Out standing in his field: Ezra Gray of Oaka Instruments on his specialist mics
The boutique field recording microphones from Oaka Instruments have been a big hit in the Signal Sounds store this year.
Built by hand in Dorset by sound artist and audio engineer Ezra Gray (pictured), they’ve been used by sound designers, artists and composers all over the world to capture sounds from the natural world in exquisite detail.
We picked Ezra’s brains to find out a bit more about the business and his design approach.
Q: How did Oaka Instruments come about?
A: Oaka Instruments started as an experiment after I finished University in Bristol. I wanted to see whether it was possible to build a fairly affordable, high-quality microphone for field recording purposes.
I studied audio engineering and have always been experimenting with electronics. As a sound artist with a keen interest in field recording, I basically just merged everything together to form Oaka Instruments.
The project got shelved ( as a lot of projects do) when I came to live in Dorset and was reignited when an artist commissioned me to build some microphones. It all has grown from there really.
Q: How would you sum up your design philosophy?
A: I’ve always tried to create things that are practical, durable, sustainable and repairable. It's basically what I look for in products myself.
A serious amount of field testing was done, especially with the contact microphones, to make them as practical as possible for recording outdoors in the field.
They went through many iterations, some made out of wood and aluminium. Eventually, I found a design which looked good and sounded great as well.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about the process of making the mics?
A: I do the whole process myself in my studio/workshop here in Dorset. The design, testing and building are all done by hand.
The Verdi and Mini Verdi microphone bodies are machined and finished in-house out of aluminium. I could quite easily get these done out of a plastic-based material, but it's important to me that they have some substance to them and they can withstand a knock or two.
Q: Do you have any interesting customers?
A: I’ve sold microphones to people all over the world and they’ve been used on some amazing projects. A big highlight for me was when some sound designers from Skywalker Sound in the USA bought a few.
I get really excited when the microphones are used for research purposes and by other sound artists. A few exciting people who frequently use them are Nathan Moody, Yaw Evans, Andy Martin, Kathy Hinde and Mntra Instruments. People have been very supportive of the Oaka project and I really appreciate it!
Q: Do you have any tips or advice for anyone new to field recording?
A: I think the biggest thing for me early on was having the confidence to head out on my own and record things. I used to be slightly embarrassed about standing around public areas with recording equipment.
I learnt quite quickly that field recording was a personal endeavour which was about listening as much as recording. I think the act of listening deeply to our surroundings has a positive impact on ourselves and connects us to our environment. I'd recommend finding a personal reason to go out and listen/record, then building upon that.
Q: Are there any new products in the pipeline you can tell us about?
A: I have lots of ideas but very little time to work on them! Hopefully, over the quiet winter months, I can work on a few projects. A few hints might include some sort of underwater microphone and also I'm really keen to open up a platform within Oaka Instruments to release some sounds into the world.
Oaka Instruments Verdi Discrete Omnidirectional Condenser Microphones (Pair)
£195.00
A pair of discrete, omnidirectional condenser microphones adapted for field recording, sonic arts and sound design. Specialised microphones for subtle, delicate sounds and wide, intriguing...… read more
Oaka Instruments MINI Verdi Discrete Omnidirectional Condenser Microphones (Pair)
£145.00
A pair of compact and lightweight alternatives to the original Verdi microphones. They are an ideal upgrade to a handheld recorder's internal microphones, with excellent...… read more
Oaka Instruments Tellus Weatherised Active Contact Microphone
£150.00
Tellus is a highly sensitive active contact microphone designed for field recording and sound design. It enables the exploration of sound worlds usually hidden from...… read more
Oaka Instruments Tellus Magnetic Active Contact Microphone
£165.00
Tellus Magnetic Tellus is a highly sensitive active contact microphone designed for field recording and sound design. It enables the exploration of sound worlds usually...… read more
Oaka Instruments Tellus Miniature Active Contact Microphone
£165.00
Tellus is a highly sensitive active contact microphone designed for field recording and sound design. It enables the exploration of sound worlds usually hidden from...… read more
For more on the topic of field recording, check out our blog post Field recording 101: Why, how and what you’ll need.
