Building Microphones with Oaka Instruments
Early into 2025 I travelled up to Dorset to meet Ezra from Oaka Instruments. He had previously sent me some new prototype microphones based on the popular Verdi Mics. In this video he shows us a behind the scenes look at the build process for the new 3.5mm version of the Verdi Mic's called the Mini Verdi's.
We started off by looking at the history of the microphones and how they came to be. He showed me the first microphones he produced which were originally made from copper.
Interestingly, this is what influenced the name Verdi as it comes from the term Verdigris, which is a bluey green pigment or patina that forms on copper due to oxidation.
Ezra then explained the difficulty of building microphones with the copper tube and showed me the latest version which is made of a robust painted aluminium. It looks really clean!
We then moved onto the Mini Verdi's and took a look at the first prototypes. These were very small microphones which are great for drop rigs as they can be hidden easily but the small size meant they were difficult to mount wind fluffies onto them and attatch to stereo bars / suspension.
This is where the "Rare Finds Sound Design Prototype" pair comes in. Ezra designed a pair of Verdi Mics with a new 3.5mm input that can work with PiP (Plug in Power) recorders like the Zoom H1, Sony A10 and my favourite small recorder the Sony M10.
The Rare Finds Prototypes are a one of a kind because the Mini Verdi's eventually evolved into a similar design as the regular XLR Verdi's without the preamp circuitry and an updated colour scheme. I love the size of the Prototypes as they're kinda in between the original Mini Verdi's and the current Mini Verdi's. So it gives me extra flexibility for setup choices for travel setups.
After learning a bit more about the Mini Verdi's we moved downstairs to the metal working room as Ezra was going to show us the whole build process of the microphones from start to finish.
The Verdi mics begin life as a raw piece of aluminium which gets trimmed down into 50mm sections. Once the pieces are cut, the holes get drilled out using a lathe.
Ezra describes using the lathe as a mindful activity because it requires a lot of concentration. In order to to get a good result you have to be completely tuned into what you're doing visually and sonically. As you can hear exactly what the machine is doing.
After we were done in the metal working room, we headed back upstairs to put all the pieces together. We skipped the spray painting process as I was only there for one day. I even tried my hands at a bit of soldering too! It's been a while...
The microphones were looking great! Ezra had a pair of pre built mini Verdi's that were ready to be used so we headed out to a local woodland to test them out.
For my setup I was using the Sony M10 as my recorder and Ezra was using his Sony A10. These recorders are perfect for pairing with the Mini Verdi mics as their small size and plug in power keeps the overall footprint down. Without a tripod or stereo bar you can quite literally fit it all in your pocket.
For wind protection we were using the Radius Windshields 12mm microphone fluffies. A must have if you plan on recording with the Mini Verdi's in windy environments. Ezra sells a brown pair which you can only get on the Oaka Instruments Website.
We also tested out the RAD 2 Radius Field Edition shock mounts which worked out great. I'd recommend using just the single hoop as the two hoop setup seen in the video was a little unnecessary for the light weight of the Verdi Mics.
Take a listen to some of the recordings from the Mini Verdi Microphones compared to the inbuilt Sony M10 Microphones:
All in all, I had a great day visiting the Oaka Instruments workshop and really enjoyed getting a behind the scenes look at the build process for the Mini Verdi Microphones.
If you would like to purchase a set of Mini Verdi's, head on over to https://www.oakainstruments.co.uk/
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