The AEA N8 Stereo Kit is a versatile ribbon mic system that has a broad range of applicability. It consists of an ingenious mounting bar along with a pair of N8 ribbon microphones that can be configured to Blumlein stereo with its two coincident crossed bi-directional N8 microphones, where the principal axis of each is co-aligned with the null axis of the other. In the Blumlein stereo configuration, the front and back quadrants are in phase and of equal sensitivity, but of opposite absolute polarity; the two side quadrants are out-of-phase with respect to each other. The Blumlein array provides the most accurate left-to-right stereo imaging of any mic system.

Another popular configuration of the AEA Nuvo Stereo Kit is in the ORTF configuration. The ORTF configuration is typically thought of with cardioid pattern microphones in mind. When you initiate the ORTF configuration with bi-directional microphones, you preserve the accuracy of the Blumlein pair and add a sense of spaciousness and envelopment.

British engineer Tony Faulkner developed another near-coincident configuration that leverages the properties of bi-directional microphones. This technique uses a pair of bi-directional mics, separated by 20 cm but with the two mics aimed directly forward, rather than angled outward. This is a good choice when working in a long, narrow performance space such as a church.

Using the AEA SMS it is quite easy to configure in a number of ways, and is laser engraved with 90-degree and 117-degree angle and center-to- center spacing markings, so it is you can take notes about your experiments and repeat them at any time. The stand support can be at the center or the end of the bar and can be attached either directly or by using the supplied angle adapter. Either American 5/8-27 or European 3/8-16 mic stands and stand adapters can be used.

The N8
The natural directional pattern for a ribbon microphone is a figure-eight. All ribbons natively have proximity effect (the bass response increases as it gets closer to the sound source). At some distance from the sound source, the bass and treble balance well. AEA designed the N8s for far away from the sound source.

The black N8 far-field NUVO is a minimalist design. As with AEA’s other minimalist design, the stereo R88, they interposed as little as possible between the sound source and the ribbon. These mics have substantial proximity effect so, for a natural bass to treble balance, sound sources should be feet rather than inches away. It can be used close up when more bass is desired, high-pass EQ is used, or with the windscreen.