In Broadcast - August 2017 - 72

72

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 7 - Issue 8 | August 2017

InSound

Microphones in Action
Happy Anniversaries - Contributing Editor Jim Evans reports from the business end
of the audio chain as microphone manufacturers celebrate various milestones...

I

t was 140 years ago... The exact your cameras here."
date of the invention of the
"Peter Freedman and his team
microphone has been - and continues have proved [that] Australians can do
to be - a subject of much debate anything, they can be the best in the
among pro audio archivists. The first world... And in a country where people
microphone that enabled proper voice say manufacturing is dying, here you
telephony was the carbon microphone, see exactly the way manufacturing
independently developed by David is growing. Not only has RØDE been
Edward Hughes in England, and Emile able to grow its workforce here, it has
Berliner and Thomas Edison in the been able to compete with the best in
U.S. Although Edison was awarded the the world, including in markets where
first patent in mid-1877, Hughes had labour costs are lower. So this is a
demonstrated his working device in great Australian story."
front of many witnesses some years
The Freedman Electronics fiftieth
earlier, and most historians credit him Anniversary continues through 2017.
with its invention. That said, there
Patti Smith with the Shure SM58 which
are more reasons to celebrate in
remains one of the most popular
2017.
vocal microphones in
the world today
2017
marks
the
fiftieth
anniversary of RØDE Microphones'
parent
company
Freedman
Electronics' formation. Earlier this
year, the occasion was marked
with Australia's Prime Minister,
Malcolm Turnbull, visiting the
manufacturer's Silverwater facility.
Prime Minister Turnbull toured
the RØDE campus's state-of-theart anechoic chamber and various
manufacturing departments. The
Shure, founded in 1925, has just
Prime Minister said: "RØDE is an eight years to run until it celebrates its
extraordinary story of Australian centenary. Meanwhile, the company
innovation; Australian manufacturing continues to promote the Shure SM58
of the most advanced microphones, which was launched in 1966.
made here right in Sydney from
"The SM58 has been at the centre of
the start ... it is an extraordinary unforgettable musical performances
achievement. RØDE has got, in one of for 50 years and has left its mark
the most competitive markets in the on generations of audiences and
world, the best microphones. RØDE performers," says Soren Pedersen,
Microphones - they are legendary, sold Product Specialist at Shure. "Truly,
around the world - you have them on it was born to perform, and any

Chelsea Music Festival: Live recording experts Jim Anderson and Ulrike Schwarz
of Anderson Audio New York were on hand to capture every note performed there
during the festival for delivery via Sennheiser's immersive AMBEO 3D audio format

performer who picks up an SM58
in 2016 can depend on that
same great sound that so many
have shared in. We are thrilled
and honoured to celebrate this
milestone and look forward to
hearing about the experiences of
SM58 fans from around the world."
Bringing the Shure story up to
date. The major news this year
has been the much-heralded
introduction of the Axient Digital
Wireless System. Representatives and
consultants from the UK's theatre,
broadcast and live sound, corporate
AV and installed sound industries
gathered at London's Royal Academy
of Dramatic Art (RADA) recently for
the system that was launched at NAB
in April.
Shure UK's Pro Audio Group Manager
Tuomo Tolonen said: "Demand for
convenient and utterly reliable

wireless systems in the theatre
sound, live music, and corporate
and installation audio markets is
still rising, even though the range
of RF frequencies available for
radio microphone usage all over the
developed world is shrinking because
of spectrum sell-offs. The pressure is
on, because audio failure in most of
these markets is not an option. Axient
Digital is Shure's response to these
challenges." Axient Digital is due to
begin shipping later this summer
with the AD series handhelds and
bodypacks.
At the 142nd AES Convention, held
in late May in Berlin, Germany, studio
specialist Neumann marked the fiftieth
anniversary of the Neumann U 87 with
a lecture given by Martin Schneider,
Acoustics Developer within Sennheiser
and Neumann's Competence Centre
Acoustics.
Shure UK's Tuomo Tolonen
at the Axient Digital presentation,
RADA, London

Tony Furney (Furney's Engineering); Freedman Electronics CEO Damien Wilson;
Australian MP Craig Laundy; Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull,
and RØDE Microphones Founder and Chairman Peter Freedman AM
http://www.inbroadcast.com http://en-uk.sennheiser.com/microphone-3d-audio-ambeo-vr-mic https://www.shure.co.uk/products/microphones/sm58 http://en.rode.com/ https://www.shure.co.uk/products/wireless-systems/axient_wireless_management_network
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