RM-5 Ribbon Microphone Kit

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

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.

• Assembly Manual
• Getting Started With DIY