sE Electronics guitaRF Reflexion Filter  From sE

Not just for live sound.

The guitaRF is equally useful in the studio as well - in fact, when the original Reflexion Filter PRO debuted in 2006, Sound on Sound magazine had this to say:

"I used the Reflexion Filter as a mini-gobo, which made the guitar sound as if it was about half an inch from your face. In my view this product really makes it that bit easier to get a 'pro-studio' sound at home."

- Steve Levine, Sound On Sound (June '06)

...and not just for guitars either.

ACOUSTIC GUITARS

When you're tracking a singer-songwriter, oftentimes you get the best performance if they sing and play at the same time. But if you want to edit, overdub, or process the vocals and guitars separately - e.g. with delay on one but not the other - it can be challenging if there's too much vocal bleed into the guitar tracks, or vice versa.

With the guitaRF, you can double-mic the acoustic with your favorite small-diaphragm condenser like our sE5 for a crisp high-end, and a ribbon mic like our X1 R for a thick, rich midrange. Then you can angle the guitaRF underneath your vocal mic, and keep the singer's voice from being picked up by either of your guitar mics.

TIP: Try panning your two guitar mics for a wider acoustic guitar spread in a sparse mix.

KICK DRUM (OUTSIDE + INSIDE)

The guitaRF's included base stand is a perfect height for kick drum. To help keep room or stage bleed out of your outside kick mic, try setting it up anywhere from right in front of the drum head to several feet back.

If you're feeling adventurous, you can remove the rubber-finned pass-through grip (just push it through from the hard back side of the filter towards the foam-lined inside), stick a mic stand boom arm through the hole, and get an inside kick mic AND an outside kick mic in place (see photos below).

TIP: Mounting the guitaRF on a mic stand also allows you to angle it, which may help decrease bleed from the snare and high-hat.

SNARE DRUM

Too much high-hat getting into your snare drum mic? Mount the guitaRF on a mic stand's boom arm, and position it at an angle between the snare and high-hat to reduce the hat bleed into your snare tracks. Then use your favorite dynamic or small-diaphragm condenser (inserted through the guitaRF's pass-through hole) on your snare as usual.

UPRIGHT BASS

The best way to record a bluegrass band or small jazz ensemble is almost always in a single room, playing together. Some bleed between sources can be fine - and can even help gel the tracks together - but sometimes you want a little more isolation.

This can be especially challenging with upright bass. The guitaRF is perfect for double-miking an acoustic bass and keeping the drums, guitar, and singer out of these mics. You can even try angling one mic towards an F-hole and another towards the bridge for blending purposes.

TIP: Try a condenser and a ribbon for a great blend of crisp highs and full, natural lows.

EVERYTHING ELSE

Remember - there's no "wrong" way to use the guitaRF. If you just need to keep the sound of a room out of your recording, it will help with that. If you just need to quickly double-mic something, it will help with that. Feel free to experiment, and try it on any source you like!

THE HARDWARE

The LDC/ribbon mounting hardware is adjustable across three axes - vertical, depth, and lateral - so you can find the perfect spot for any mic, whether in a shockmount or just on a clip.

This allows you to position both capsules perfectly in phase - or to spread them apart to capture the sounds of both the edge of the cone and the dust cap.

The entire filter + mic assembly can also be moved up and down to position it precisely over the perfect spot on the speaker cone - or, if needed, the filter can be removed from its base and mounted on any mic stand for complete flexibility.

THE FILTER

Acoustically, the guitaRF is very similar to our best-selling RF-X, with a four-layer acoustic filter design comprised of the vented outer composite panel, a layer of acoustic-grade wool, an air gap to help with low-frequency isolation, and an inner acoustic foam layer.

The guitaRF also has an integrated pass-through hole with a rubber-finned grip that securely holds just about any dynamic or small-capsule mic on the market.

A double-cable clip is also provided that screws in to the back of the filter, so you don't need to worry about dangling mic cables that could accidentally tug your mics out of position.

Get your mics placed perfectly. Get the sounds you want. Get that stage bleed out of your ribbons. Get a guitaRF.