Ear Trumpet Microphones

[Chuck Leyda]

Any experience with Ear Trumpet mics for live sound?

Specifically we use an AT4033 and are wondering if Ear Trumpets claim of "exceptional feed back resistance" would be something we would notice over the AT4033.

Thanks!

[mandroid]

Already did this topic, look it up. in archives..

search: https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...archid=8465330

[Bill McCall]

Heard the Quebe Sisters play with all Ear Trumpet microphones, vocal and instruments, about 3 weeks ago. Sounded great, no feedback issues at all.

[mandroid]

Stage craft involves getting the mics and monitors in the right places to lessen the feed back possibilities, of course..

[Billy Packard]

mandroid, your link doesn't connect to anything

[Astro]

Its been discussed a lot.

Our band has played in bars with one without issues. A go rack afs can help too.

I really like the mic.

Honestly, a AT2020 or MXL 990 may do as good in a noisy bar at about 1/10th the cost. The cheapest rode (N1?) or the cheapest Sterling (guitar center's own chineese brand) would do fine. We actually have and sometimes use the cheapest Sterling one (way less than 50 bucks at GC) and it sounded almost as good in a noisy bar. And when drunk people come up and want to make announcements, you don't have to worry so much.

If you are playing a quiet stage with a quiet listening audience, like Milk Carton Kids or something, then I'm sure the Ear Trumpet will outperform the 50 dollar SD condenser mics. Otherwise, they probably would perform nearly the same.

[mcgroup53]

I'm writing a Bluegrass Unlimited story on ETL. It's AMAZING how many great acoustic acts use these mics live. Milk Carton Kids, Bryan Sutton, Hot Rize, Della Mae, on and on and on. The founder told me the mics are engineered for a wide axis of sound with little feedback using modern capsules and motherboards, all housed in, literally, plumbing supply bits and pieces. I have one that I've recorded with, but haven't used it live yet

[mandroid]

mandroid, your link doesn't connect to anything

I just put "ear trumpet mic" in the search block, (top right of page) maybe you can duplicate my effort.

[Lord of the Badgers]

I watched up & coming UK Bluegrassers Flat & Sharps use one - the worst thing about the sound was the normal plugged in sound which was mixed too quiet. The mic was so cool though. Looked great, sounded amazing with the fiddle, vox, and banjo and double bass. Really wasn't sure why the mando was quiet with its clip on mic or the ear trumpet though.

[Charlieshafer]

Yeah, they've been discussed a lot. I think the main thing that makes them popular is the looks. period. We've had groups come through the series with all sorts of mics, including Ear Trumpets, and the quality difference is not noticeable between them and any good quality mic. No difference. The feedback is easy to avoid using any good mic, it's all in the placement. When you see large stages, it's even easier to avoid feedback. Smaller stages, noisier rooms, requiring louder monitors, then you'll have issues regardless.

Live sound is predominantly determined by the acoustics of the room, the type of venue (loud bar, quiet listening room, etc) the quality of the speakers and related equipment, the guy at the mixing board, microphone and monitor placement, and then, lastly, the actual mic used.

So with the cool throwback looks, the mic is used primarily with bands doing throwback style music, traditional bluegrass, old-time, folk, etc. In 20 years of mixing high-end live sound in a fixed room, and this includes multiple Grammy winners, I couldn't care less what mic people bring, or if I use my own. They'll sound fine.

[banjoboy]

I have three Edwinas and a Myrtle that I use with some of the bands I'm in. They are great. There is a good reason that they are growing more and more popular.

[fidlplr1979]

The main difference with the Ear Trumpet labs mics is their "warm-vintage" sound due to the particular capsule they use in their condenser mics. I have not heard that they have any superior feedback resistance in a live situation but my guess is that the off-axis rejection is a function of the particular capsule's polar pattern and it's sensitivity. I would doubt they would function superior to Audio Technica's mics as far as feedback rejection but you may prefer the warmer tone of the ETL, due to it's frequency response curve . -My two cents as an audio engineer.

[almeriastrings]

The main difference with the Ear Trumpet labs mics is their "warm-vintage" sound due to the particular capsule they use in their condenser mics.

http://www.jlielectronics.com/microp...b-2555bxz3-gp/

Here's some more 'styistic' mics built using the same capsule:

https://www.timbretones.com/see-and-hear

[Charlieshafer]

http://www.jlielectronics.com/microp...b-2555bxz3-gp/

Here's some more 'styistic' mics built using the same capsule:

https://www.timbretones.com/see-and-hear

So $13 and some scrap wood, a few wires and you have a styling' microphone. 'Nuff said. Doesn't get much better. Honestly, the quality of microphones out there for under $200 is so good that for live use, there's little point in spending more now. Studio, yeah, a different story.

Well, if we're going styling', I chucked the old monitors and "made" these out of Gallo satellite speakers and scrap wood. Narrow stage profile, and clean sound without the tubby bass that kills stage noise. I should come up with a cool website for these, but they're too easy to make.

[almeriastrings]

Amazing looking stage monitors!

With regard to microphones, these capsules (although cheap) sound pretty good. I have heard some good recordings made with 'DIY' mics based on them plus a simple FET internal circuit. Loads of technical data on this out there... that said, if you really start comparing materials, construction and specs, though, they are nowhere near the level you find in say, Shure, AT, Sennheiser, AKG, Beyer and so-on. Not even close, let alone what you see in Schoeps, DPA or true 'boutique' designs - some of those bare capsules alone can run to $500+ each, and where they really deliver is in incredibly low self-noise, longevity, reliability, and amazing sample-to-sample consistency. This can be really important in applications such as classical recording. For stage use, though, as Charlie quite correctly points out - it hardly matters, as if you know what you are doing you can get more than acceptable results with almost anything.

[Spruce]

I used an ETL Nadine on Nadine's (it was named after her) doghouse bass on the new Foghorn Stringband recording...
She moves around quite a bit, so it was nice to have a fixed mic...

Made me want to really figure out how to mount a ribbon in a similar fashion...

[mandotim1955]

I have a Louise mic, and love it for single mic stuff. I used to use an Audio Technica AT4040, but prefer the Louise. The sound is warmer, and feedback rejection is very good indeed.

[Astro]

Well, if we're going styling', I chucked the old monitors and "made" these out of Gallo satellite speakers and scrap wood. Narrow stage profile, and clean sound without the tubby bass that kills stage noise. I should come up with a cool website for these, but they're too easy to make.

Make me 4 monitors please. On a mic stand mount. Great idea. I'm sick of floor monitors.

[mandroid]

Not to take an order away from Charlie, but these have been around for years..

http://galaxyaudio.com/products/cate...-spot-monitors...... *

16 ohm so they daisy chain in a line.., Carvin [ PM 5 ] has an 8 ohm 2 way
to use as separate monitors or as a stereo....

these are made to go on mic stands..

When I saw the video extras in 'Prairie Home Companion, the Movie', the band in the off stage ,
*all had these for their monitors..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Prai...mpanion_(film)

[Charlieshafer]

Ha! They're too easy to make yourself! I had the galaxy's years ago, and for some reason, they just didn't sound right, and these are a lot smaller in profile and look less "stage equipmenty". The one thing I also like about these is that the musicians can't turn them up on the stage. They'll always go louder and louder if you give them the chance, which ruins the sound for the house as the noise bleeds into the microphones. Once we get the sound checked, that's it.

[mandroid]

So the anthony gallo ball speaker , I see on amazon from about, $200..

I wonder where he is on the family tree with Ernest & Julio ?

[Charlieshafer]

So the anthony gallo ball speaker , I see on amazon from about, $200..

I wonder where he is on the family tree with Ernest & Julio ?

Yes, and sometimes they show up on eBay for a little less. That simple. I was tempted to stick them on a bowling pin, but thought that was a little too weird. I do need a little plate, the sort of connecting plate that you can get at any hardware store, to offset the speaker from the base a little, as the banana pin connectors I use don't fit with the Gallo mount, which swivels.

Anyway, a simple base, that no one sees, and some sort of elegant scrap wood (I had strange shapes in Koa, curly maple, and bubinga left over, so used those). Screw all the stuff together any way you want, and bingo. The best part about them, no stands, and they're very light to carry.

My favorite part of all is that you can barely see them from the audience, so all you see is musicians and a couple of mic stands. Really helpful with a small stage area, as they take up almost no floor space.

Get creative (Maybe Earnest and Julio will help here), the more weird monitors in the world, the better.

[fidlplr1979]

I have heard some good recordings made with 'DIY' mics based on them plus a simple FET internal circuit.

Love me some FET mics- My U47 is my go-to mic for everything from vocals to acoustic guitar. Not to shabby on mandolin either though I prefer my ribbon mics for on high-timbred instruments. A good FET small-diaphragm condenser like the M60 sounds fantastic on mando- sorry off subject entirely....