Neumann History
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The variety of microphone
models, however, increased:
First the existing, well-tried
models of the 60 Series (e.g.,
KM 63, KM 64, and KM 65,
U 67) were replaced by suc-
cessors using semiconductors.
Starting in 1966, these were
the small and large mem-
brane microphones KM 83,
KM 84, KM 85 and U 87 of
the “fet 80” series for 48 V
phantom power.
The remote-switchable SM 69
fet stereo microphone was
joined by the locally switch-
able USM 69; the KMS 84
and KMS 85 microphones for
vocalists were developed, as
well as the KMR 81 and
KMR 82 as representatives
of a new microphone type,
the shotgun microphone.
Artificial Ears Learn to Hear
At the 1973 International Radio and Television
Exhibition in Berlin, the world witnessed the
debut of the “Dummy Head”. This marked the
invention of “binaural” stereo recording. Neu-
mann developed the first KU 80 Dummy Head
in close scientific cooperation with the Ber-
lin-based “Heinrich-Hertz-Institut”. It was de-
signed for true-to-life record-
ing of environmental acous-
tics. Later, these recordings
could be played back to test
persons via headphones in
order to subject the record-
ings to an objective evalua-
tion. It quickly became ap-
parent, however, that this
three-dimensional auditory
experience also permitted
very exciting radio produc-
tions, and the dummy head
established itself as an addi-
tional stereo microphone
alongside the “classic” mod-
els mentioned above for the so-called “coinci-
dence method”. Soon the improved KU 81
Dummy Head came on the market, followed by
the third-generation KU 100 in 1992.
Semiconductors for
Studio Mixing Consoles
While the developments at Neumann can be
chiefly related to advances in its condenser mi-
crophone technology, the company remains very
much involved in the manufacture of disc cut-
ting equipment, as well as the more directly as-
sociated field of complete sound mixing sys-
tems.
In the initial years of semiconductor develop-
ment, the world was flooded with tiny “six-tran-
sistor radios”. Everybody had one, and they
crackled and hissed music and information
wherever one turned. In terms of quality, how-
ever, they were nothing to write home about.
This had less to do with the semiconductors
themselves than it did with the application of
this interesting component back then.
Throughout the company’s history, Neumann had
continually pushed the limits of physical pos-
sibility with regard to studio engineering equip-
ment. Why shouldn’t one be able to manufac-
ture a studio-quality amplifier using transistors,
too? The development contract was awarded,
and the first amplifier built was a 34 dB am-
plifier, designated “TV”, which had excellent
specifications. It was to become the heart of a
series of studio devices and gave rise, for ex-
ample, to the TEV equaliser and the TRV chan-
nel controller. The individual components were
developed in the early sixties. Then at the
1963 Radio and Television Exposition in Ber-
lin, Neumann debuted its first all solid-state
mixing console. It had 10 input channels, four
groups, and two output channels. Its design cor-
responded to the “Large Basic Unit according
to AK 3” and it met the conditions of the cor-
responding German standard. All inputs and out-
puts were balanced and floating, but the circuit
inside the console was unbalanced. The maxi-
mum output level was +6 dBm, which is very
low by present-day standards. The only transis-
tors available at the time, however, were Ger-
manium transistors. Nevertheless, transistors
had cast off the stigma of amateurishness once
and for all. Things had gotten off to a good start.
The development of silicon transistors then
opened the way for more powerful amplifiers.
Neumann built such devices and began manu-
facturing mixing consoles which, in electrical
and mechanical terms, made customers’ wild-
est dreams come true. Neumann enjoyed a great
deal of success with this technology and deliv-
ered several hundred custom-made mixing con-
soles to numerous German and European radio
and television broadcasting corporations, mov-
ie and recording studios, theatres, opera hous-
es, and concert halls.
Development progressed with the realisation of
computer-controlled switching equipment. In
the late seventies, for example, Neumann
equipped the main control room of what was
then the radio station RIAS-BERLIN with a com-
puter-controlled routing system. Other objec-
tives were mixing consoles that permitted stor-
age of static settings, for example, settings for
microphone amplifiers, equalisers, controllers,
and connecting points. This reduced set-up time
considerably. Neumann delivered consoles of
this type to the Schillertheater and the Theater
des Westens, both of which are theatres in Ber-
lin. The first broadcasting corporation to accept
delivery of a console of this type was Hes-
sischer Rundfunk.
For the time being, continuing automation of
master control board equipment reached its ze-
nith in the N 7000 series, which offers fully
automated operation, for example, through
static and dynamic storage of all values and
time-code-driven automation of motor control-
lers and VCA pan pots. Consoles of this type
were delivered to the Berlin Philharmonic and
several broadcasting corporations, as well as
the Media Centre of the German Federal De-
fense Forces.
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