M I C R O P H O N E Collection |
A reminder that the prices listed are what the item originally sold for in the year it was released. |
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MOMSR YouTube playlist News coverage #1 • News coverage #2 • view overview video of tape recorder collection • mobile video • more info MOMSR YouTube playlist
Microphone, colloquially named mic or mike is a device – a transducer – that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and public events, motion picture production, live and recorded audio engineering, sound recording, two-way radios, megaphones, radio and television broadcasting, and in computers for recording voice, speech recognition, VoIP, and for non-acoustic purposes such as ultrasonic sensors or knock sensors.
Several types of microphone are in use, which employ different methods to convert the air pressure variations of a sound wave to an electrical signal. The most common are the dynamic microphone, which uses a coil of wire suspended in a magnetic field; the condenser microphone, which uses the vibrating diaphragm as a capacitor plate; and the piezoelectric microphone, which uses a crystal of piezoelectric material. Microphones typically need to be connected to a preamplifier before the signal can be recorded or reproduced.
While the word “microphone” wasn’t used until the 19th century, English physicist and inventor Robert Hooke is credited with developing an acoustic cup and string style phone and is considered a pioneer in the field of transmitting sound across distances.
In 1827 Sir Charles Wheatstone -1802 to 1875, (rt) was the first person to coin the phrase "microphone." A renowned English physicist and inventor, Wheatstone is best known for inventing the telegraph. His interests were varied, and he devoted some of his time the study of acoustics during the 1820s. Wheatstone was among the first scientists to formally recognize that sound was "transmitted by waves through mediums." This knowledge led him to explore ways of transmitting sounds from one place to another, even over long distances. He worked on a device that could amplify weak sounds, which he called a microphone. Wheatstone devised a simple instrument for augmenting feeble sounds, to which he gave the name of 'Microphone.' It consisted of two slender rods, which conveyed the mechanical vibrations to both ears, and is quite different from the electrical microphone of Professor Hughes.
The first microphone that enabled proper voice telephony was the (loose-contact) carbon microphone. This was independently developed by David Edward Hughes in England and Emile Berliner and Thomas Edison in the US. Although Edison was awarded the first patent (after a long legal dispute) in mid-1877, Hughes had demonstrated his working device in front of many witnesses some years earlier, and most historians credit him with its invention. The carbon microphone is the direct prototype of today's microphones and was critical in the development of telephony, broadcasting and the recording industries. Thomas Edison refined the carbon microphone into his carbon-button transmitter of 1886. This microphone was employed at the first ever radio broadcast, a performance at the New York Metropolitan Opera House in 1910.
In 1916, E.C. Wente of Western Electric developed the next breakthrough with the first condenser microphone. In 1923, the first practical moving coil microphone was built. The Marconi-Sykes magnetophone,developed by Captain H. J. Round, became the standard for BBC studios in London. This was improved in 1930 by Alan Blumlein and Herbert Holman who released the HB1A and was the best standard of the day.
Also in 1923, the ribbon microphone was introduced, another electromagnetic type, believed to have been developed by Harry F. Olson, who essentially reverse-engineered a ribbon speaker. Over the years these microphones were developed by several companies, most notably RCA that made large advancements in pattern control, to give the microphone directionality. With television and film technology booming there was a demand for high fidelity microphones and greater directionality. Electro-Voice responded with their Academy Award-winning shotgun microphone in 1963.
During the second half of 20th-century development advanced quickly with the Shure Brothers bringing out the SM58 and SM57.The latest research developments include the use of fibre optics, lasers and interferometers.
More third party microphone photos are available on Page 2
Microphones in our collection
Akai Terecorder microphone |
AKG D224E Microphone |
Altec 639A Microphone Ads: 1948 Arthur Godfrey 1950 1951 1952 1953 1955 1968 See also a beautiful Altec 639 with Voice of America flag provided by Ron Hummel |
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Ampex AM-10 mixer
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Sony CR-4 wireless microphone |
Sony F99S microphone |
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Go to Microphones Part 2 - Third Party Contributions
Please help us create a permanent home for this historical collection!
Go to Acoustic Recorders • Record Cutters • Magnetic Film Recorders • Microphones • Reel Tape Recorders • Unique Recording Items • Wire Recorders
Thank you for viewing our site! We hope you have found our information helpful and interesting. We are committed and passionate about preserving the history of recording. Every little bit helps us protect and preserve these significant vintage recording devices and information. We offer a seven hour video set about our collection and the history of magnetic recording available at this link. You can purchase the seven hours files via download.
We offer seven hours of 50 video segments via download about our collection and the history of magnetic recording available at this link.
ORDER THE VIDEO FILES ON LINE - was
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There are 50 QuickTime H264 854 X 480 files in this download. Play on MAC OS or Windows Media Player
We provide 48 hours during which to download the files. After that the file access will expire. Once the files are downloaded they are yours to keep.
© 2018 Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording • Webmaster • All pictures and content on this web site are the property of the Theophilus family,the Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording and reel2reeltexas.com • Photos of items in our collection are available for sale. We do NOT provide copies of ads, nor photos from other sources! All photo work is billed at studio rates and a deposit is required.