RCA Ribbon Microphone Shootout - RCA 44-BX, RCA 77-DX, RCA 74-B
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- Опубликовано: 20 дек 2020
- Here’s a shootout of the 3 most popular RCA ribbon microphones on the market today. I compare the RCA 44-BX, RCA 77-DX, and RCA 74-B on guitars (electric and acoustic) and drums. I restored all of these RCA microphones, adding new ribbons, cables, and inner cloth (find my instagram @colepicksvintage and message me for repairs!). Thanks to Aaron Krak for playing the drums in this video. Comment and let me know which microphone you liked best!
Gear used:
UAD Apollo Duo (No Fancy Pre’s!)
Matchless DC-30
Gretsch Penguin
Timmy OD
Ludwig 1968 Kit
Video by Cole Suddarth - @colepicksvintage 
Видеоклипы
Hot damn that 44 sound so good it feels like a stereo recoding wtf
Cool video ! To my ears, the 44 BX is absolutely fabulous on every source, natural, warm and organic ! Reminds me why I dream about having a 44 😅
The 77-D overhead sounds awesome. Its perfect!
44 BX is my favorite on guitar cab for sure
thanks for this man
My winners (all 3 to be honest):
Drums/acoustic strumming - RCA 44-BX
Electric Guitar - RCA 74-B (So beautiful I could cry)
Vocals (guessing)/ acoustic finger picking - RCA 77-DX
Heck these mics sound good on everything. You sold me on the guitar amp btw.
Great video! Really shows the tonal characteristics of each mic. Just picked up a vintage 74-b today. Love its mid rangey lofi vibe.
74B has a versatile sound to it but they are all unique in their voice
Excellent video, very informative.
That 77-D is the standout. Seems to have a better uniformity and tighter transient response.
Great video
The great thing about this shootout is each them are usable for mixing! 44 sounds great as an overall mic for amp, 77 especially for a lead tone. I believe the 44 and 77 are more "suited" for acoustic as a general representation of the source. 44 seems to be my favorite for drums, potentially in V mode as a room mic as well. Bi-Directional on 77 is definitely special on overhead. Hearing all three mics in a production would tell us the most, especially since I believe the 74-B has more the offer than being heard on individual tracks.
Great video.
I like the 77 best. On the drums too.
I've been using the 74 on guitars and vocals a lot lately. It just sounds so unique that I can't help but use it lol
I agree ! Something in that mid frequencies is magic bro
74-B on guitar and punchy overhead.
77-DX for acoustic and uni-direcional for overhead
44BX on everything...
👏🏻The 44👏🏻
i picked up a 44b in very good condition at a very good price, I was flabbergasted when i heard it, I get it now. Just makes me want to record more anything, and I have a hard time sometimes choosing between other good microphones...
The 44 sounds good on everything but it especially sounded great on drums IMO. The 77 sounded really good on the guitars and had a more hi fi sound, but I personally wouldn’t use it for drums. I personally think the 74 sounded too harsh, but it did have an interesting sound on the drums.
On Electric Guitar: 44 > 77 > 74 (but all very good on it!!)
On Acoustic Guitar: 77 > 44 > 74
On Close Drums: 77(Bi) > 44(M) > 77(Uni) > 44(V) > 74
On Overhead Drums: 44(M) > 77(Uni) > 77(Bi) > 44(V) > 74
I have them all. Nice video.
The RCA on the drum jacks is reversed, I have two and they sound significantly better from the front. All 3 are fantastic microphones, depending on the use.
These were used first in the early-mid 1930s, but the carbon spring microphone waa the standard until around 1934-1935. but finally took over as the standard microphone in the late 1930s
Was the 74 working properly? It almost sounds off to what I'd expect. Maybe the tension was wrong?
Either way, that 44 sure deserves its reputation as the first truly musical microphone.
This was great, Thanks! I have an RCA 77-DX and I just started using it for a mono drum overhead. Were you using the M, V1 or V2 setting on the 77-DX for these recordings?
Hey Casey! Thanks so much for watching. Settings were all in the M mode, while I have samples in the others too if that interests you!
@@colepicksvintage I would love to hear the other samples.
What is the make of your acoustic?
Do you remove the noise you get w/ theses mics? They sound so clean! Which preamp are you using? Amazing!
Typically these mic’s don’t have much noise! I believe these were just going straight into an Apollo for this video.
man... ♥︎
Hey! Great video. I have an opportunity to buy 77dx for really good price. Did you add some noise gate for 77? I heard about high noise level for vintage ribbons. Is it true? Thanks!
If a vintage ribbon has a healthy ribbon, you shouldn’t have too much noise for use! They do have less gain and more noise than dynamic microphones, but you shouldn’t need a noise gate, etc. for a high quality ribbon!
@@colepicksvintage Oh, thank you for your answer! How can I check the ribbon's condition? Is it possible to check it physically before purchase? And what if the ribbon is broken? Is there any possibility to change the ribbon and keep the vintage sound? If yes - should I look for an original ribbon or some company offers the new one? Thanks!
I have all three microphones, but they are broken....Which they recommend me to repair only for voice with a Mackie mixer?
When these are healthy they are great for a variety of sources. Send me an email at colepicksvintage@gmail.com for a repair quote!
Just got the 77dx, how do I mic it up? Does it need a power box? Cloud lifter? 48v from an Apollo? All the best!
Definitely no phantom! It’s passive, so you can use it plugged into any pre - a cloud lifter shouldn’t be necessary if it’s healthy.
The k77 kills on drums
sounds like crap my guy
@@birdlanguage4685 I understand, the heart wants what the heart wants
@@birdlanguage4685 I understand, the heart wants what the hearts wants
Any thoughts on why my AEA 44 sounds almost nothing like this 44bx?
In what way do you mean? The AEA’s use Neodymium magnets vs. Alnico magnets in the old RCA’s. Otherwise a lot of their parts are interchangeable - but they definitely have some tonal differences! Maybe I’ll make a shootout at some point with both.
@@colepicksvintage that would be cool to see! I mean from what I know about guitar speaker magnets that would make a huge difference. Though I'm not sure if it would relate in the same way to a microphone. But yeah this 44 is big open clear my aea is dark muffly and like overly soft
different preamp / impedance? that affects tone a lot
@@jonathananderson8336 Yeah but not in the way that I'm hearing how different they are, plus he's just using the apollos pre's I've used my 44 with like 10 different preamps from high end to low end to vintage tube etc. Hard to tell without a direct comparison.
Just out of curiosity, do remember what you paid for the 44BX?
These days they go for around $3k!
@@colepicksvintage Thanks! I was seeing them around 5k and I thought that was a little steep. I’ve never used one, but I’ve been listening to a lot of older records lately and I’ve noticed that seemed to be the go to.
These were all industry standards in their day, and stayed in the recording studio slightly longer. They lost their appeal in television due to their large obtrusive size. They lost their appeal in radio as we shifted from announcer to dj, as they were not good with close mic work and picked up breath sounds. They still hold their own when used properly and just sound great on vocals and acoustic guitar.