Ear Trumpet Labs – The Edwina, Josephine, Myrtle, and Louise
- Our hand-made microphones from our craft workshop are unlike anything else you've seen or heard. We combine state-of-the-art sound quality with playfully eclectic design– the perfect recipe for the creative performer.
From the title of this article, you might think this is a review of the new cast of The Golden Girls. In fact, the microphones are designed to look like they are from the golden era of radio, but are in fact full of modern technology and deliver a great performing sound with a classy look and an affordable price.
What I’ve done is laid out a sound comparison for you, both pre and post-processing, so you can hear the differences in these microphones as they record different instruments.
From Ear Trumpet Labs: Our hand-made microphones from our craft workshop are unlike anything else you’ve seen or heard. We combine state-of-the-art sound quality with playfully eclectic design– the perfect recipe for the creative performer.
The Edwina – $599
The Edwina stereo pairs are the best all-around microphones that Ear Trumpet Labs makes. When testing them out I used them on many different sources, but they stand out as a great acoustic guitar stereo pair and work really well as drum overheads, as you can hear below. They are very natural sounding and are a great bang for your buck. The sound is dark, almost like a ribbon microphone. The only downside I see is that this microphone needs more preamp than most condenser microphones.
FEATURES
- Hand-made microphone with a unique appearance
- Side or end address, using pivoting bracket
- Capsule and electronics tuned for close to medium distance use on the most difficult stages with excellent feedback rejection
- Internal shock dampers for minimal handling noise
- Integral silk and mesh pop filter, for effective control of plosives without loss of clarity
- Transformerless FET fully balanced electronics
- Highest quality hand-wired electronic components – film caps, precision resistors, hand-tested and matched transistors, with component values tuned for the individual circuit.
I created this sound comparison video and if you listen until the end you can hear the pre and post-processing of the Edwina stereo pair.
The Josephine – $699
The Josephine is much brighter than the other microphones. We used it as a drum room microphone, recorded a mandolin, and then a grand piano. It has the same downfall as the Edwina as it needs a lot of pre-amp. We also tried it on vocals and it didn’t win any hearts as it was a little too bright for the artist.
FEATURES
- Hand-made microphone with a unique appearance
- Capsule and electronics tuned for close vocal use on the loudest of stages with excellent feedback rejection
- Internal shock dampers for minimal handling noise
- Integral silk and mesh pop filter, for effective control of plosives without loss of clarity
- Transformerless FET fully balanced electronics
- Highest quality hand-wired electronic components – film caps, precision resistors, hand-tested and matched transistors, with component values tuned for the individual circuit.
The Myrtle – $699
The Myrtle is darker in tone and similar to the Edwina and it was my second favorite microphone in the group. Where it shines is in capturing the natural sound of the instrument. It sounds like what you hear in your ear coming into the mixing console. This would be a great microphone to pick up ambient sounds. An ambient microphone is really any microphone set up where the diffuse sound is greater than the direct sound. Common uses would be crowd noise, distant sound and reverberation, room tone, and field ambiance.
A Podcast Episode Using The Myrtle
This would be a VERY good microphone to record the string section of an orchestra or a choir. In this price range, it’s possibly the best ambient microphone that I’ve seen.
FEATURES
- Hand-made microphone with a unique appearance
- Internal shock dampers for minimal handling noise
- Integral silk and mesh pop filter, for effective control of plosives without loss of clarity
- Transformerless FET fully balanced electronics
- Highest quality hand-wired electronic components – film caps, precision resistors, hand tested and matched transistors, with component values tuned for the individual circuit.
I created this sound comparison video and if you listen until the end you can hear the pre and post-processing of the Myrtle microphone.
The Louise – $699
The Louise is an outstanding bluegrass microphone. We used it on the banjo and mandolin guitar and as a distance microphone and it performed very well. It has a wonderfully natural sound at a distance. Calling all bluegrass groups! Buy this microphone!
FEATURES
- Hand-made microphone with a unique appearance
- Integral silk and foam pop filter, for effective control of plosives without loss of clarity
- Transformerless FET fully balanced electronics
- Highest quality hand-wired electronic components – film caps, precision resistors, hand-tested and matched transistors, with component values tuned for the individual circuit.
I created this sound comparison video and if you listen until the end you can hear the pre and post-processing of the Louise microphone.
About Jesse Poe
Jesse Poe is one of Nashville’s most sought-after audio engineers with over 20 years of experience and an extensive client list ranging from big names like Porter Wagoner, George Clinton, and Trace Adkins to up-and-coming artists blossoming in their careers. As a man of faith, he is thrilled to join Soldiers for Faith for live-stream events and other collaborative projects. Although Jesse grew up in the Methodist Church, he also enjoys non-denominational services and has a love for all spiritual backgrounds. Jesse lives with his wife Sarah, daughter Bianca, and Siberian husky Zenah. When he’s out of the studio, he enjoys biking and outdoor activities with his family.
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