A Guide to Roswell Microphones

Roswell Pro Audio is a boutique microphone manufacturer founded by Matthew McGlynn, whose work in the recording world began with building and analysing microphones through spare parts websites. Out of that experience came a desire to create microphones that were not just clones of classics, but original tools with their own distinct sonic character. Guided by the philosophy of “Science, Not Fiction,” Roswell emphasises meticulous design, careful testing, and voicing choices that serve musicians and engineers in practical, musical ways. The result is a company that has built a strong reputation among producers, artists, and studios looking for thoughtfully designed microphones with personality.

What distinguishes Roswell is its focus on craftsmanship and detail. Each microphone is built in their Northern California workshop, where every unit is assembled, burned in, and thoroughly tested for performance. Circuits are point-to-point soldered, components are carefully selected, and capsules are voiced to deliver consistency and reliability. This attention to the smallest details means that Roswell microphones don’t just measure well on paper—they also provide the kind of character and nuance that inspires confidence in the studio.

The company’s approach to design has led to a product range that balances innovation with tradition. Roswell microphones are known for offering familiar tonal warmth and clarity, while steering away from sterile or overly clinical sound. Instead, they strive for a balance, capturing sources with natural depth and presence while avoiding the exaggerated highs or hyped lows that can sometimes fatigue the ear. This makes their microphones versatile choices for a wide range of recording situations, from vocals and acoustic instruments to percussion and ensemble setups.

Among Roswell’s offerings, the single-mic series has become especially popular with artists and engineers who want straightforward, reliable tools without unnecessary complexity. Compact, robust, and thoughtfully packaged, these microphones embody the company’s mission: to create accessible, boutique-quality gear that elevates recordings without overcomplicating the process. It’s this combination of design philosophy, attention to detail, and musicality that has positioned Roswell Pro Audio as a respected name in the modern recording landscape.

Vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, drum overheads

The Mini K47 is designed to deliver a warm, natural sound that feels smooth and inviting on a wide range of sources. Roswell describes it as providing “a distinctive sonic signature,” balancing a rich midrange with clear, unhyped highs. Compact and versatile, the microphone offers the character of a large-diaphragm condenser while staying approachable in size and setup. Its clean circuit and carefully voiced capsule allow it to capture performances with detail and depth, without sounding harsh or overly bright.

The Mini K47 offers a full and natural tone, avoiding the exaggerated high-frequency boost that some condensers can have. This makes it easier to capture vocals and instruments that sit well in a mix without requiring heavy EQ adjustments.

Each microphone is assembled and tested in Roswell’s California workshop. Every unit undergoes burn-in conditioning and multiple performance checks to ensure consistency and reliability. That level of care helps give the Mini K47 a boutique feel and dependable performance.

The mic’s smaller body size makes it easy to position in tight recording setups while still offering the sound quality of a full-sized studio condenser. It ships with Roswell’s Cutaway shock mount, a protective mic sock, and a flight case, making it ready for both studio and travel use.

Vocals (including aggressive/rock styles), acoustic & electric guitars, piano, drum overheads.

The Mini K47x blends a K47-voiced large-diaphragm capsule with a transformer-coupled circuit that introduces gentle, tape-like harmonic saturation and slightly softened transients at moderate SPLs. It’s voiced with midrange presence that flatters voices and stringed instruments while keeping top-end behaviour relaxed and musical.

Single-stage JFET topology feeding Roswell’s oversized output transformer produces even-order saturation for a subtly “vintage” Colour without crushing transients or adding noise.

True 34 mm K47 capsule with a milder 4–6 kHz presence than the transformer less Mini K47, giving a slightly less forward, more classic tone that suits many voices and guitars.

Designed, assembled, burned-in, and individually tuned in California; ships with Roswell’s non-resonant Cutaway shockmount and a flight case for dependable daily use.

Vocals (smooth on sibilance), acoustic guitar, electric guitar cabinets, strings, eclectic acoustic instruments.

A large-diaphragm condenser voiced to balance neutrality and flattering Colour, the Mini K67x pairs a proprietary K67-style capsule with a transformer-coupled circuit. Expect tight low end, an open, airy top, and tube-like harmonic enhancement that adds polish to sources without hype.

Extended high-frequency ambience and a subtle dip in the sibilance region deliver natural detail on vocals and strings, capturing space without harshness.

Carefully gain-staged JFET/transformer circuit evokes 1960s workhorse tube mics, adding harmonics and slight transient rounding for mix-ready tracks.

Each mic is burned in, sweep-tested, and auditioned; it includes Roswell’s Cutaway shock mount, a mic sock, and an upgraded flight case.

Sung & spoken vocals (voiceover/podcasting), acoustic guitar & strings, drum overheads, general studio all-rounder.

The Mini K87 is a high-resolution condenser that aims for transparency over Colouration. Its neutral voicing with a full, supportive low end captures sources honestly while still conveying musical character, making it a versatile first-call studio mic.

Specially tuned K67/K87-style capsule and meticulous final voicing yield an essentially flat response that takes EQ gracefully and suits a wide range of sources.

Pristine, electronically balanced output delivers low noise and very low distortion with ample headroom for everything from vocals to overheads.

Built, tested, and tuned in California with NOS/audiophile parts; includes the Cutaway shockmount, mic sock, and an aluminium flight case.

Electric guitar cabinets (clean to high-gain), close or “edge-of-cone” placements, live room or iso-cab work.

Purpose-built for guitar amps, Cab Mic captures the feel of standing in front of a cabinet—open, uncompressed, and three-dimensional—while taming harshness and preserving pick attack. It excels across gain levels and makes positioning quick and repeatable.

Voicing and capsule design deliver smooth, musical highs without the fragility of ribbons, retaining clarity on bright amps and pedals.

Internal gain staging and a low-distortion circuit are optimised for loud rigs, helping prevent overload of the mic, preamp, or converters.

Designed for close cab work, it yields usable tones across common placements, cutting setup time while delivering mix-ready tracks.

Kick drum (internal or external), floor tom, bass cabinet, brass and other high-SPL sources.

KD is a purpose-built large-diaphragm condenser engineered for extreme SPLs and extended low-frequency capture. It pairs a true 34 mm K47 capsule with a custom circuit that trades raw output for massive headroom and punch, ideal for modern kick tones and big low end.

Revised topology and biasing reduce output without resorting to distortion-adding capacitive pads, preserving clarity on the loudest sources.

The same widely loved K47 diaphragm delivers dense, musical lows and focused mids that translate kick thump and bass cab body.

Individually tuned JFET selection and burn-in; ships with the Cutaway shockmount in a hard case for reliable studio deployment.

Vocals, acoustic guitar, bass instruments

The Colares is Roswell’s flagship FET condenser, delivering a big, vibey, and harmonically rich sound modelled after vintage tube microphones but built with solid-state reliability. It proudly leans into colouration, offering excitement, presence, and low noise, all in a hand-built design tuned and tested in California.

A 10 dB pad that not only attenuates level but also reduces harmonic content, giving you the option for a cleaner, more modern sound when needed.

A versatile switch allows sculpting of the low end—roll off proximity-heavy lows or boost for distance capture—so the mic adapts instantly to different placement and source dynamics.

With upper midrange detail, a smooth high end, and harmonic saturation, the Colares creates a “bigger-than-life” vocal sound that’s rich, open, and confidently colourful.

Vocals, acoustic guitar, drum overheads, strings

The Aztec is Roswell’s flagship tube-style microphone, inspired by the legendary ElaM 251 but redesigned to be quieter, more reliable, and easier to maintain. It delivers an intimate yet airy top end with rich harmonic saturation and gentle transient compression, even when placed farther from the source. With nine selectable polar patterns, a switchable attenuator, and a high-pass filter, it offers unmatched flexibility for creative positioning and tonal shaping.

The custom power supply allows recall of nine discrete polar patterns on the fly, giving you precise control over focus and room ambience without needing to swap microphones.

Using a selected 6072 tube and premium components, the Aztec generates musical warmth, smooth highs, and mild compression—all while maintaining clarity and low noise.

A built-in attenuator lets you tame hot sources without clipping, while a high-pass filter helps manage proximity effects—right at your fingertips.

Roswell Pro Audio has carved out a unique space in the microphone world by blending boutique craftsmanship with an artist-first approach to sound. From the compact and versatile Mini series to the statement-making single microphones, each model is carefully voiced to serve music rather than specs. The brand’s commitment to hand assembly, rigorous testing, and thoughtful design shines through in microphones that feel approachable yet deliver professional, mix-ready results.

Whether you’re a singer, instrumentalist, or engineer, Roswell offers tools that inspire creativity and confidence in the studio. The Mini series proves that big sound doesn’t always require a big footprint, while the flagship models like the Colares and Aztec show how modern microphones can carry the soul and character of vintage classics. Together, they create a lineup that balances clarity, warmth, and personality, giving you a microphone for every stage of your recording journey.