Hello again, just though I’d post a recent update on my quest to make re-ribboning a ribbon microphone easier.

This time up, a Ribbon Tuner (Tensioner) jig. This has interchangeable carriers for different ribbon microphone trusses. So far I’ve made Carriers for Rick’s (http://www.diyribbonmic.com/parts/) truss, in addition to carriers for an MXL R80 and an MXL R144 ribbon microphone. This way you can print one jig, and then use a carrier for your specific mic.

This acts as both a jig to help you install and properly align a ribbon in the trust, in addition to allowing you to fix one end of the ribbon, and have the other end affixed on a moving end, to allow you to use a screw to move the moving end to put tension on the ribbon. Once you get the tension right, you can lock down the other end of the ribbon.

While a number of folks already have the means to tune the ribbon (either with a strobe or other electrical means), this will allow you to use your own electronics for that purpose. Next up, will be a little Arduino controlled device, which will output a signal to feed the ribbon (1Hz to 100Hz in 1Hz increments, and adjustable gain), along with a strobe, so you can watch the ribbon as you make tension adjustments to the ribbon. After that, I intend to modify the circuit to allow a stepper to make the adjustments automatically, if I can get it to work well.

But in the meantime, you can use this jig to re-ribbon a truss and use your own methods to tune it.

If you are interested in me designing a carrier for a particular ribbon truss, just let me know. I will be happy to make one for you. But you will probably need to send me the truss, so I can do the design work.

Please check out my instructable

http://www.instructables.com/id/Ribbon-Microphone-Tuner-Tensioner/

I of course welcome your feedback.

Thanks.

Michael