soundchaser59 said:
That's not necessarily true. Aside from the fact that ribbons are actually a type dynamic microphone (the other type being "moving coil" which is more commonly referred to as a "Dynamic"), a ribbon microphone has it's own type of sound that may or may not work for everyone. Plus, they are usually somewhat fragile. I've used many different types of ribbon mics, from vintage RCA's and Altecs, to newer Royers and Crowley &Tripps, to cheap chinese made ribbons. I find that most of the cheaper ribbons can sound kind of "plastic-y" and fake, and would much rather use a dynamic mic in most cases. Occasionally, I'll find a source that a cheaper ribbon works well on, but I'll always combine it with an additional dynamic mic.
I guess the lesson here is that microphones are one of the only things where money doesn't really matter. Just because one might cost less then another, doesn't mean that it sounds any worse. In fact, the less expensive mic might be better suited for the intended application.
Case and point: a vintage Telefunken Ela M 251 sells for anywhere from $15k-$25k, a Shure SM57 sells for $99. I guarantee you that more great guitar sounds have been captured with a $99 57 than with a $20k 251.
