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Life's the same, moving in stereo" . . . so said the Cars, way back in 1978. And it holds true today: Stereo audio rules the roost (despite surround inroads). But many of us are still capturing mono tracks, or creating stereo using multiple mics. For many situations, a single stereo mic might be a better tool. That's where Royer's SF- 24 comes in.
The SF-24 is based on Royer's stereo SF-12 coincident ribbon microphone. It features a pair of figure-8 patterned capsules, positioned one above the other at a 90-degree angle. It uses a thinner (1.8-micron) ribbon than Royer's popular R-121 and R-122 mics, making it a bit more detailed and sensitive, but at the expense of slightly more fragility. But before you decide the SF-24 is "fragile," note that it's still rated to handle sound pressure levels as high as 130dB without problems - impressive for a ribbon. (For a review of the SF-12, see the September '00 issue. The mono version, the SF-1, was reviewed in March '02.)
So if the SF-24 is so similar - in fact, identical - to the SF- 12, what's the point? There's one other detail: The SF-24 is an active ribbon, meaning that it has a built-in preamp, just like a condenser mic. (Almost all...