Unearthing Hidden Gems: Unknown Microphone Brands Worth Exploring
Updated: Sep 18
The unknown microphone brands worth exploring fall into two groups. There are forgotten vintage makers like Melodium in France, Western Electric and Turner in the United States. And there are small modern builders like Lauten Audio, JZ Microphones, Soyuz, Roswell Pro Audio, Vanguard Audio Labs and Ear Trumpet Labs, plus Denmark's DPA, which every classical engineer knows and most rock engineers ignore. This guide covers who each one is, their best-known microphones, what they sound like and where they fit in a recording, with an honest word on when an unusual mic is worth it and when it is not.
We are fond of odd microphones. A strange mic in front of a guitar amp or a singer can give a recording its own sound faster than any plugin. But the badge never saves a bad take, so treat this as a list of interesting colours, not a shopping list.
Unknown microphone brands at a glance
Melodium (France, 1928 to 1987): the 42B ribbon, now reissued as the 42Bn.
Western Electric (USA): the 618A dynamic of 1931 and the 639A "birdcage" of 1938.
Turner (USA, 1931 to 1979): Cedar Rapids broadcast and PA mics, cheap and full of character.
Lauten Audio (USA): modern condensers, including the three-voiced Atlantis FC-387.
JZ Microphones (Latvia, 2007): jeweller-built condensers like the Black Hole BH2 and Vintage 67.
Soyuz (Russia, 2013): hand-built SU-017 tube and SU-011 small-diaphragm mics.
Roswell Pro Audio (USA): affordable K47-capsule condensers like the Mini K47.
Vanguard Audio Labs (USA): tube and FET condensers such as the V13.
Ear Trumpet Labs (USA): hand-made condensers from Oregon that look like sculpture.
DPA Microphones (Denmark): precise small condensers from the old Brüel & Kjær line.
Forgotten vintage microphone brands
Melodium (France)
Melodium was founded in Paris in 1928 by Charles Bouteleau and Émile Furn and closed in 1987. Its best-known microphone is the 42B, a figure-8 ribbon from the early 1940s with four large AlNiCo magnets and a three-position switch for speech, voice and music. It was used across French radio, cinema and music recording, and it is so admired that it has been reissued as the Melodium 42Bn. Sound On Sound reviewed the reissue.
The sound is warm and smooth, like the classic RCA ribbons but with a European accent. It suits vocals that should sound old, horns and guitar amps.
Western Electric (USA)
Western Electric, the manufacturing arm of the Bell telephone system, built some of the first serious microphones. The 618A of 1931 was an omnidirectional dynamic (moving coil) microphone with high output for its time. The 639A of 1938, the "birdcage", combined a ribbon and a dynamic element in one body so you could switch between patterns. Both were used in film, radio and PA for years. Mix covers the 618A's history.
Working examples are collectors' items now. They sound mid-heavy and rounded, like old radio, which is exactly why some engineers use them on vocals and room sounds.
Turner (USA)
The Turner Microphone Company was founded in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1931 by David Turner and Everett Foster. It grew into a big maker of broadcast, PA and communication microphones, was sold to Telex in 1978 and closed in 1979. Models like the Turner 22 were everywhere in the 1940s and 50s.
Turners are the definition of a cheap character mic. Many used crystal or ceramic elements with a narrow, midrange-heavy sound that is perfect for a lo-fi vocal, a harmonica or a trashy drum mic. You can still find them for little money.
Small modern microphone makers
Lauten Audio (USA)
Lauten Audio was founded by Brian Loudenslager to make microphones with their own character rather than copies of classics. Its best-known model is the Atlantis FC-387, a multi-pattern FET condenser with a three-position voicing switch that gives you three different-sounding mics in one body.
Where it fits: a studio that wants one versatile vocal and instrument condenser that does not sound like every other large-diaphragm mic.
JZ Microphones (Latvia)
JZ Microphones was set up in Riga in 2007 by jeweller Juris Zarins, and it shows in the build. The Black Hole BH2 is a large-diaphragm condenser known for very low self-noise, and the Vintage 67 is JZ's take on the Neumann U67 sound. JZ on Wikipedia has the background.
Where it fits: clean, detailed vocals and acoustic instruments, especially quiet sources where noise matters.
Soyuz (Russia)
Soyuz Microphones was founded in 2013 in Tula, south of Moscow, a city with a long history of microphone making, by American singer-songwriter David Arthur Brown and Russian entrepreneur Pavel Bazdyrev. The first two models were the SU-017, a large-diaphragm tube condenser, and the SU-011, a small-diaphragm pencil mic, both hand-built.
Where it fits: the SU-017 is a rich, forward vocal mic, the SU-011 a lively mic for acoustic guitar and overheads. Availability outside Russia has varied in recent years, so check your local dealer.
Roswell Pro Audio (USA)
Roswell Pro Audio makes affordable condensers built around a 34 mm K47-type capsule, the capsule design associated with the Neumann U47. The Mini K47 is its best-known model, a small-bodied condenser that gets some of that classic tone at a modest price, and there is also a kick drum version.
Where it fits: vocals and guitar cabs in a home or project studio that wants a vintage-leaning sound without a vintage price.
Vanguard Audio Labs (USA)
Vanguard Audio Labs makes tube and FET condensers, and its V13 is a large-diaphragm, multi-pattern tube condenser with a dual 34 mm capsule. The second-generation V13 added cryogenically treated tube circuitry and a custom output transformer, and Tape Op has reviewed both versions.
Where it fits: a tube vocal mic with vintage warmth and modern low noise, at a price well below the classics it borrows from.
Ear Trumpet Labs (USA)
Ear Trumpet Labs builds condenser microphones by hand in Oregon, and they look like nothing else: exposed capsules in copper, brass and steel frames. Models such as Myrtle and Louise are especially popular with acoustic, folk and bluegrass players, who often gather around one mic on stage.
Where it fits: acoustic bands recorded or played live around one microphone, and anyone who wants the mic to be part of the picture in a video session.
DPA Microphones (Denmark)
DPA grew out of the microphone division of the Danish measurement company Brüel & Kjær, and it is based near Copenhagen. Its small-diaphragm condensers are famous in classical recording, film and theatre for being extremely accurate and uncoloured.
Rock and indie engineers often skip DPA because the mics do not add character. That is exactly why they are interesting on drum overheads, acoustic instruments and room mics in a good-sounding space: what you hear is the room. More on that in room and ambient mics for recording.
Are unknown microphones worth it?
Sometimes. An unusual microphone gives you a sound other people are not getting, and a cheap vintage oddity like a Turner can become the signature of a record. The small modern brands often give you most of the sound of a famous mic for a fraction of the price.
Our honest view: the microphone is the fourth or fifth most important thing in a recording, after the song, the performance, the room and where you put the mic. A cheap odd mic in the right place on a great take will beat an expensive one on an average take. We make the same argument in 10 rare vintage microphones that shaped recording history.
How to use an odd microphone in a recording
Use it next to a normal mic, not instead of it. Blend the odd one in for character.
Try it where character helps most: a guitar amp, a room mic, a lo-fi vocal double, a harmonica.
Push it. Distortion and a narrow frequency range are often the point with cheap old mics.
Check the phase when you blend two mics on the same source.
Commit. If the odd mic is the sound, print it and move on.
Buying unknown or vintage microphones
Test before you buy if you can. Old ribbons and crystal elements can be dead or weak.
Know the connector and impedance. Many vintage mics are high impedance and need a transformer to work with a modern preamp.
Check dealer support for small modern brands, since spare parts and service vary.
Read and listen to reviews from independent sources like Sound On Sound and Tape Op, not only the maker's own page.
What an earlier version of this article got wrong
The first version called the Western Electric 618A a ribbon microphone (it is a dynamic) and described the 639A only as a ribbon (it combines a ribbon and a dynamic element). It dated Turner to 1933 (it was founded in 1931), and it named microphones we could not verify, like a Melodium 75A, a Turner 55S, a JZ BT-201 and a Soyuz "013 tube ribbon". We have removed those and added the brands mentioned only in passing before.
Unknown microphone brands FAQ
What are some underrated microphone brands?
Lauten Audio, JZ Microphones, Soyuz, Roswell Pro Audio, Vanguard Audio Labs and Ear Trumpet Labs are small modern makers with a strong reputation among engineers. For precise, uncoloured sound, DPA from Denmark is well known in classical recording but underused in rock and indie.
What is the Melodium 42B?
The Melodium 42B is a French figure-8 ribbon microphone from the early 1940s, used across French radio, cinema and music recording. It has been reissued as the Melodium 42Bn.
Is the Western Electric 618A a ribbon microphone?
No. The Western Electric 618A from 1931 is an omnidirectional dynamic, or moving coil, microphone. The later 639A "birdcage" combined a ribbon and a dynamic element in one body.
Are cheap vintage microphones good for recording?
They can be excellent as character mics. Old broadcast and PA mics like Turners have a narrow, midrange-heavy sound that works well on lo-fi vocals, harmonica, guitar amps and trashy drum mics.
Where are JZ Microphones made?
JZ Microphones are made in Riga, Latvia. The company was founded in 2007 by jeweller Juris Zarins.
Keep reading
Recorded something with an odd mic and want a mix that keeps the character? We mix indie rock, post-punk and shoegaze for artists everywhere. Send us the rough mix.
