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.
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