Gearspace

Ribbon microphones are a specific type of microphone that use a thin electrically-conductive metallic piece (the “ribbon”) to pick up vibrations in the air and therefore generate voltage. This metallic piece is usually made from aluminum, but other materials have been used by manufacturers on their designs. They first appeared in the 1920s and dominated the microphone market until condenser and dynamic mics were invented. Ribbon mics are usually bi-directional and will pick up sounds from both front and back of the microphone, although this is not a hard rule and some have a unidirectional polar pattern.