Microphone History and Evolution
Wonderful interview about the Abbey Road Microphone Collection (UK)
Concealed / Lavalier Microphones
Microphones took a long time to be miniaturised. Sony's first small lavalier microphone was the ECM-50 in 1969.
Before radio microphones, film and TV producers used wired microphones hidden on their performers, with wires (often) trailing out of a trouser leg or other out-of-shot costume option.
Radio Microphones (under construction)
The use of radio microphones is now widespread across the theatre, film & event industries. Their wide use is more recent than you may realise, however.
Use on Films: Peter Handford, the sound recordist on Murder on the Orient Express (1974), shot at Elstree Studios, 'pioneered the use of concealed radio microphones for feature film production' (hidden in the furniture in the train carriages). However, a concealed radio microphone was first used on the movie of My Fair Lady (1964) for Rex Harrison's sung sequences, which was built-into his tie, which had to be custom-made to hide the bulky microphone.
The choreography and blocking of the scene made a wired lavalier microphone or boom microphone impossible, and the actor insisted that he would not mime to playback, as his performance was slightly different every time.
The sound engineer on the project was George Groves who spoke about his work on the film Groves said that Rex Harrison specifically asked for a radio microphone after seeing Sophia Loren giving a tour of Rome using a wireless microphone (1964 - see clip below)
Use in Theatre: Became widespread in the 1980s due to the new technologically-advanced musicals where sound reinforcement was needed to beat the volume of the electronic instruments and rock instruments in the band.
This blog article has some great date references which form part of the list below.
Research is ongoing.
- 1947: Reg Moores develops the Telesonic system, developed and first used for an ice show, broadcasting on an illegal frequency, so Moores never sought a patent for his invention,
- 1953: The Shure Vagabond 88 system is the 'the first handheld wireless microphone system for performers.' - the performer is free to roam within a large coil of wire mounted either in the stage floor or flown above the stage.
- 1959: Radio mic used by Bruce Forsyth on Sunday Night at the London Palladium
- 1961: First use of a body-worn radio microphone on Broadway was Anna Maria Alberghetti in Carnival in 1961.
- 1968: Radio microphones made by Audio Ltd (Geoffrey Blundell) were used on the production of Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
- 1969: Simon Wood recalls 8 radio mics being used on Dick Whittington at the London Palladium, featuring Tommy Steele and Mary Hopkin.
- 1970: The musical The Grass Harp in 1970 was the last Broadway musical to use no body-worn radio microphones.
- 1970: Micron radio microphone systems begin development by Audio Engineering (UK).
- 1971: Des O'Connor TV broadcasts featured a handheld radio mic with an external (thin) aerial cable hanging down, made by Audac.
- 1971: Radio Mics were used on Hello Dolly in 1971 with Ethel Merman on Broadway.
- 1972: A radio mic was mounted to the cross for the final sequences of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Palace Theatre in London while the bulk of the microphones in the show were wired. The reset after the show involved a lot of untangling of cables and getting them into the correct locations for the next show, and the choreography had to ensure that cables didn't get tangled during each number.
- 1972: Launch of the first Micron radio microphone systems (UK).
- 1972: ?First hand-held radio microphone with integrated aerial(?) used by Des O'Connor at the London Palladium (TBC)
- 1973: Grease at the Dominion Theatre in London (starring Richard Gere and Stacey Gregg) used wired mics throughout.
- 1979: EDC Launched the Sirius handheld microphone, featuring an internal aerial
- 1980: Audio Engineering produced first modular radio microphone rack system with individual diversity receivers (UK).
- 1981: Dreamgirls (Broadway): 5 wireless mics swapped between cast members.
- 1981: Nady create their first handheld wireless mic with integrated aerial.
- 1982: Cats (Broadway): First Broadway production in which every cast member had an individual radio mic.
- 1983: Little Shop of Horrors - used ?9 radio microphones
- 1984: Les Miserables - the Barbican production was the debut of the Micron CNS compander-based diversity radio microphone system.
- 1984: Starlight Express sound designer Martin Levan pioneered the positioning of microphones on performers' heads, and was the first show to use MKE2 microphones with Micron transmitters with a custom-made pad circuit to reduce the level built into the connector.
- 1986: Small Sennheiser transmitters with MKE2 microphones were used on Song & Dance on Broadway. The Sennheiser engineers built a pad circuit into the transmitter so that the circuitry wasn't overloaded. The same setup was used on The Phantom of the Opera.
Use in Live Music Performance:
- 1979: Kate Bush's management saw radio microphones on the West End stage, and approached the manufacturer of the product (Micron) about using them in her concerts. For her Tour of Life in 1979, she used a miniature microphone combined with thick wire coat hangers to form a headset.
- EDC (based in the UK) had a range of hand-held radio microphones available in 1979 as well.
LSI: Digital Wireless Microphones (February 2017)
[External Website]
From Lighting & Sound International
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