Stereo Blumlein Ribbon Microphone User Reviews
Johnnymanchild – Producer/Audio Engineer – Wastedspacestudio, Oklahoma USA
“…In all its glory. Already SO satisfied with this stereo ribbon from @nudemicrophones
Clean and wide and easy. AHHHH…
Carl-Magnus Consitt – Pro Drummer/Producer/Audio engineer – Sweden
"...We did a vocal recording for an Album by artist "Tomas Poppe" in Sweden today! The vocal sound from this mic is vintage & beautiful!!
We love this mic for overhead as standard, but this mic handle all sort of recordings!
The sound character is in the same league as milab, Dpa! I have worked with ortf, xy, ab, ms for many years, but this recording in blumlein gives a wide spectrum and a sound reproduction that does not color or add character! This ribbon microphone stays above our drum set as an overhead, replacing our audiotechnica 4050! World-class microphone for a price that is ridiculous!..."
Cole Shepherd - Audio Engineer - Fever Pitch Recording, Chicago USA
"...Got my Nude Stereo Ribbon microphone a few days ago. Did a shot out today between the Nude Stereo Ribbon and a Cole’s ribbon. There was a difference if you listened REALLY hard but overall I was completely wowed. Used an acoustic guitar and preferred the Nude over the Cole’s but it was very close..."
Steve Hershey - Producer. Parkway Bridge Studio, Rockhouse Productions. Syracuse, NY, USA
"...Wow! Mind blown!...I set it up over my studio drum kit and tracked it. I didn't take any time to position it nor twist it around. I just wanted to set the levels, get it loaded into my drum template of 9 mics, and form an initial plan. On playback, my heart lifted. There were the toms with the same impact I Feel when I play the drums. They had always been close-miked, and I had a bag of tricks like compression and transient shapers to try to get that vibe. But your mic, totally unaffected, was far better than any capture I had ever managed. The cymbals were warm. I'm not even sure how to deal with that, lol! I had always tried to make them sparkle. So, I had radical EQs on them, up until now. But here they are, captured by your mic, sounding brilliant and smoky, but not harsh at all. I honestly don't even know how to mentally process this new angle. The snare, weirdly, sat nicely in the background. I must have it centered between the 2 mics' polar patterns or something. That's great for me! But the biggest, jaw-dropping moment for me was the stereo field. I had always just panned stuff around until it sounded good. But this was accurate to what I hear while sitting at the kit.
I mentioned before that a few engineers who I take very seriously had told me about this mic and your company. As I've been a full-time producer for the past 22 years, I try to listen to what other studios are putting out, and I try to get to know those engineers. So, this was money well spent. You'll be getting the review you deserve. Folks really should know about this Blumlein..."
Paul “Doc” Stewart – Producer/Engineer at One Eleven Music/Musicosis Record – Partner at Studio23, Taunton UK
"...The NUDE Stereo ribbon mic turned up at the studio while we were setting up drums for a rockabilly session, so instead of the 84s or Sontronics STC-1s I usually use s overheads, I used the NUDE. I wwas really impressed with the way it handled the somewhat splashy cymbals, really giving the whole kit a cohesive feel. In the end I just used the sound from this one and a touch of RE20 on the kit.
Next up I had a psychedelic folk duo in and did most of it as stereo tracks using the NUDE on acoustic guitar, Flute aand Shuruti (an Indian drone using reeds and bellows) it gave a really sharp stereo image on all of them with a very lush and warm sound, that had a lot of detail too. I’m really impressed with both the sound and build quality of this mic. If I have any criticism it’s that threre is no clear visual clue as to which way round it is. If like me you like to keep absolute phase correct, a front mark would help. after a bit of experimentation, I put a red dot on the front, which works fine. I would recommend this mic or rather pair of mics highly and think I will will use it a lot. Probably time to get more NUDE in the studio..."
Milan Savic Drums, Serbia
"...Is the Nude Blumlein Stereo microphone the best cheap overhead ribbon mic? For $499 AUD it's a great value for money ribbon microphone as you're basically getting two microphones for the price of one. A fantastic option for drum overheads, but can be used for many other sources. This is not a sponsored video, I paid for this with my own money. https://www.nudemicrophones.com/produ... This is filmed in a 4 x 5m room with no acoustic treatment. Recorded via an Audient ID44. Shure Beta 52A used in combination with the Nude mic later in the video. No editing, EQ, compression or any plugins used in any part of this video. Panned the Nude microphone Left channel hard left and Right channel hard right (to suit video orientation). Beta 52 left unpanned in center.."
Paddy Casey - Singer/musician/Producer/Engineer, Ireland
“...This mic is great, I just plugged it in no eq and I had this cool acoustic guitar sound. It nearly feels like cheating...”
RedRockDrumsAust, Melbourne, Vic
"We love this mic, it captures a balanced round smooth tone without unnecessary harsh crisp brightness. It is beautifully musical."
Jack Butcher - Producer, Recording Engineer, Flat Jack's Sound Shack, Maclean NSW
Mark D'Angelo - Producer and in-house engineer, The Backlot Studios, South Melbourne
NUDE Microphones Stereo Blumlein Ribbon Microphone Review - Aug 2023
MIXDOWN MAGAZINE: Review
Tim McArtney - Recording and Mixing Engineer, Music Producer working from Hercules Street Studios, Studios 301, BMG Studios, Sony Music Studios
"I love NUDE Microphones. They are my first choice, and I always recommend them to both professionals — because of the sound and build — and to newcomers and hobbyists — because of the amazing price point.
Here I'm recording drummer/multi-instrumentalist Charlie Finn using a Nude Microphones Stereo Ribbon on the overheads. That's a serious microphone. It's sound is incredible. Just amazing on so many sources. I know what it clones, and I ain't paying that much for the original!
Thanks for everything, and for always building the highest quality microphones for the most affordable prices ever."
Simon Dobson - Producer - Lakehouse Audio
"The NUDE stereo ribbon mic has been a mainstay on my drum overheads for a number of years now! It’s incredibly easy to place and always gives me that full bodied sound I’m after. It also shines at accurately representing the space in a room whether on acoustic or percussive instruments. It really is a Swiss Army microphone that I use on every session!"
Messiah Studios, Sydney
"Our stereo ribbon mic is our go-to for everything! Overheads, rooms, guitar cabs, acoustic, gang vocals. Since buying the stereo ribbon, we have used it in almost every session! Thank you Nude Mics!"
Matt Sibthorpe - Recording / Mastering Engineer
"The NUDE Stereo Blumlein Ribbon Microphone is the real deal. It truly lives up to its proclaimed title as the "Swiss Army Microphone". Not only does the lush sound of two ribbons give you a classy but detailed panorama of your recording but it's added versatility means you can use it for almost anything. I've used it to record room ambience in Blumlien configuration which has given me a fantastic sounding source that required little processing.
As featured in the picture, it was used as a cheeky M/S where it's upper ribbon captured the Mid (with a hint of rear) and it's lower ribbon took care of the sides. The end result left me wondering if there was a little studio going on within the mic itself. The recording was so clear and intelligible but managed to smooth out all those hard-edged transients that you often encounter whilst recording a twangy acoustic guitar. Don't mistake this for smearing, just magic! I'll be returning again as I've no doubt NUDE microphones will find a sturdy commonplace within recording studios alongside the toughest competitors out there."
Lachlan Mitchell, Producer – Jungle Studios
“Last week recording with the incredible NUDE stereo ribbon NUDE Microphones on overheads on drums at Jungle Studios in a direct comparison to our best stereo small diaphragm condensers. NUDE ribbon wins, hands down! Thanks NUDE. Put me down for a pair of those square ribbon mics of yours! Cheers!”
Devan Sabaratnam, Musician and Recording Engineer
“Finally got around to using my stereo ribbon mic that I bought from you a few months ago - and I am blown away. Truly a great mic for my acoustic guitar recording. Pro Tip: Small positioning changes when close micing an acoustic yields some big tonal changes. I ended up putting it around the 14th fret so that the left hand finger noise etc was on the left channel, and the picking/main sound was on the right. Adjusted levels to balance.”
Egliic - producer - engineer - mixer - musician
"This is my new shower-reverb. Sounds siiiiiick! "
Nick Russell, Engineer- Kings Closet
“NUDE stereo ribbon blumlein was great for capturing bagpipes during yesterdays session. Directly above artists head, one element going over her front towards the chanter”...."Tracking Frets Patrick and his gorgeous collection of resonator guitars for the next few days. Stunning instruments. Getting good use of the NUDE Blumlein as usual."
David Pendragon, Producer & Recording Engineer
“I can honestly say that the Nude stereo ribbon is one of the very best and most usable mics you are ever going to find out there….. With careful placement using the most valuable equipment you have (your ears!) you will find some extraordinary and beautiful 'sweet' spots. I have used mine on violins, acoustic guitars, as overheads and as an area mic over a small string section. ….. Recently recorded a hammered dulcimer, a violin, a saxaphone and a tabla, each recorded using this mic set up at one point in the room one after the other as overdubs, All I did was 'walk' the instrument into its sweet spot and then let the musician play. Am I waxing lyrical? You bet. It is one of the best things I have ever bought. Next plan is to record an acoustic 5 piece band with vocalist, all in one take with JUST this mic.”
Jesus Sick, Producer
“I bought a Matched pair of Ribbon Mics & a Stereo Blumlein mic from NUDE Microphones recently. These are beautiful pieces and return incredibly high fidelity signals.Thanks Hugh - I reckon I'll be back for more soon!”
Sean Ballenden, Triple Three Productions
“We’ve used a bunch of ribbons - Coles Sontronics etc and can say this mic holds its own . Great realism great imaging i use this mic on almost every session OH BGVS Acoustic Piano Drum Room. For $500 it delivers the goods…. Killer mic. Highly recommended ….Also own the Nude Square Ribbons nothing but great results.”
Mark “Sparky” Paltridge, Producer - Spark1 Studios
“Tracking congas this week at Spark 1 Studios..... Many thanks to Hugh Covill from Nude Microphones, cause his stereo ribbon mic rocks! Best conga sound ever!”
Jeff Lester, Recording Engineer
“I just want to say, your blumlein stereo mic, I never would have recorded with it as a stereo room mic before, but since I started, I cannot see myself recording without it as a stereo room mic ever again. This thing adds so much body and warmth to a drum kit, it's literally like taking the pillows off the kit, worth well more than what you charge for it!”
Peter Carolane, Recording Engineer
“I use this mic for drum overheads going through Sebatron VMP-2000evu pres - it's such a lush and pleasing tone. The best kept secret in ribbon mics.”