The R-122 Mk II Live is a road-optimized version of our phantom powered R-122 Mk II ribbon microphone. The R-122 Mk II Live's output is on par with phantom powered condenser mics and it produces the warm, realistic sounds that only ribbon mics can deliver. Along with its smooth, natural response, the R-122 Mk II Live virtually eliminates the shrill high-end often encountered with live guitars, brass and drum cymbals. Push up the faders and there's the instrument in all its fullness, minus the peaky highs that FOH and Monitor engineers spend so much of their careers fighting.
The R-122 Mk II Live contains a fully balanced, discrete head amplifier system utilizing a specially wound toroidal transformer and ultra-low noise FET's. This system is extremely quiet, can handle 135 dB SPL, and brings the R-122's sensitivity to -37 dB. The R-122 Mk II Live can be used on extremely long cable runs with minimal RF interference and signal loss, and the ribbon element cannot be damaged by phantom power, miswired cables or electrical glitches.
The R-122 Mk II Live is visually differentiated by its red logo. The ribbon element thickness is increased from 2.5-microns to 4-microns, giving the microphone greater durability and a slightly reduced high end response. Highs are often rolled off in live performances, but due to the R-122 Live's exceptionally smooth high frequency response, it needs far less eq'ing than is usually required with condenser and dynamic microphones.
The R-122 Mk II Live is backed with Royer's lifetime warranty to the original owner, and the first re-ribbon is free. We expect it to work as hard as you do, so we stand behind it the whole way. As with any high end microphone, proper storage during transit and careful handling during setup and breakdown is key to keeping the microphone in good working order.
Figure-8's On Stage
The R-122 Mk II Live's pickup pattern is figure-8, which can be used to control stage bleed with great effect. Side rejection in the null points is strong - position the mics "ears" to face the offending instrument(s) and bleed will be virtually eliminated. The top and bottom of the microphone are also null points. If monitors are in close proximity to the rear side of the microphone, a positioning adjustment can place the monitors output in the mic's null, isolating the monitor from the mic's pickup areas.