The Golden Age Project R1 Active MKIII Active Ribbon Microphone offers the smooth high end and extended lows that make ribbon mics so popular with recording engineers and producers. Thanks to its active circuitry, which includes a bipolar/FET discrete low-noise amplifier, it offers higher-than-expected output for a ribbon mic. The ribbon in the R1 Active MKIII is 50 mm long and 2 microns thick. The mic is designed to provide fast and life-like transient reproduction and can handle sound pressure levels up to 150 dB SPL. As is typical for a ribbon mic, it has a figure-8 polar pattern, which means it picks up primarily from the front and rear of the capsule and rejects sounds coming from the sides. You can use this to your advantage in the studio to help minimize bleed when two or more sources are recording in the same room. The R1 Active MKIII is well-suited for electric guitar, vocals, strings, horns, acoustic instruments, orchestras, choral groups and many live-sound applications.