My first experience with the Beyerdynamic M-160 was while I was working at a studio in Ann Arbor, MI. A guitar player brought one in to try out on his Fender ’65 Twin Reverb. We set up a shoot-out with the M-160 about two feet back on-axis and centered along with several other “standard” guitar cabinet mics. To our suprise, the M-160 ruled the roost. The M-160 provided an amazing tone that was biting, full-bodied and clear. We were so impressed that the owner ordered an M-160 for the studio the very next day.
When I saw that we currently have a bundle with the M-130 and the M-160, I knew that I had to pick them up. Given my experiences with the M-160 I was very interested to see how the M-130 would perform. I found that it was a bit warmer than the M-160, but overall very similar. The same silky, smooth tone was there, and when I put it a foot off of the 12th fret of my Alvarez PF-90SC there was no need for EQ. Everything sounded just the way I wanted it, and sat perfectly in the mix.
If you are looking for a great introduction to ribbon mics, this bundle is a phenominal value. The two mics together can be used for Mid-Side encoding, generating that classic ribbon tone with a flexible stereo image. Seperately, they both perform wonderfully as well. They have become my mics of choice for recording stringed instruments, and I look forward to finding other applications for them as well.
