Ear Trumpet Labs Mabel Multi-Pattern Condensor Microphone

Ear Trumpet Labs create refined, handmade artisanal microphones one at a time in their Portland, Oregon workshop.

Mabel is a hand-built multi-pattern condenser microphone designed primarily for studio use on demanding sources like acoustic instruments, drum overheads, and vocals. Mabel features a unique copper-ringed head basket with brass grill work, held in a pivoting mount in a stainless-steel yoke, and a copper-and-brass body. The design is both visually stunning and extremely practical, as the pivoting head makes for easy positioning adjustments.

She uses two fixed-cardioid electret medium-large diaphragm (26mm) condenser capsules, individually tested and selected to match each other and strict design criteria. The circuit is a transformerless FET with fully balanced output, incorporating thorough EMI protection. 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 dual-cardioid-capsule design is an uncommon approach to a multi-pattern mic. It has advantages in an especially deep null at the sides of the figure 8 pattern and greater control over the directional frequency response across all the patterns. The circuit includes high frequency EQ tuned to the capsules to provide a very smooth high end. The response is very flat, with full low end and controlled high end, with response dropping above 14K.

• Hand-made microphone with unique appearance

• Multiple switch-selectable patterns - cardioid, omni, figure-8

• Pivoting head for ease of positioning

• Internal shock dampers for minimal handling noise

• Integral silk and mesh pop filter

• 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.