Microphone Question

[Late]

When Charley Patton or Blind Lemon Jefferson or (fill in name of favorite early blues artist) first recorded, what kind of microphone(s) were used at the time? And were these artists simply recorded in offices? If anyone here could talk about this to a novice (myself), or point to a book that provides information along these lines, I'd be much appreciative. Thanks!

[Late]

I just realized ... maybe these guys weren't recorded using microphones at all. I told you I was a novice!

[AllenLowe]

they were, in the electrical recording era - from what I have been told by people like Doug Pomeroy, condensers were common in the electrical era because they picked up so much. But I am not really sure - Chris, you out there?

[AllenLowe]

here's some stuff from Mix Magazine on Neumann and his microphones:

Microphones were and always will be the most loved legacy of Georg Neumann. The story starts more than a century ago. Born in 1898 in a small town outside of Berlin, Neumann apprenticed at Mix & Genest and did amplifier research for AEG. When AEG lab director Eugen Reisz created his own company, Neumann joined him and looked into ways to improve carbon microphone technology. Neumann stretched a tight rubber membrane over a marble slab containing powdered carbon and two electrodes. The resulting “Reisz marble block microphone” was fairly flat from 50 to 1k Hz, with a 10dB peak at 4 kHz, and was -15 dB at 10 kHz. Hardly impressive by modern standards, this 1923 model encouraged Neumann to look at other ways to improve mic performance.

During that time , as radio gained popularity and record companies switched over to the “electrical recording process,” microphones suddenly became a major link in the audio chain. Excited by the idea of building capacitive (condenser) mics, Neumann left Reisz and, with Erich Rickmann, founded Georg Neumann & Co. in Berlin in November 1928. Later that year, Neumann debuted the CMV3—the first mass-produced condenser mic.

The CMV designation referred to "Condensator Mikrofon Verstärker" (condenser microphone amplifier) and the number three probably indicates that two earlier prototype versions existed. Nicknamed the “Bottle mic,” the CMV3 had an omnidirectional M1 capsule with large, gold-sputtered colloidan (later switched to PVC) diaphragms and RE084 triode-based tube electronics.

In 1932, Neumann unveiled the CMV3A, featuring interchangeable capsule heads, including a cardioid version of the famed M7, which was later adapted for use in the U47.

Neumann had a worldwide distribution deal with Telefunken, so models for broadcasting use or export outside Germany had Telefunken logos. The only difference between "Neumann" and "Telefunken" models were the name badges (and model numbers in the case of the CMV3) that were applied just before the mics were boxed for shipment. This practice continued on through the late-1950s, when Neumann finally established its own distribution in North America.

[Late]

Thanks for that, Allen. I'm going to have to read up on how a condenser microphone actually works. I know virtually nothing when it comes to this stuff, but I'm interested in learning.

Edited March 5, 2009 by Late

[Ted O'Reilly]

If I correctly recall my "Broadcast Equipment 101" courses of 45 years ago, most of the earliest mics would have been crystal or carbon devices, then ribbon mics, dynamics and over here at least the condensers most recently.

A simple Google search leads to http://chss.montclair.edu/~pererat/mpermic.htm which covers this under #2, under radio mics, since there's very little difference in radio or studio mics.

[Late]

Thanks, Ted.

[mmilovan]

Well, the truth is that condenser mic, constructed by Neuman, visited States as early as the mid 1950s.

Until that time, the most popular, common type used for recording indoor/studio, was ribbon type RCA 44BX:

http://www.sorcerersound.com/44bx.jpg

This microphone constructed back in 1931. was real killer! Some says that even today it sounds much better than usual, legendary Neumann U47, and I believe it is true, there is nothing in a world like good quality RCA 44BX!

But as for blues performers (famous scene from "Crossroads" comes to mind) if these were hotel room location recordings, recorded on portable equipment, everything can be used. I think that even dynamic type microphone was developed around that time (begin 1930s).

I don't know if this is true, but I think I saw this one:

http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/images/Turner_999.jpg

in that "Crossroads" movie...

Edited March 12, 2009 by mmilovan

[glennbrown]

The studio of the day would have tracked straight to disk using a horn transducer as a mic..

Check out some pictures of Gennett records (for example) www.radiodismuke.com/forum/index.php?act=Prin...

Many of the early blues/jazz artists recorded at Gennett records in Richmond Indiana right next to the tracks..

Glenn

Glenn Brown - engineer - producer

gbp-studio-acoustics.com

[Jim Alfredson]

Glenn be the man!

[AllenLowe]

"The studio of the day would have tracked straight to disk using a horn transducer as a mic."

Glenn, is this true even post-electrical?

(and you're not by any chance related to Glen Glenn?)

Edited March 18, 2009 by AllenLowe

[Ted O'Reilly]

"The studio of the day would have tracked straight to disk using a horn transducer as a mic."

Glenn, is this true even post-electrical?

(and you're not by any chance related to Glen Glenn?)

This is covered pretty well in Wikipedia's item at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recording_studio then go down to "History".

[AllenLowe]

actually it's not - he is saying above that a horn transducer would be used as a microphone - which I am assuming is pre-electrical - the article (and I rarely trust Wikepedia) indicates actual microphones are used in the electric (post-acoustic) era - most (but not all) of the early country and blues recordings were done electrically - so the question still stands -

Edited March 19, 2009 by AllenLowe

[Ted O'Reilly]

Actually, Allen you're sorta right, but I think the only confusing part is the claim that the acoustic horn's sound is channeled to another room. In fact, they should have explained that it's pretty much the opposite of Nipper and his horn.... Band into horn, on small end of horn is a diaphram with a cutting stylus attached, which etches the waveform into a wax disc. All mechanical.

Once there were mics and amps, equipment moved out of the recording room into a separate control room, with a cutting lathe taking the amplified electrical signal created by the mics to drive a cutting head to etch the waveform.

Interestingly, it took years for the turntable of the cutting lathe to be electrically driven. Even in George Martin's earliest days of the 1950s (I heard him describe this) the speed of the cutting lathe's turntable was driven by a falling weight/clockwork system, as the electrical supply of 50 cycles per second in England was too erratic to be trusted, and flutter would result in the cut disc. Gravity was much more reliable.