Artur Fischer's RM-5 is a classic, figure-8 ribbon microphone featuring modern, custom-designed components manufactured in Latvia. The RM-5 shares the warm and rounded tonal qualities associated with its vintage counterparts. However, at it's core the RM-5 is simply an exceptional transducer, capturing every source, from gritty electric guitars to hushed vocals, in a way that is natural, detailed, and balanced. The RM-5 features the same stainless steel body and gold-plated XLR connector as the flagship RM-6 Ribbon Microphone. To purchase the RM-5 outside of the US and Canada, please visit the DIY Audio Components Store. Features: RE-254 ribbon transducer made of 2.5µm Japanese aluminum foil and neodymium magnets Custom RTP-35 transformer designed specifically to complement the RE-254 ribbon Microphone body machined in Latvia of hand-selected stainless steel and matte polished for Bumblebee Pro's signature finish Custom XLR recepticle with gold-plated pins for decades of reliability DIY Friendly The RM-5 kit is designed for beginners—you don't need any mic-building experience to successfully complete the build. The required tools are a soldering iron, some solder, and a hex wrench (Allen Key) set. The entire assembly includes only six solder joints. To ensure world-class performance, the kit comes with the RE-254 ribbon transducer pre-assembled and hand tuned. And finally, the kit is backed up by our friendly Guaranteed Support. Kit Includes: A shock mount is not included. The SM-28 is sold separately here. RE-254 ribbon transducer (pre-assembled) RTP-35 transformer Stainless steel microphone body and mounting hardware XLR insert with gold-plated pins What is the difference between the RM-5 and RM-6 DIY Ribbon Mic kits? The RM-5 and RM-6 are two different designs, they just share the same type of body. The main differences are: RM-5 is a big ribbon mic with a 2″ ribbon; RM-6 is a small ribbon mic with a 1″ ribbon As is typical for shorter ribbons; RM-6 has less distortion and sounds more "natural" RM-6 has a slightly flatter frequency response than the RM-5 RM-6 has significantly higher output signal level, at least +3dB higher than RM-5 RM-6 has much lower magnetic flux leakage; there is practically no attraction between two microphones standing side by side RM-6 motor comes with a 1.2u ribbon, while the RM-5 motor comes with a 2.5u ribbon RM-6 comes with RTX-28 toroidal transformer optimized for thinner foil gauges Audio The samples below demonstrate the RM-5 on a range of sources. The acoustic guitar was mic'ed with RM-5s at the bridge and 12th fret. Electric guitars were double tracked; the "Soft Overdrive" was mic'ed with the RM-5 8" from the driver, on-axis while the "Hard Overdrive" was mic'ed with the RM-5 10" from the driver, slightly off-axis. The accordian was recorded with the RM-5's in a Blumlein pair configuration about 2' from the instrument. The brass quintet and church organ were recorded in The Netherlands by Jo Smeets in a Blumlein configuration. The harmonica was recorded with the RM-5 about 8" from the instrument. Docs Assembly Manual Getting Started With DIY
