Talas One · open-hardware microphone
The Talas One is a large-diaphragm condenser microphone. Its dual-diaphragm capsule comes out on two separate channels, its electronics fit on two boards, and every plan is published. The prototype works: have a listen.
Listen
In June 2026, the P1 and a RØDE NT1-A recorded the same source at the same moment, in an untreated room: pink noise played through a loudspeaker. Levels were matched afterwards, to within 0.3 dB.
Switch between A and B while it plays: the position is kept. The difference is easier to hear on headphones.
The P1 sounds warmer and darker than the NT1-A: the low mids are more present, the highs above 10 kHz softer. The measurements say the same thing, by four different methods. It is a matter of character, not of ranking.
No music here: a pair of music excerpts used to exist, but the music played through the loudspeaker was someone else’s, so it was withdrawn. Next recordings: voices and instruments, captured with the P3.
The mic
The capsule carries two diaphragms, each with its own balanced output. You record both on two tracks, then choose how to blend them at the mix instead of freezing that choice at the take.
The aim: set the polar pattern after the fact. That is what the P3 has to demonstrate with its two channels; only one works on the P1.
The preamp (OPA1642) and the capsule supply sit on two separate boards: you can replace one without touching the other. The body comes apart into a few pieces and leaves the electronics within reach.
Every P3 component has its supplier part number in the bill of materials, and a troubleshooting guide comes with the plans.
KiCad schematics and boards, P3 Gerbers, bills of materials, simulations and assembly guides are published. Hardware under CERN-OHL-W-2.0, documentation and photos under CC BY-SA 4.0. The preamp builds on an AliceOPA topology.
The measurements come from mic-test-bench, a free bench you can run on your own microphones, or try without any hardware using a synthetic campaign.
Using it
What a microphone sold one day would include, cable and accessories among them, will be settled with the first series.
Progress
As of .
Assembled in April, corrected by hand, measured in June against an NT1-A on its channel B.
Every P1 correction is built into the sources.
Receive the boards, assemble them, validate both channels, then record voices and instruments.
The project is self-funded and developed in the open. Detailed status and revisions →
Take part
The guided tour: photos, annotated schematics, measurements and the full listening session.
demo.talas.fr → 02 · BuildSources, bills of materials, guides and the test bench are on Codeberg. Questions, build reports and corrections are welcome there.
The repository on Codeberg → 03 · TryRecord with a P3, build from the documentation, review a schematic or measure with the bench: tell us what you would like to do.
The trial programme →Follow
An email when a milestone is reached: the P3 built, the first voice recordings, the opening of a possible first series.
Nothing is on sale today, and signing up commits you to nothing.
Target price for a possible first series: €150.
€150 is a target, not an offer: nothing is sold, pre-ordered or paid for today.
The parts for a complete self-built microphone come to €69 to €76 at unit prices, €21 of it electronics and €26 for the capsule; the rest is the boards, the body and the XLR connector. The Y cable is extra. It is a range because no manufacturer has quoted the body yet; the item-by-item table says what is read from an invoice and what is estimated.
A series depends on three things: a P3 built and measured, a dedicated body, a registered workshop. What is in the box, the warranty and the lead times will be settled at that point.