"Ribbon microphones have always been prized for their warm sound quality, but their delicate nature has limited their use to controlled conditions," said Scott Sullivan, Shure's senior director of global product management. "We knew there was demand for ribbon microphones that could be used in a much broader range of applications."
The KSM353 and KSM313 use a new patented ribbon material known as Roswellite, which offers higher tensile strength and more resilient shape-memory properties than a traditional foil ribbon, says the company.
"Our recent acquisition of Crowley and Tripp ribbon microphones provided us with this opportunity," added Sullivan. "There is a general perception in the marketplace that ribbon microphones aren't durable enough to handle high SPL applications, like being closely miked on drums or a guitar cabinet on stage. That's the great thing about Roswellite ribbons. This material is incredibly resilient and enables these mics to be used, not only in the studio, but also in these high SPL applications."
While conventional ribbon microphones can be damaged by loud sounds, the 'shape memory' of Roswellite ribbons enables it to withstand very high sound pressure levels over extended periods of time without damage.
"We chose to maintain the two Crowley and Tripp Roswellite models, the El Diablo and the Naked Eye, and bring them into our KSM portfolio as the KSM353 and KSM313," said Chad Wiggins, Shure's category manager for wired products. "We're manufacturing these models true to the original Crowley and Tripp design using the same production process, fixtures, tooling, and materials."
(Jim Evans)
