Zeppelin Design Labs

Fun electronics DIY Music kits! Guitar amps, cabs & pedals, synthesizers & controllers, microphones

Custom Audio Product Design;
Manufacturer of Fine Audio Products, sold as Kits or Pre Built.

07/29/2026

The brings the Cajon into the mix, no mic stand require.

06/29/2026

🔍 CAUGHT ON CORTADO: A retired Apple engineer turned "Gentleman Scientist" is using a Cortado to hunt a ghost.

Rick had a mystery on his hands — a chaotic, unexplained tick in Porsche engines that owners had noticed for years but nobody could explain. Standard broadcast mics couldn't isolate it from the roar of fans and exhaust. So he reached for a Cortado.

He epoxied a magnet to a ferrous bolt on the bottom of the engine, clamped the Cortado to it, and recorded the exhaust note separately to track the ticks against engine rotation. The contact mic pulled a faint, fast, structure-borne signal cleanly out of one of the noisiest mechanical environments imaginable — and the phase data points to a culprit beyond the engine itself. 👀

Read the full story (with the phase plots): https://www.cortadomic.com/stories/rick-porsche-tick/

This is exactly the kind of ingenuity we launched Caught on Cortado to celebrate. And Rick's just the beginning — we've got Cortado MkIIIs wired into an art installation inside a working beehive 🐝, and an Inuk artist using an Xe to capture the deep voice of his qilaut drum, both on the way.

How do YOU use your Cortado? Whether you run a MkII, MkIII, or the new Xe, tell us where you've stuck it and what you heard. Every story we feature earns a free Zeppelin Design Labs T-shirt. 👕

Share yours → https://www.cortadomic.com/share-your-cortado/

03/28/2026

NEW! Tolex-wrapped cabinet for the Percolator 2W tube amp.
Same great sound—now in a classic, pro-style enclosure.

Ships fully assembled with everything you need to mount your amp—no guesswork, no fuss. 🇺🇸Cabinet is Made in the USA.🇺🇸

We have a limited supply available now...

Bundle and save: https://zeppelindesignlabs.com/products/amps-cabinets/percolator-2w-amp-kit/

Cabinet only: https://zeppelindesignlabs.com/products/amps-cabinets/percolator-amp-black-tolex-head-cabinet/