AEAs KU4 is one of the most useful and unique ribbon microphones in the world. Its supercardioid polar pattern rejects bleed from other instruments and reflections in the room while retaining matchless top-end clarity. As the brightest mic in the AEA line, it retains the full spectrum sonic range that has made ribbon mics a staple in most of the worlds great recording studios.The KU4s minimal proximity effect and accented mid-range make it an exceptional vocal mic that captures the presence and detail of a performance. Its near-field nature also lends to the close range recording of kick drums, strings, and woodwinds, providing a welcome brightness and balance in the mix. THE NEAR-FIELD SUPERCARDIOID The KU4s supercardioid polar pattern enables it to capture direct sound from a vocalist or instrument without room tone. This is an advantage when tracking musicians live in the same room or when used live on stage.With most figure-of-eight patterned ribbons, mic positioning can require a finesse to avoid other sources using the microphones nulls. The KU4 has none of these limitations. Being anear-fieldribbon microphone, the microphone was designed to be positioned between one and 18 inches from the source. The micsproximity effectkicks in six inches away from the sound source. It can be placed close to an instrument while retaining a balanced frequency response. Unlike most traditional ribbon mics, think the KU4s placement should be thought in terms of inches instead of feet. Of course, the KU4 can also be positioned at some distance from the sound source. It will just have a more balanced sound from up close. The KU4 can handle 140 dB SPL at 1 kHz. That means it will not be hurt by loud sound sources. A REINVENTION OF A CLASSIC MOTION PICTURE MICROPHONE The KU4 is aredesign of the legendary RCA KU3A, a unidirectional microphone originally designed for boom use in Hollywood motion picture studios. It was RCAs most expensive ribbon microphone and fewer than 600 units were ever manufactured. The KU3A combined the smooth ribbon sound of the classic RCA 44 with a unidirectional pattern, a wide sweet spot, and reduced proximity bass boost. It expanded the engineers range of placement choices and became a standard at film studios throughout the world. Today, the KU3A is a rare collectors item and only a handful of studios or rental houses own them. Original KU3As are notorious for their sonic inconsistencies due to production tolerances that included the use of the thick hair of English cows as a damping material. At AEA, we engineered our KU4 from the ground up in order to recreate this seminal design while ensuring flawless consistency from unit to unit. Since the KU4 is a classic passive ribbon microphone, the preamp is critical for optimum performance. Preamp gain should be at least 60dB or higher and the preamp should have a very high impedance. Its the same requirement with all passive ribbon mics. To guarantee consistent, full-range ribbon sound, we recommend AEAsRPQ2,RPQ500andTRP2preamps, which were specially designed for ribbon microphones. However, preamps with above a 5K ohm impedance found in many live soundboards are adequate for guitar amps and other louder instruments. On quiet sound sources or for distance recording, an AEA preamp is highly recommended. KU4 MICROPHONE OVERVIEW Supercardioid polar pattern, rejecting bleed and ambient room reflections Extended top end with classic ribbon smoothness Near-field ribbon mic with reduced proximity effect for close-miking AEAs redesign of RCAs legendary KU3A Made in the USA Reviews There are no reviews yet. Be the first to review “AEA KU4 Unidirectional Ribbon Microphone” Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Your rating * Rate… Perfect Good Average Not that bad Very poor Your review *Name * Email * Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
