Why is the piano the key? Because it’s the only piece of equipment that the player cannot carry with them. When my quartet arrives in the studio three of us take out own equipment. Our pianist doesn’t. For obvious reasons.

I’m fortunate, and it really is nothing but good fortune, to live within 20 miles of the perfect live room with perfect grand pianos and perfect piano microphones.

Recording double bass and drums in a jazz environment isn’t anywhere near as hard since they react well, often very well, to a minimalist approach.

Which leaves me. Since recording will be split between the aforementioned perfect live room, where the quartet work will take place, and my own home studio, where one or more solo pieces will be recorded, I need a microphone that is good enough to work in two very different environments, producing excellent results in both.

I need the perfect jazz trumpet microphone. If, indeed, such a thing exists.

And it’s not an easy choice.

If forced to choose a tonal direction, picking an sweeping adjective to describe the sound I’m looking for I constantly arrive at one word.

Dark.

A standard condenser probably won’t cut it. The high frequency overtones will almost certainly be too harsh, overpowering the warmth of the darkness.

A tube is the next logical step.

But I secretly covet a ribbon.

Renowned and revered by anyone who has every recorded a trumpet, a ribbon microphone can manage and control the overpowering highs that can wash out depth of tone. A high quality ribbon is my personal studio holy grail.

The search has begun.