Royer Labs: AxeMount Mic Clip

I love simple, thoughtfully-designed tools for the studio that solve a common problem, and do so inexpensively. The Royer Labs R-121 [Tape Op #19] ribbon mic is one of the few products made in the past 20 years that can be rightfully called a classic, and almost every serious studio and recordist has at least one R-121 that gets used on every session. One very common technique with the R-121 is to pair it with a dynamic Shure SM57 when mic'ing guitar amps. The combination of these two mics is utilized by many engineers for its versatility – allowing for perfect amp tone tweaking between the two sources. Setting up two stands or a stereo bar can be fiddly and time consuming, so Royer has come up with this clever clip that holds both mics in one firm, phase-aligned grip and position – very cool and a big timesaver! This super solid AxeMount clip is backed by a 2-year warranty, and is made from a slightly flexible, high durometer rubber instead of the common plastic found in many mic clips – those ones that usually break over time. Phase alignment is simply achieved via the handy arrow indicator on the SM57 portion of the clip, where it lines up with the seam on the 57's body. I tested the AxeMount at Panoramic Studios, and it works perfectly. The mics are held in place securely, and feel like one unit once positioned in the clip. Easy! What's not to like?