This mic is instantly recognisable for its shape, the black and polished chrome finish, and the huge grille. Prices include VAT. PreSonus StudioLive 32SC Series III Mixing Console. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Rugged, beautiful and great sounding, the AEA R44C is destined to become a classic all of its own. Recordings made with this mic exhibit a fabulous character which is hard to achieve with more modern fare. Handmade in California by Audio Engineering Associates the AEA R44C is instantly recognisable from films and broadcasts of the 1940s and 1950s, especially for onscreen newsreaders and sportscasters. Mastering Essentials Part 3 - How loud should I master? Both listeners and measurements say that the R44 is better and AEA has been listening to both users and ex-RCA engineers for over 25 years. The constituent parts of the new mic are fully interchangeable with original RCA 44B and 44BX models — the recreation is that accurate. Web site designed & maintained by PB Associates & SOS. Mastering Essentials Part 4 - Mastering EQ: Balance, Don’t Match. The Top Ring is available with straight knurl and in four different finishes. Although ribbon mics were largely surpassed by capacitor mics in the recording studio thirty or more years ago, principally for reasons of convenience and fashion, a decent ribbon mic can still deliver a very high-quality signal. Subscribe to our Newsletter for the latest pro audio news and exclusive deals. R44C £3313.50; R44CNE (international edition) £2808.25; X option (higher output level) £423; M option (matching for stereo use) £188; G option (chrome-finish grille) £188. With such a heavy but delicate microphone, storage and transportation could be a problem, but the R44C is shipped in a custom nylon cordura carrying case lined with a hard protective foam. The AEA R44C is a bi-directional passive ribbon microphone built to be an exact replica of the classic RCA type 44 originally designed in the 1930's.. The custom 9 mA version has a 6 dbA noise floor and handles 132.5 db SPL. The R44C lends all voices a degree of 'scale' and body which is often hard to achieve with more modern designs, technically competent though most are these days. Capable of handling high sound pressure levels and working in a wide variety of situations, the R44C is well suited for horns, drum overheads and vocal applications. AEA R44 and A440 Owner’s Manual one of the quietest mics on the market and the quietest ribbon microphone ever. Like a vintage Bentley — expensive and revered, but not easy to justify to the accountants. The specifications suggest the mic can withstand a maximum SPL of a frightening 165dB and has a source impedance of 270Ω. The views expressed are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the publishers. It has a strong and recognisable character which should be used as such. There has been something of a resurgence of interest in ribbon microphones in recent years — particularly by those engineers involved in recording string sections and orchestras. The review model was an R44CX — the original version, but incorporating the increased output level option to provide around 5mV/Pa (instead of 2.5mV/Pa) which equates to a nominal sensitivity of about -44dBu. From the 1930s — when it was introduced by RCA — the RCA 44 became a staple in broadcasting and recording studios throughout the world. While very expensive in the UK, indeed well out of the range of many, the fact that a mic such as this exists at all is worth celebrating. THe AEA R44 microphone is a museum quality replica of the 1936-38 RCA 44, hand-made by AEA using 1.8 micron ribbon material originally manufactured (and warehoused) by RCA. Advances in preamp design now mean that the low noise floor inherent in ribbon mic designs can be fully realised to deliver a dynamic range worthy of 24-bit digital systems.Audio Engineering Associates (AEA) are an American company owned and run by Wes Dooley — a recording engineer with a long and detailed experience of ribbon mics including the classic Coles 4038 'BBC ribbon'. All contents copyright © SOS Publications Group and/or its licensors, 1985-2020. Wes Dooley decided to resurrect this once ubiquitous microphone with the AEA R44C to give today's users the experience of this wonderful sounding precision instrument. The frequency response is far from flat, being both 'ragged' and exhibiting a very characteristic overall tilt in response of around 2dB/octave, with a very strong bass and slightly weaker treble. However, the subject of this review is an authentic recreation of the classic 1936 RCA 44 bidirectional ribbon mic — a much sought-after design in studios around the world, especially in the USA. In fact, advances in preamp design now mean that the low noise floor inherent in ribbon mic designs can be fully realised to deliver a dynamic range worthy of 24-bit digital systems. Indeed, many of the top American scoring stages still use these ribbon mics today. I have never used the 44 so I can not offer any comparison. The AEA R44C version of the RCA classic is hand built by Wes Dooley using the same 1.8-micron ribbon material originally manufactured for RCA. KMR Audio 1375 High Road, Whetstone, London, N20 9LN, UK, Classic replica of the legendary RCA 44 ribbon microphone with improved magnets, and SPL capabilities for modern recording requirements, Only registered users can write reviews. AEA offer some variations on the RC44 theme. The R84 is one of the most popular mics in the AEA line. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Like any first-order pressure-gradient mic, the R44C has an obvious proximity bass lift when used too close — and by that I mean anything less than about a metre — and is clearly balanced to be used at a 'more respectful' distance, commensurate with its original studio role, both for speech and music ensembles. On acoustic instruments the mic reveals a fast, detailed character, with a warm upper bass response and a rich, smooth treble which is musically complementary and easy on the ear. The 1.8 micron ribbon is exactly the same as the one used in the original RCA and uses neodymium magnets instead of the original Alnico magnets producing higher output. Amongst the product line is an intriguing range of specialist microphone mounting equipment, with a clever modular system which can be used for conventional stereo arrays such as ORTF, as well as Decca Tree configurations in various sizes. Percussion is handled very well too, as is brass, especially trumpets. COVID 19: WE ARE OPERATING AS NORMAL & SHIPPING ORDERS WHILST OUR SHOWROOM IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED TO VISITORS. The NE option, for example, incorporates some elements of the international version of the original RCA mic, with a lighter case, reduced sensitivity to hum, and a cloth-covered XLR cable.