This is a rugged near-field version of our popular BM9 ribbon microphone. The 2.5 micrometer ribbon is designed to withstand higher sound pressure volumes found close up in front of guitar amps and other louder instruments – and voices. It has a black label and grills to distinguish it from the standard BM9.

Black Ops boldly goes where you wouldn’t usually put a ribbon microphone. 

” I took no special pains to protect the review specimen, and it handled everything I could throw at it. The BM9 Black Ops makes a great close mic not only on guitar amps but also on bass amps, where I’d probably hesitate to place anything too delicate. It’s also an excellent vocal mic, particularly for those singers who always seem to sound thin, harsh or sibilant on capacitor mics. There is still enough proximity effect to bring a welcome heft to sources that need it, but not so much that close-miking things makes them sound boomy or unbalanced.” Sound On Sound

For the Black Ops microphone, we made a special transformer with a higher iron content in the laminations. It takes a high signal level before saturation, and has a reduced inductance to compensate for the bass proximity effect. This gives a flatter, detailed low-end response when working within a few inches of the sound source.

Black Ops microphones are tough enough to take on the road and have recently been used on major tours with the bands Foals and Snow Patrol. (As with all microphones, we still advise carful handling.)

(As with all microphones, we still advise careful handling.)