Ear Trumpet Labs announces Josephine,
the newest addition to their premier product line of microphones
handcrafted in Portland, OR. A medium-large diaphragm (26mm) condenser
microphone, Josephine, is designed for live vocal and ensemble use, with
an avant-garde styling evocative of 1930s and 40s classic
microphones. Josephine is optimized for use by singers or acoustic
ensembles from 6” to 48” away. The design, form-factor, and sound are
ideal for period swing or jazz vocalists or single-mic techniques with
bluegrass or traditional musicians, with significantly better feedback
rejection than the large diaphragm condenser's typically used in these
applications.
“The
original Josephine was actually the first model that I designed,”
Philip Graham, founder of Ear Trumpet Labs, remembers. “It was the first
affirmation of the sound quality that was achievable with this capsule
and circuit design. We’ve learned a lot over the last two years about
improving feedback rejection and usability onstage. I’ve always loved
Josephine’s bold geometry and wanted to revisit it with a design that is
extremely practical for live stage use. I love that she’s sleek,
eye-catching, and incorporates all we’ve learned about building the best
mics for live acoustic music.”
The
design is largely comprised from standard hardware elements and
features a spherical stainless steel mesh headbasket spring-suspended in
a six-inch diameter copper. The headbasket incorporates a very
effective silk and foam pop filter as well as Sorbothane shock and
vibration damping to minimize handling noise, and internal rubber
baffles to shape the sound of the mic. The
circuit includes moderate bass roll off to compensate for proximity
effect, and high frequency EQ to avoid harshness and help control
feedback. The cardioid polar pattern, headbasket design, and tuned
electronics all work together to make a very stable live mic with an
extremely natural sound and good feedback rejection.
