Audio Engineering Associates' popular R44C Studio Ribbon Microphone is a copy of the venerable RCA 44 microphone... right down to the original ribbon material and original dimensions of the brass grille and body. This microphone has now been upgraded to the R44CX with the addition of 6dB more output level.

The historical bane of ribbon mic users has always been a lack of sufficient output level leading to less than the best signal-to-noise performance. This becomes really important when recording quieter instruments during classical, string and scoring sessions. The recording engineer will have to relie on more microphone pre-amplifier gain to achieve proper recording levels.

This was not a big problem in the "good 'ol analog days" since generally the recording systems and media (disc cutters then analog tape) were noisier, masking any additional noise anyway. Today, with super quiet digital recordings, all extraneous noise must be avoided. The added 6dB of level means that the mic's better signal-to-noise makes the need of extra gain not as important. This will allow the engineer to use ribbon mics more often for warmer and richer sounds that the old RCA and some other models were famous.