Meet Josephine

 

 

 

April 14, 2016, PORTLAND, OR...Ear Trumpet Labs announces Josephine, the newest addition to their 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 condener's typically used in these applications.

Founder of Ear Trumpet Labs, Philip Graham notes, “The original Josephine was actually the first model that I designed, and 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.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Josephine is a medium-large diaphragm (26mm) condenser microphone designed for live vocal and ensemble use. The design features a spherical stainless steel mesh headbasket spring-suspended in a six-inch diameter copper ring. The design is an avant-garde take on classic microphone design of the 1930s and 40s, and is made largely from standard hardware elements. The head basket 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 capsule is a Chinese-made electret condenser with additional acoustic damping. Capsules are individually tested and selected – roughly 30% of capsules are rejected for not meeting design criteria. The circuit is a transformerless FET with fully balanced output and EMI noise suppression. Other electrical components in the signal path are highest quality metal film resistors, polypropylene and polystyrene capacitors, and individually tested, hand-matched and biased transistors and JFETs.

 

The circuit includes moderate bass rolloff 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. Josephine is optimized for use by singers or acoustic ensembles from 6” to 48” away. The styling, 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 LDCs typically used in these applications.