Latvian mic brand JZ Microphones has unveiled the MU-1, which it claims is the first-ever two-in-one ribbon and large diaphragm condenser microphone.

The mic was designed by Grammy-winning producer and engineer Marc Urselli. Boasting credits with U2, Nick Cave, Foo Fighters, Lou Reed and Elton John, Urselli has long been a fan of using a ribbon and large condenser setup to mic up a single source.

“The ribbon-and-condenser technique has been my favourite way of recording things for a long time,” he says. “However, it involves having to set up two stands, negotiate space, align mics in the physical space, and align their phase afterwards,” says Urselli.

“MU-1 is the first time sound comes out of one microphone – phase-coherent, level-matched, and completely repeatable from session to session. That changes how I work: it delivers the best sound, simplifies setup, delivers options, offers a sonic palette that spans decades and improves everything.”

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Pop the top, in fact, and you’ll see both ribbon and large diaphragm condenser capsules in a single package. The condenser section is built around the Golden Drop capsule from JZ’s Black Hole series, while the ribbon uses a premium 1.2 µm foil motor for “higher sensitivity and finer detail”. JZ Microphones has a patent pending for this hybrid capsule architecture.

Also to note, the MU-1 comes with a five-pin XLR to dual three-pin breakout. Plug the five-pin into the single body and use the breakout to record each mic as an individual channel.

“At JZ, we’re always looking for innovative, practical ways to make engineers’ lives easier. Not more complicated. MU-1 is exactly that,” says Andris Zemmers, CEO at JZ Microphones. “It takes a technique the best engineers in the world already love, and removes every obstacle between them and the sound. That’s the kind of innovation we care about.”

The MU-1 is currently priced at €1999 / $1999, with matched pairs available upon request. Units will ship in August 2026.

To preorder, head to JZ Microphones.

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