AEA R88 Mk 2 Stereo Ribbon Microphone

  • $ 2,299.00


AEA R88 Mk2 in stock at Tidepool!  

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The stereo R88 Mk2 ribbon mic captures sound as your ears hear it, with an honest and open tonality. The R88 effortlessly records complex sources like drums, strings, piano, and other instruments that can produce intricate transients, harsh highs, and bellowing lows.

The stereo R88 MkII ribbon mic captures a space as it sounds live and in person, with all the present subtlety and nuance. Its expansive frequency response and balanced low end make it superbly effective when capturing the full breadth of sound from the back of a room or above a drum set.

Alongside the mono AEA N8, it boasts the widest frequency range of any mic in the AEA lineup and effortlessly manages more complex source audio like drums, strings, piano, and other instruments that produce intricate transients, harsher highs, and bellowing lows. The Blumlein configuration of the ribbons allows for a sweeping range of perspective, so an entire ensemble and room can be captured by the R88 alone.

The R88mk2 is the engineer’s secret weapon, offering a level of detail and balance in recording like no other microphone available. Packaged in a sleek, five-pound black shell designed for quick setup, it’s an excellent choice for remote recording.

Particularly well suited for rock, roots, classical, Americana and jazz genres, the R88mk2 has such versatility that engineers use it as their one mic to capture an entire band performing live in the same room. There is a reason that legendary Blackbird Studios in Nashville owns five R88s!

  • Features two Big Ribbons™ in a fixed Blumlein and mid-side configuration
  • Astonishingly open and natural sound
  • Far-field ribbon mic designed to retain low end and top end at a distance
  • Stereo passive version of the AEA N8
  • Made in the U.S.A.

"THE AEA R88 HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT PART OF MY DRUM RECORDING TECHNIQUE FOR THE 6 YEARS OR MORE. IT’S BEEN ON EVERY SESSION FROM ALANIS MORISSETTE TO JASON MRAZ AND FROM THE STROKES TO THE WHITE STRIPES. IT HANDLES HIGH LEVELS WELL.  IT’S TONE IS WARM BUT WITH WITH GREAT DETAIL AND TAKES WELL TO HEAVY PROCESSING.  I WOULDN’T BE WITHOUT IT ON A TRACKING SESSION."

Joe Chiccarelli (The White Stripes, The Strokes, Morrissey)