STOAKES GEAR TALK – SE ELECTRONICS VR2 RIBBON MIC
Over the past few months, I have been trying out sE Electronics Active Ribbon Microphone, the VR2. I only discovered this small, family run, microphone company last year when I reviewed their large diaphragm condenser, the sE 2200. Since that review, the ‘2200’ has become my ‘go to’ mic for all my interviews on Stoakes Media, plus I use it to record my weekly radio show on Radio TFSC. So, you can imagine, I was delighted when I was offered the chance to take a look at something else from the sE family.
The VR series has two variations, the VR1 and VR2; the VR1 is a passive mic, whereas the VR2 is active. Both mics perform pretty similar, but it is the active VR2 that I will be taking a look at. SE, despite being a small family run company has some quite high profile endorsee’s in the business. The company have just released a Myles Kennedy signature vocal microphone, Billy Gibbons has his own signature vocal mic too and speaking of the Reverend, when he’s out on stage, what microphones does he use on his guitar cabs? Yup, you guessed it, the VR series from sE! So, I’m in very good company.
On opening the box, I was presented with a very nice wooden effect display box that housed the microphone. There is also a heavy duty shock mount included. Opening the wooden mic display box, the box is padded with foam and has a cut out space for the mic. The mic also lives in a dust cover in the box giving it a bit more protection from the elements. sE really have taken care and put every effort into the presentation of the whole package.
Ribbon microphones back in the early days of recording were the industry standard. Everything in the 30’s and 40’s would have been recorded on a ribbon mic. Condenser microphones took over and now have become a mainstay in every studio across the world. Although, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t own a ribbon microphone as well.
The VR2 boasts an amazing frequency response, ranging from 20Hz to 20KHz, and apart from a little bit of a lift around the 5KHz area, it’s a really flat and even response. Most ribbon mics dip and lose some of the top end, so will quite often have to be blended with another microphone. This also means the sound will be darker, but the VR2 doesn’t suffer with that problem. According to the sE website, it’s the only Ribbon mic, apart from sE’s own RNR1 to achieve this. SE state “full frequency response is achieved using a clever mechanical device designed by Siwei Zou, the company CEO, and a hand-tensioned ribbon constructed by our highly specialized technicians in sE’s capsule room.”
The VR2 as I have mentioned is an active microphone. What is the benefit of having an active, rather than a passive Ribbon mic? Well, the VR2 provides more output and uses 17dB more gain than the VR1. So, if you have an audio interface that is perhaps on the cheaper side, ie not a professional grade, £1000 plus audio interface, the preamps are sometimes not the best. With the VR2, you won’t have to work the audio interface as hard and you don’t need to crank the gain up too high, therefore allowing your recordings to sound better and more natural.
The microphone offers a very accurate sound and replicates what the sound source really sounds like ‘going in’. Some mics colour the sound, sometimes making your recordings sound better, whereas the VR2 is very honest. This also means that if it sounds good at source, it will sound good on the recording. You don’t need to do lots of compression and EQ work. The mic sounds warm without injecting any of the mics individual character. You can really achieve the sound as it is in the room, which I really like.
The VR2 has a Figure of 8 directional pattern which means it rejects sounds from the side. It picks up directly from the front and rear, but if you turn it slightly off it’s axis, it also sounds good. In fact, I have seen various reviewers state that it doesn’t really matter where you place the VR2, it will sound good anywhere. I had to hear this for myself, so I recorded some acoustic guitar with the mic on and off its axis directly in front of the sound hole and at the twelfth fret.
Listen to the VR2 in front of the sound hole, directly on axis and compare it to this, at a 45 degree angle. Now listen to the same, but recorded at the 12th fret, on axis here and off axis, again at 45 degrees here. You will hear it is very, very close. There’s not a lot in in it at all. Perhaps when it’s on axis it’s a fraction better, but the differences are miniscule.
It is worth mentioning that all of the recordings were done at about a 6 inch distance away from the guitar, with no processing at all, straight into my Steinberg UR242 Audio Interface. I recorded into Cubase and again I did no EQ or Compression ‘in the box’. The input gain was set at around 11 o’clock.
The VR2 is a magnificent microphone. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy one and add it to my arsenal and I would happily pay much, much more for it too. At this price range it caters to the home studio user, but it would also be quite at home with the big boys at a professional grade studio. Should you buy one? If you like the natural realistic sound a ribbon microphone offers, then the VR2 should definitely be a consideration. It is a super quality mic that caters to most budgets that punches well above its weight!
