Editing Microphone (section)

=== Ribbon ===
{{Main|Ribbon microphone}}
[[File:Edmund Lowe fsa 8b06653.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Edmund Lowe]] using a ribbon microphone]]

Ribbon microphones use a thin, usually corrugated metal ribbon suspended in a magnetic field. The ribbon is electrically connected to the microphone's output, and its vibration within the magnetic field generates the electrical signal. Ribbon microphones are similar to moving coil microphones in the sense that both produce sound by means of magnetic induction. Basic ribbon microphones detect sound in a [[#Bi-directional|bi-directional]] (also called figure-eight, as in the [[#Microphone polar patterns|diagram]] below) pattern because the ribbon is open on both sides.  Also, because the ribbon has much less mass, it responds to the air velocity rather than the [[sound pressure]]. Though the symmetrical front and rear pickup can be a nuisance in normal stereo recording, the high side rejection can be used to advantage by positioning a ribbon microphone horizontally, for example above cymbals, so that the rear lobe picks up sound only from the cymbals. The figure-eight response of a ribbon microphone is ideal for [[Blumlein pair]] stereo recording. Other directional patterns are produced by enclosing one side of the ribbon in an acoustic trap or baffle, allowing sound to reach only one side. The classic [[RCA Type 77-DX microphone]] has several externally adjustable positions of the internal baffle, allowing the selection of several response patterns ranging from figure-eight to unidirectional. 

A good low-frequency response in older ribbon microphones could be obtained only when the ribbon was suspended very loosely, which made them relatively fragile. Modern ribbon materials, including new [[nanomaterials]],<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/masshightech/stories/2008/02/11/story8.html |title=Local firms strum the chords of real music innovation |archive-date=2008-02-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219041634/http://www.bizjournals.com/masshightech/stories/2008/02/11/story8.html |journal=Mass High Tech: The Journal of New England Technology |date=February 8, 2008 }}</ref>{{fv |reason=Signal purity and output level, not mechanical robustness, are the claimed advantages of the new materials |date=January 2025}} have now been introduced that eliminate those concerns and even improve the effective dynamic range of ribbon microphones at low frequencies. Protective wind screens can reduce the danger of damaging a vintage ribbon, and also reduce plosive artifacts in the recording. 

In common with other classes of dynamic microphones, ribbon microphones do not require phantom power; in fact, this voltage can damage some older ribbon microphones. Some new modern ribbon microphone designs incorporate a preamplifier and, therefore, do require phantom power, and circuits of modern passive ribbon microphones (i.e. those without the aforementioned preamplifier) are specifically designed to resist damage to the ribbon and [[transformer]] by phantom power.