RCA 44-BX Ribbon Mic (Used)

Bi-directional ribbon mic. Brown finish in beautiful condition. Sounds great. Perfect for mono drums, old school vocals, traditional recording techniques.

Rich Lows. Silky smooth mids and highs. A very natural sounding microphone, and a must for every collection - from RCA, the inventors of the ribbon mic.

History

The RCA 44-BX microphone is a high-fidelity ribbon (or "velocity") type mic that was originally designed for broadcast studio use. It has a basically flat frequency response from 50 Hz to 15 kHz, the chassis is built to absorb mechanical shocks, the output transformer is shielded against magnetic fields, and the capsule is resistant to changes in humidity and temperature. Due to these characteristics the 44-BX quickly became a popular favorite in recording studios and radio booths, due to its rugged construction and reliable operation; it remained an industry standard for many years, from it's introduction in 1932 until well into the 50s. This a tough workhorse of a mic.

A ribbon mic works by suspending a thin piece of corrugated aluminum, (the 'ribbon'), between two poles of an Alnico magnet. The compression and rarefaction of air vibrates this ribbon in the magnetic field, which creates voltage changes that are run through an output transformer to the external amplifier of your choice. Like a dynamic mic, a ribbon requires no tubes, batteries or power supply of any kind. It does, however, require ample amounts of gain from a mic preamplifier.

The 44 BX was a very popular mic in the early days of EMI Studios at Abbey Road, although it was rarely used by the time of the Beatles era. It did, however, get pressed into service to mic John Lennon's distinctive vocal on 'Yer Blues' from the White Album.