passing herewith on your behalf to get the juice flowing.

Any other ribbonaires reading this got a few spare dollas for Chris' upcoming LRM-V?

Have you got a penny, any olde penny, for the little old traveling band? (as we used to sing at the appropriate moment ha ha)

Wow! Thanks!!
I do have the sense, things will work out fine.
Partly as...

Only the good die young!

Chris

Just a little Sunday bumpedy-bump in hopes some of my fave NoHypers may see it and feel inspired to share the latest from their ribbonesque adventures...

And on this occasion to state again that i have no affiliation with NHA, don't get a free mics, t-shirts or Belgium fries from JP.

As far as i know from the last email exchange a few months before the interview, JP has got plenty of work at hand so he certainly doesn't need me shilling here.

It's simply that i love his mics a few years down the road as much as when i first met them, and of all the more affordable well-built and great sounding ribbon mics, his are the most budget friendly and truly special also in this way. And since i'm an incurable ribbon groupie i hope the info shared in this and the other threads may open a door for one or two interested newcomers. Thanks folks and happy sunday!

Hi everyone, here are two videos of the SRM-1, comparing it to a Coles 4038 (mono) and a Beyerdynamic M160 (hypercardioid). Three very different ribbon mics.



Using a stereo ribbon on vocals and guitar can have many advantages. Here's another video just using the SRM-1 to separate the channels:

Wow, briliant, many thanks for sharing!!

By the way, did anyone else notice how extremely similar the SRM-1 sounds to the Coles on this vocal/classical guitar comparison?
Only during the second or third back-and-forth did i notice the bit of added frizziness on top with the Coles, i was so stunned by the similarity of 'the main body' of the sound.

It had never occurred to me to compare the SRM-1 sound to other ribbons - i just really dig it for what it is, so this is surely a another fascinating facet...

Looking forwards to the mono version as well!

Lately I've been using an LRM-V with a Soyuz 023 to record guitar and bass cabs. The results are astounding -- pretty much exactly what I'm looking for in recording guitars and bass. The Soyuz gives me the midrange and colour, and the LRM-V gives me more of a rich natural sound and big full low end. I can blend these two to my liking to get just the tone I want. Best part is that because the sounds I'm looking for are captured so well at the source, there are minimal mix moves required (which is what every engineer should strive for anyway). Maybe just a bit of compression if I want, but I don't need to EQ the guitars or bass.