Lenta PR — Ribbon Microphone
A handcrafted passive single-ribbon microphone with natural warmth, smooth transients and a deep musical tone.
About Lenta PR
Lenta PR is a classic passive single-ribbon microphone inspired by vintage ribbon engineering and refined through years of workshop development. It delivers an organic, unobtrusive character — especially on guitars, brass, overheads and intimate vocals — where natural timbre matters more than aggressive coloration.
Transformer with Metallic-Glass Core
One of the key design features of Lenta PR is its custom transformer built around a metallic-glass (amorphous) core. Compared to traditional silicon-steel or ferrite laminations, an amorphous core provides:
- extremely low magnetic loss and hysteresis
- fast and smooth transient response without harshness
- clean low-frequency behaviour with extended headroom
- smoother upper-midrange and reduced parasitic distortion
This preserves the depth and weight associated with classic ribbon microphones while keeping the response open and articulate — without the muddy, “boxy” coloration often introduced by conventional transformer cores.
Technical Specifications
- Type: ribbon microphone (passive)
- Ribbon material: 99% pure aluminium ribbon
- Ribbon dimensions: 1.2 μm × 60 mm × 4 mm
- Polar pattern: figure-8 (asymmetrical)
- Transformer core: metallic-glass / amorphous alloy core
- Frequency response: 20–18,000 Hz
- Output impedance: ≤ 150 Ω
- Recommended preamp gain: ≥ 60 dB
Microphone Comparison
Real-world A/B comparison between Lenta PR and two reference microphones.
| Compare Lenta PR with other ribbon microphones | ||
|---|---|---|
| Model | Overheads | Guitars |
| Coles 4038 |
Coles 4038 overheads |
Coles 4038 guitar |
| Lenta PR |
Lenta PR overheads |
Lenta PR guitar |
| Royer R-121 |
Royer R-121 overheads |
Royer R-121 guitar |
| RCA 77DX |
RCA 77DX overheads |
RCA 77DX guitar |
Expert Opinions
“Coles 4038s are the best microphones in the world for overheads. They give you a completely honest representation of the drums in the room.” —
“I love using the RCA 77-DX on brass. It has an incredible warmth and musicality that you just can't get with a condenser.” —
“The Royer R-121 is my secret sauce for electric guitars. It hears exactly what I hear standing in front of the amp, making it sound massive.” —
Acoustic Guitar
The application of ribbon microphones when recording acoustic guitar minimizes aggressive pick attack and finger noise, focusing on the instrument's natural wood resonance. A ribbon mic acts as a natural EQ for bright instruments, creating an organic sense of volume by capturing elegant room reflections. It ensures a smooth, balanced tone that fits into a mix without radical processing.
Live studio recording
Leo Brouwer
Isaac Albéniz
Agustin Barrios
Grand Piano
Using ribbon microphones on grand piano effectively rejects mechanical pedal and damper noise through the side nulls of the figure-8 pattern, focusing on pure overtones. The rear lobes of the ribbon capture soundboard resonance and lid reflections, which—when used in a Blumlein pair—creates a massive and deep stereo image. The resulting sound is intimate yet powerful, emphasizing natural harmonics over hammer attack.
Recorded in "Player's Perspective" technique at ORAN studio
Grand piano, "Player's Perspective" technique, ORAN studio
Classical Vocals
Using a ribbon microphone for classical vocals eliminates high-frequency 'ceramic' artifacts, delivering a natural vocal formant without sibilance. The ribbon responds instantly to micro-dynamics due to its low mass, while the proximity effect adds velvet and weight to thinner voices. This preserves the fundamental depth and scale of the operatic timbre.
Rinaldo. Händel
Vocals recorded on Lenta PR with post-processing
Speech
Drums & Overheads
Ribbon microphones as overheads turn aggressive cymbal 'clash' into smooth silk, ensuring phase coherency for the entire drum kit. Due to the figure-8 side rejection zones, the ribbon allows you to physically cut out unwanted room reflections, resulting in a powerful drum sound without the need for radical EQ. They focus on the 'body' of the drums, providing massive scale and depth.
Lenta PR as a Room microphone
Lenta PR
Lenta PR stereo pair (Blumlein)
Lenta PR stereo pair (Blumlein)
Electric Guitar & Amps
A ribbon microphone on an electric guitar cab perfectly tames distortion 'fizz' thanks to its natural high-frequency roll-off, delivering a thick and punchy midrange. Using ribbons ensures excellent phase compatibility when paired with dynamic mics, while the deep figure-8 side nulls isolate the cab from other instruments in the room. It captures the speaker's pressure exactly as the ear hears it.
Lenta PR + Telefunken M811
Brass Section
Recording brass with a ribbon microphone eliminates 'piercing' highs, handling the extreme SPL of trumpets and trombones without distortion. The ribbon allows for close placement to the bell, preserving the powerful attack of the brass while completely eliminating the risk of preamp clipping from harsh peaks. It rounds out the tone, preventing a 'drilling' effect on high notes.
Lenta PR
Lenta PR
Lenta PR
Choir
Ribbon microphones create a coherent sound field for choir recording, blending voices into a unified harmony without high-frequency phase build-up. Using ribbons in a Faulkner Array balances vocal detail with natural hall reverb, placing the listener directly inside the performance space. The ribbon's physical properties prevent the accumulation of phase distortion when multiple voices are summed.
Mixed choir. Blumlein technique
4 Lenta PR microphones
4 Lenta PR microphones
Room Ambiance
Recording room ambiance with ribbon microphones creates organic depth, as the natural HF roll-off mimics air absorption. The ribbon captures floor and ceiling reflections as effectively as direct waves, adding weight to the room sound, while deep side nulls allow for precise focus on the diffuse field. It provides a massive, 'expensive' room character that avoids the grit of condensers.
“I almost always use ribbon mics for room miking. They provide that natural smoothness that makes a room sound truly expensive and big.” —
“Ribbon mics are my first choice for distance. They don't get 'pokey' or harsh at a distance, keeping the low end thick and the top end soft.” —
Midnight
String Section
Ribbon microphones in string sections smooth out bow harshness, creating a velvety 'cinematic' texture for the entire ensemble. Even at a distance, the ribbon preserves the low-frequency foundation and accurately translates complex harmonic beats without inducing high-frequency fatigue. They allow a group of violins to be recorded as a single, breathing unit rather than a collection of separate, shrill instruments.
Ribbon Microphones on Stage
Traditionally, ribbon microphones have been confined to controlled studio environments. Lenta shatters this stereotype. Thanks to its robust build and exceptional feedback rejection provided by the deep nulls of the figure-8 polar pattern, it performs brilliantly at live concerts, delivering studio-quality sound in a wide range of scenarios.
Rooms - Lenta PR