Avenson Audio Creates Handheld Tube Microphone

Brad Avenson has never been one to rest on his laurels. After creating the STO-2 small diaphragm omni-microphones he decided to build a handheld tube microphone for touring applications. At the AES show, Avenson Audio is showing their new mic which is aimed to have a unique sound and tone.

The TVM new handheld tube mic will be "very smooth, very open" according to designer Brad Avenson. "It does not suffer from the peakiness some super cardioid/hyper cardioid mics often produce, and the louder the input, the more tube compression that occurs".

The microphone capsule is a three-quarter inch cardioid only design which is coupled to an amplifier that features a hand selected, military surplus, subminiature triode tube for exceptionally low noise and high durability.

The body is milled aluminum which is anodized to protect it from the elements. "It starts out as a solid 1 1/2 inch bar and is machined to a nice hand friendly taper with a slightly sharper taper at the top to try and keep singers from wanting to cup the windscreen. The grill is a 3 layer design which avoids foam altogether to preserve clarity, but still limit plosives, wind noise and other ills of live performance.

Because this is a tube mic, an outboard power supply was necessary. This supply is as road worthy as the microphone. Sporting a 16 gauge steel chassis and enough power to supply two mics at once, the supply weighs in at only four pounds.

The mic cable for this is a durable, five conductor cable chosen for flexibility and toughness. The cable is pin-compatible with the 5 pin DMX lighting cable standard, "so in a pinch replacements can be found in most cities if you're on the road."

Coming in at under $1,000 USD, the mic is "aimed toward musicians who bring their own equipment on the road and who are looking for a mic that can be used in both studio and live applications", says Avenson

Avenson Audio is also showing one of its two new Direct Boxes. The purpose of the direct box is to function as a "small add on DI for mic pres" stated Avenson. The new units will retail for under $100 USD each.