Roswellite
is the trademarked name of a new nano-enabled ribbon material invented,
patented and produced by Soundwave Research Laboratories, Inc. and used
in certain Crowley and Tripp microphones. Roswellite is also known as
"acoustic nanofilm". It is an extremely strong, low mass, superelastic,
paramagnetic composite with high inherent conductivity and shape memory
properties. Roswellite can be employed to replace the "foils" such as
those used in ribbon microphones. Due to its high strength, toughness
and shape retaining properties, Roswellite can withstand windblast,
plosives, phantom power applications, and high sound pressure levels,
even at low frequencies.
Where is Roswellite made?
Roswellite is Made in USA.
What is the advantage of Roswellite?
Roswellite
is far stronger and more responsive than the "foils" that have been
traditionally use in ribbon microphones. For this reason, it is
essentially a permanent ribbon, in the same way a capsule or element in
any condenser or dynamic microphone is. Roswellite completely overcomes
any strength, fragility or application limitations associated with
traditional "foil" ribbon microphones. Roswellite has other advantages
in processing: The shape memory feature of the material and its extreme
durability and elasticity, and the manner in which it is manufactured,
affords far greater piece-to-piece consistency. This saves time in the
assembly, and produces a more uniform product.
What is "shape memory"?
Shape
Memory is the ability of a material to return to a predetermined shape
after distortion. Shape memory processes are those in which a material
is made that has certain characteristics that favor a specific or
multiplicity of shapes and states.
What does it sound like?
I
think that a Roswellite fitted ribbon mic is hard to tell from a
traditional ribbon. There are some slight differences, and they tend to
be subjective ones. At moderate volume levels, a "foil" ribbon will
sound similar to a Roswellite ribbon. At extreme SPLs, the Roswellite
ribbon is obviously able to maintain its integrity, so the dynamic
range is significantly improved.This is why a Roswellite ribbon placed
in or near a kick drum has such a clean,solid sound.
How does it compare with foil ribbons?
There
really is a big difference. The foil ribbon is sensitive to sound but
has far lower tensile strength and excursion ability than Roswellite.
The conductivity of Roswellite approaches that of elemental aluminum,
yet is at least 5 time stronger. The lateral flexibility and elastic
modulus of Roswellite exceed aluminum by a wide margin.
What is the warranty?
Crowley
and Tripp provide a lifetime warranty on any legally obtained
microphone made with Roswellite. This warranty is limited to
microphones that have not been altered, disassembled, or otherwise
modified by anyone other than an authorized Crowley and Tripp
representative. Repair or replacement at our option. Specifications are
guaranteed for life.
One person has asked what "lifetime" really
means, and if it refers to their lifetime, or ours. It refers to ours,
for all practical purposes, but we promise to leave instructions upon
our eventual departure.
What is the maximum SPL that it will take?
We
aren't sure. The test equipment required to actually produce and
measure distortion at over 146 db isn't available to us right now. We
have to build a properly loud calibrated source, and that will take
some time. We can withstand actual percussive sounds like those
produced by a kick drum, easily, and the waveforms we see do not appear
to be distorted. We have been thinking about building a pistonphone but
these devices are not very useful above a few hundred cycles, at best.
There is evidence that the material behaves linearly up to very high
levels - probably well past 146 dB at any frequency. That is very high
indeed.
What microphones have Roswellite and what do they sound like?
Right
now el Diablo and Naked Eye Roswellite have Roswellite in them. The el
Diablo is a unique microphone voiced somewhat like a U47fet, and with a
rising response not unlike a large diaphragm condenser, but with a
presumed bigger dynamic range at the bottom. The reason I say
"presumed" is that we do not yet have a good test setup for measuring
distortion at extreme excursions. Naked Eye Roswellite sounds very much
like Naked Eye Classic, to the point where most people regard it as the
same. Once again, however, the higher SPL handling of Roswellite,
especially at the bottom end, should result in a bigger dynamic range
than its aluminum cousin, but it is probably not very different
sounding in normal use.
Is the Q of Roswellite different than foils?
Roswellite
used alone in air does have a slightly lower Q than aluminum foil.
However, all Crowley and Tripp microphones are a system designed to
have a Q of very close to 1 at any frequency in the passband. In other
words, the ribbons in any of our mics including those with or without
Roswellite, are virtually non-resonant.
Do you plan to release more products with Roswellite?
Yes, we hope to in the future.
Can you describe the process of making Roswellite?
We don't provide details of our processes.
Can I replace the ribbon in my microphone with Roswellite?
No,
at least not at this time. Some ribbon microphones can be modified for
use with Roswellite, and we have done so here at our laboratory for
testing and comparison purposes only.
Do you supply samples of Roswellite?
We do not.
If Roswellite works so well, why use "foil" anymore?
It
seems to us that this is a fair question, but one that will take some
time to answer. The higher cost of Roswellite would be one reason it
might not be appropriate in some circumstances. Over time, as more of
the material can be made at lower cost, I think Roswellite may replace
foils.
Will Crowley and Tripp be supplying its acoustic nanomaterials to other manufacturers?
We have an active licensing program with several technologies. Please contact us for more information.
I am a manufacturer. How can I find out about these materials for my application?
Please
call us and we will discuss your application and, if appropriate, we
will recommend one or more of our nanomaterials for that application.
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