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AEA KU4 Ribbon Microphone  From AEA

Unidirectional Studio Ribbon Mic from Wes Dooley at AEA!

AEA

$5,999.00

"Experience the Difference"

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AEA KU4 Ribbon Mic - Unidirectional Polar Pattern - AES 2011

The KU4 Ribbon Microphone, from Wes Dooley and the Audio Engineering Associates at AES 2011, is an incredible supercardioid Ribbon Mic. It does not have the typical figure eight polar pattern like other ribbons. Listen to how smooth it sounds through AEA's RPQ 500 series preamp. The KU 4 has a suppressed rear lobe, which reduces unwanted room ambience, and it also has a reduced bass proximity effect. For more information on this great new microphone, perfect for any modern studio production, call SoundPure today. 919.682.5552.

Manufacturer's Description from AEA

How is the KU4 different?

The KU4 is unmistakeably a ribbon microphone, with a characteristically smooth ribbon sound. Like other ribbons, its lightly-tensioned, ultra low mass ribbon has a frequency response beyond 20 kHz, an accurate transient response, and no upper midrange resonances common to large condenser mics.

However, having a supercardioid instead of a figure-eight polar response pattern mics sets it apart from other ribbon mics. The KU4's supressed rear lobe reduces the pickup of room ambience and is especially useful when the rear of a figure-eight pattern would pick up undesirable sounds. The KU4's reduced bass proximity effect facilitates closer micing while its low-tuned ribbon will not exhibit bass distortion. These characteristics make the KU4 well-suited for modern studio production.

The Legacy of the RCA KU3A

The KU4 is a re-envisioning of the legendary RCA KU3A, a unidirectional microphone originally designed for the Hollywood movie studios. It combined the smooth ribbon sound of a 44 with a unidirectional pattern, wide sweet spot and reduced bass proximity effect. It became a standard at film studios around the world because it expanded an engineer's range of placement choices. Today, however, the KU3A is a collector's item, and few studios or rental houses own them. AEA is proud to put this microphone back into the hands of modern users.

The KU4 is your ticket to discovering why RCA unidirectional ribbon microphones have been used in professional studios for over 60 years. AEA is honored to play a part in its history, and invites you to listen to the KU4 and claim your part of this legacy.

AEA

About Manufacturer

Wes Dooley's longtime passion for audio has infused his company, Audio Engineering Associates (AEA), with a well balanced blend of creativity and technical expertise for forty years. At the core of AEA is a genuine interest in the art and science of audio. From areas as diverse as forensic audio and microphone design, Wes' passion for audio has led him all over the world, from recording experiences in Europe, Africa, and New Zealand, to the courtrooms of Los Angeles as a forensic audio and video expert witness. Such experiences have led Wes to design products which help resolve problems commonly encountered by recording engineers. His portable recording tools including, multi-channel microphone arrays, MS stereo processors, stereo phase displays and very tall microphone stands, have all made on-site recording far more feasible. Despite his contributions to on-location recording, Wes is best known for his pursuit of excellence in ribbon microphone technology. After two decades of representing and servicing the BBC 4038 in the United States, he began to experiment with his own ribbon microphones. During the last decade Wes became aware of the increasing scarcity of R44's and other ribbon microphones. In 1998, responding to this need, Wes re-introduced the 44 much to the thrill of many in the recording industry. Les Paul told Wes that AEA's R44 is his favorite microphone and engineer/producers such as Bruce Swedien, Kevin Bacon, and Shawn Murphy routinely use AEA's R44. Even without such critical acclaim the numbers speak for themselves. Over half of the movies scored in Los Angeles have a 44 somewhere on the scoring stage. Building off of his successful reintroduction of the R44, in 2002 Wes designed and began producing an original ribbon mic, the AEA R84. His groundbreaking work with ribbon microphones helped him to secure the Audio Engineering Society (AES) Silver Medal Award in the fall of 2003. This award, established by the AES in 1971, in honor of audio pioneers Alexander Graham Bell, Emile Berliner, and Thomas A. Edison, is given in recognition of outstanding development or achievement in the field of audio engineering. Wes has also co-authored two AES Journal articles about stereo microphone techniques, chaired workshops on mic techniques and mixing strategies for compatible multiple releases for cinema, broadcast and home video, and has presented section meetings on stereo techniques and forensic audio. He is involved with AES standards work and currently serves on the SC-03-12 Working Group on Forensic Audio and SC-04-04 Working Group on Microphone Measurement and Characterization.

Downloads

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KU4 Manual

KU4 Tech Sheet