R88 Series

R88 Series Microphone Overview

R88 Series ribbon mics capture sound as your ears hear it, with an honest and open tonality. The R88 and R88A effortlessly record complex sources like drums, strings, piano, and other instruments that produce intricate transients, harsher highs, and bellowing lows.

Features two Big Ribbons™ in a fixed Blumlein and mid-side configuration

Astonishingly open and natural sound

Far-field ribbon mic designed to retain low end and top end at a distance

Stereo version of the AEA N8

Active R88A version has 12dB level increase and is optimized for all preamps

Made in the U.S.A.

A Stereo Microphone Like Your Own Ears

The stereo R88 captures a space as it sounds live and in person, with all the present subtlety and nuance. Its expansive frequency response and balanced low end make it superbly effective when capturing the full breadth of sound from the back of a room or above a drum set.

Alongside the mono AEA N8, it boasts the widest frequency range of any mic in the AEA lineup and effortlessly manages more complex source audio like drums, strings, piano, and other instruments that produce intricate transients, harsher highs, and bellowing lows. The Blumlein configuration of the ribbons allows for a sweeping range of perspective, so an entire ensemble and room can be captured by the R88 alone.

The R88A retains the same sonic character of the R88 but offers an additional 12dB of output and a stable impedance that allows flexibility when recording quiet sources through any preamp.

The Engineer’s Secret Weapon

R88 Series mics are an engineer’s secret weapon, offering a level of detail and balance in recording like no other microphone available. Packaged in a sleek, 2.6 pound black shell designed for quick setup, it’s an excellent choice for remote recording.

Particularly well suited for the rock, roots, classical, Americana and jazz genres, R88 Series microphones have such versatility that engineers like John Cuniberti use it as their one mic to capture an entire band performing live in the same room. There is a reason that legendary Blackbird Studios in Nashville owns five R88s.