Royer Labs has introduced the R-12 Ribbon Microphone, designed for both studio recordingand live sound applications. The new R-12 delivers high-quality performance at a sub-$1K price, offering thenatural sound of a Royer ribbon mic with the added versatility of onboard bass-cut and pad switches. The R-12excels at capturing electric and acoustic stringed instruments, vocals, brass, pianos and organs, as well asdrums and percussion instruments.The R-12 features the same 2.5-micron direct-corrugated ribbon element as used in Royer’s industry-standard R-121 microphone, enabling it to handle the extremely high SPLs (160dB @ 1kHz) that Royer R-series mics are known for.
The R-12 features Royer’s proprietary onboard phantom-powered electronics circuitry mated to a beefed-up transformer, which combine to deliver condenser microphone output levels for recording vocals, acoustic instruments, and other quieter sound sources. The R-12’s active electronics also place a perfect load on the ribbon element at all times, enabling the microphone to deliver full sonic potential regardless of the preamplifier or DAW it’s plugged into.
By engaging the R-12s switchable -15dB pad, the mic’s output level drops to that of Royer’s non-powered R-10 ribbon mic, which is preferable for louder instruments like drums and high-volume electric guitars where more headroom is needed. Headroom-related distortion on even the loudest sound sources is non-existent.
The R-12 is also outfitted with a switchable high-pass filter precisely tuned to reduce low end proximity buildup and rumble, making it an easy choice for capturing vocal performances, close-miking instruments and loudspeaker cabinets, etc.
Completing its rich feature set, the R-12 houses an internally shock-mounted ribbon transducer, which helps isolate and protect the ribbon element while also reducing handling noise. Combined with a built-in triple-layer wind screen system, the microphone’s ribbon is effectively protected against plosives and other wind-related noise and air blasts.
John Jennings, President of Royer Labs, commented on the new R-12 Ribbon Microphone, “The R-12 is a beautifully designed ribbon mic, delivering world-class performance at a killer price. It has roots in our non-powered R-10 ribbon mic, which is in studios around the world and has been on Dave Grohl’s insanely hot live guitar cabs for years, and it contains active ribbon mic circuitry based on what we use in much more expensive Royer models. It’s an extremely versatile ribbon mic that we’re proud to release now.”
The Royer Labs R-12 Ribbon Microphone and mic mount ship in a hard-shell case, with a street price of $899 and matched pairs available for $1,849. The R-12 is expected to become available in mid/late July 2025. For additional information about the R-12, please visit www.royerlabs.com/r-12/.

Hear new Edmonton, Alberta death doom duo Anthrodynia turn that smile upside down on depressive new track “Engulfed in Grief.”
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At the shop, our engineers are always tinkering on breadboards, pouring their hearts into passion projects that sometimes get sidelined by part obsolescence, indecision, or just not fitting our usual vibe. That’s why we’re stoked to launch Proto Club, where anyone can snag these limited-run pedals, like the Tritone (Proto 227), a slapback pitch echo born as a B-side for our Soft Focus Deluxe but too wild for its palette, packing a call-and-response octave-up that rides sidesaddle with a blendable perfect fifth for killer three-note arpeggios. It drops today, for only $149.99, but it’s gone after two weeks! Your first Proto Club purchase scores you the exclusive Proto Club Passport booklet, stamped and ready to unlock killer perks—collect stickers with each pedal to earn bonus stuff, like unreleased or staple production pedals. Plus, you’ll get a dedicated email to send feedback straight to our engineers, making this a true community vibe. Ready to get weird with us? Catch you at the Proto Club!Our inaugural foray into the Proto Club began as a B-side for our Soft Focus Deluxe. On that pedal, we had room for six programs, and a handful of them were just a bit too outside the scope of that device. This one, the Tritone, was universally loved by the crew but the vibes clashed with the palette of the Soft Focus Deluxe a little too hard. It’s been on some of our own pedalboards for some time. Unfortunately, it’s stayed there away from public eyes and ears, but fortunately, it fits the exact vibe of the Proto Club!Proto Club was established for this exact reason; we have tons of effects on our breadboards and programming suites that we can’t squeeze into the release schedule, things that don’t quite fit into our lineup, circuits with too niche of an audience, or “our versions” of beloved classics, direct to you stripped of frill. This lets us get a little more creative for all you effects freaks out there. Y’all are our people!You wanted experimental? You got it! The Tritone features a call-and-response type octave-up that rides sidesaddle with a blendable perfect fifth. When coupled with an on-board slapback echo, this gives you the ability to seamlessly craft bursts of three-note arpeggios that can stand alone as a killer lead augmentation or can align with your rhythm parts to fill in the gaps with some interesting texture. Synth players? Please. The Tritone absolutely loves electronic instruments and takes them with ease. You can keep the action close to your chest with the addition of a wet-dry blend of the overall signal as well as one for the tritone. You can adjust the timing of the arpeggio as well as the echo feedback for some chaotic oscillation in certain settings.Learn More Here!