WA-44 Studio Ribbon Mic Deep Dive with Founder Bryce Young

Рет қаралды 135,285

Күн бұрын

Additional Sound Samples & Product Info:
warmaudio.com/wa-44/
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Enjoy this product deep dive with founder Bryce Young that covers the history & inspiration from the original 44-style microphone, the sound profile & best applications, and full component overview!
The WA-44 faithfully recreates the most iconic studio ribbon microphone of all time. Just like the legendary RCA 44BX ribbons of the 1930s loved by crooners, band leaders, drummers, upright bassists, producers and more, the WA-44 delivers powerful bass with a pronounced proximity effect, lush mids, and a tamed top end.
The WA-44 excels on loud audio source and delivers the iconic warm, vintage, & sultry tones, which is what made the original the mic of choice for some of the most legendary vocalists including Elvis Presley, Ella Fitzgerald, Jeff Tweedy, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash and many more. With elite build quality and vintage-matched, premium components, the WA-44 faithfully captures the iconic tonal experience at the center of recording and broadcast history.
With a boutique-quality build and design, the WA-44 is manufactured with exacting quality standards to match the most prized original 1930s-era RCA 44BX vintage mics. The WA-44 ribbon is 99.1% aluminum, true-to-length, 2.5 microns-thick, and custom-crafted in Japan.
Paired with the ribbon is a heavy, true-to-size Neodymium magnet designed to create a strong magnetic field capable of delivering nuances and detail in the midrange.
The ribbon and magnet are powered by a USA-made CineMag transformer built to reproduce true-to-vintage tone with added modern reliability. Weighing in at over six pounds, the WA-44 revives this classic design with a premium build of intricate and rugged metal work that is ready for every day studio use and abuse.
The WA-44 Includes an attached Star-Quad shielded Gotham XLR cable connector, embroidered protective mic sock, and molded case. Add in that all WA-44s are carefully hand-inspected & tested at Warm Audio Headquarters in Austin, Texas and what remains is truly an unprecedented value for a premium ribbon microphone.
#WarmAudio #WA44 #Microphone #StudioMic #RibbonMic #StudioLife #Recording #RecordingStudio #MicDemo #RecordingDemo #NewRelease #AnalogGear #analog
0:00 - History & Product Overview
2:29 - Sound Profile
4:40 - Features & Components

Пікірлер: 27

@drakewatkins2624 2 ай бұрын

Dam that things gonna swamp the competition I can already tell I’m calling it now 🔥 can’t wait to get one

@JuanNungaray 2 ай бұрын

🤦🏻‍♂️🤣🤣🤣🤣

@idleplaythingspedals 2 ай бұрын

I feel like a big opportunity was missed not doing the whole voiceover with the WA-44, get that little lav outta here

@user-it9wy7wh5h Ай бұрын

قل🎉🎉😢

@borisgrigull7772 2 ай бұрын

Ribbon mikes are awesome, I have many, I might need a few more now....

@marvinbell7007 2 ай бұрын

WA does it again. Home Run and I'm gonna get me one!!

@TheJTish 2 ай бұрын

I will have a pair. Thank you!

@DaveMcCall 2 ай бұрын

Looks great, Bryce! Can't wait to hear it in person.

@WhiteHeat-yd6zm Ай бұрын

Great sales job. I will own one.

@koenraadfoesters 2 ай бұрын

Ribbon mics need high impedance in order to work right, low impedance will do weird stuff to the low end respons of the mic instead of giving more top end. It actually becomes more damped, because the movement of the ribbon is restricted ... The ribbon mic already has a very low impedance output, matching that on the input just messes with the sound. You need a preamp thats more than 1k to 10k or even more (the higher, the more true to the respons of the mic). For example: a triton fethead with a impedance of 22k ohm will brighten up your sound.

@WarmAudioOfficial 2 ай бұрын

You have a great point! There are some layers to the discussion that are important to consider as well. When referring to microphone preamp input impedance it's important to call out the type of preamp architecture. Some research suggests that ribbons perform very well when connected to high impedance preamp inputs with no input transformer. With that said, classically built transformer balanced preamps can respond very differently to ribbons, and all of Warm Audio's preamps are referenced are transformer balanced. One example of a very commonplace preamp used in the 1950's and 1960's for ribbons was the Ampex 351 tape recorder which had a 50, 150 and 250 ohms transformer balanced microphone inputs allowing the engineer to choose between 3 impedance settings. This preamp was designed primarily to be used with ribbon microphones and could gain a ribbon mic incredibly well with up to 90dB of gain. The Ampex 351 was used by many greats like Les Paul & Elvis Presley. Because the input transformer isolates the ribbon mic's signal from the impedance of the preamp's circuit on the secondary side of the input transformer, the primary ohms input transformer spec (of the preamp) can be different from what's often referred to as an input impedance spec on a transformerless mic preamp design. In other words: when a passive ribbon mic's output is directly mating to another transformer at the input of a preamp, the ribbon mic will often perform better and with more high end detail when the primary impedance of that preamp input transformer is lower, not higher. On the flip side, if a mic preamp has no input transformer and uses "transformerless" architecture the result can be the exact opposite depending on the transformerless preamp design. Another thing to note is that sometimes preamp manufacturers can provide a transformer input impedance spec that differs from their "rated input impedance" spec. For example there are preamps on the market that use input transformers that are electrically 150 ohms on their primary side, which is the side that connects to the microphone, but in other literature by the very same manufacturer that preamp will be listed at 1500 ohms rated input impedance. Hope this helps to provide a bit of a deeper clarification of where we're coming from with the impedance info!

@meistudiony 2 ай бұрын

Hey, Hate to be the "but actually" guy here but, ribbon mics need HIGH impedance. Low impedance on a ribbon mic can drastically cut the low end response of the mic, depending on how low it is. This is why AEA makes the RPQ and TRP with ultra high impedance (over 10k). It doesn't effect the top end. A low impedance will also lower the output level of the mic. That being said... I'm calling my rep now to see about preordering one of these. Looks fantastic!

@kidgloves2 2 ай бұрын

Interesting, but I’m ordering one too lol

@WarmAudioOfficial 2 ай бұрын

You are not wrong! There are some layers to the conversation we consider with impedance though. When referring to microphone preamp input impedance it's important to call out the type of preamp architecture. Some research suggests that ribbons perform very well when connected to high impedance preamp inputs with no input transformer. With that said, classically built transformer balanced preamps can respond very differently to ribbons, and all of Warm Audio's preamps are referenced are transformer balanced. One example of a very commonplace preamp used in the 1950's and 1960's for ribbons was the Ampex 351 tape recorder which had a 50, 150 and 250 ohms transformer balanced microphone inputs allowing the engineer to choose between 3 impedance settings. This preamp was designed primarily to be used with ribbon microphones and could gain a ribbon mic incredibly well with up to 90dB of gain. The Ampex 351 was used by many greats like Les Paul & Elvis Presley. Because the input transformer isolates the ribbon mic's signal from the impedance of the preamp's circuit on the secondary side of the input transformer, the primary ohms input transformer spec (of the preamp) can be different from what's often referred to as an input impedance spec on a transformerless mic preamp design. In other words: when a passive ribbon mic's output is directly mating to another transformer at the input of a preamp, the ribbon mic will often perform better and with more high end detail when the primary impedance of that preamp input transformer is lower, not higher. On the flip side, if a mic preamp has no input transformer and uses "transformerless" architecture the result can be the exact opposite depending on the transformerless preamp design. Another thing to note is that sometimes preamp manufacturers can provide a transformer input impedance spec that differs from their "rated input impedance" spec. For example there are preamps on the market that use input transformers that are electrically 150 ohms on their primary side, which is the side that connects to the microphone, but in other literature by the very same manufacturer that preamp will be listed at 1500 ohms rated input impedance. Hope this helps to provide a bit of a deeper clarification of where we're coming from with the impedance info!

@meistudiony 2 ай бұрын

@@WarmAudioOfficial kinda… they used to try to match impedance before they understood how the dynamic elements relate to it. So if a mic was 150ohms they thought they needed to use a 150ohm input impedance at the pre. While it “works” it doesnt give the full range of the microphone. (This is also the reason why almost all old analog gear had 600ohm output). Its very easy to load an input, so while a transformer could be 150 ohms, the extra loading could certainly bring the input up to 1500 or whatever they decide to do. Its essentially the same as how they load a non transformer input. The mic doesnt care how its loaded, it’s basic ohms law at work. As far as the transformer goes, when i was making my impedance video, i was baffled at why a lower impedance transformer setting was resulting in a higher output. Then i realized that the lower impedance setting was a higher ratio than the high impedance. Apparently this is easily confused for a lower impedance input resulting in stronger output, but the frequency response doesnt lie. The bass is still diminished.

@chicnwafflesband 2 ай бұрын

Love this Bryce! I want one .... Gimeeeeee, gimeeeee lol. 😊

@TiqueO6 2 ай бұрын

Any chance of choice of ribbon thickness? I tend to prefer a lighter ribbon 1.8 µm or less. Looks like a beautifully thought out piece though, and I enjoy my Warm Audio products a lot!

@WarmAudioOfficial 2 ай бұрын

Hey there! Ours is 99.1% aluminum, true-to-length, 2.5 microns-thick.

@nickdual Ай бұрын

I subscribed

@danstenhouse 2 ай бұрын

TAKE MY MONEY!!! Beautiful mic, look forward to hearing some reviews.

@WarmAudioOfficial 2 ай бұрын

A few demos & reviews available now! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b65gdd1j1LHXaGg.html

@joibjalla Ай бұрын

That mic looks so freaking cool 😍

@jamieremus277 2 ай бұрын

Wow, that looks amazing. You really did it up right and designed it to pay homage to a classic piece of audio history. Well done! Jamie 😀🇨🇦

@roberthunt1540 2 ай бұрын

This is gonna stir up a hornet's nest on Gearspace. Can't wait to hear what some pros think of it. It's quite pretty, but looks can be deceiving. Let's hope her personality is as good as her figure.