Phil D Posted December 15, 2013 Report Share Posted December 15, 2013 http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/03/20/sister-rosetta-tharpe/ Can anyone identify the mic being used in the clip. Looks "wireless" with a fine antenna wire hanging out of the pocket. Rather large lavalier capsule though. Not bad musicianship either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Gandy Posted December 15, 2013 Report Share Posted December 15, 2013 Looks like a Sony CR-4. It looks like the ring on the capsule only holds the strap, which is probably removable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted December 15, 2013 Report Share Posted December 15, 2013 Wow! Benjamin, don't know how you found that (and a picture). I'm pretty sure you're right about this. Love to see this old gear --- never used this but did use very early Comrex wireless units and the early Sennhesiers (both had receivers that were bigger than a Deva. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Woodcock Posted December 15, 2013 Report Share Posted December 15, 2013 I think one of the first patents for radio mics was in 1906, would love to see the old tech but not many places you can view complete collections Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted December 15, 2013 Report Share Posted December 15, 2013 I owned a slightly different version of this wireless--my first, bought used in the mid 1970s. Pretty noisy, but the range at that time was pretty usable. It was an interesting rig, in that the transmitter was solid state, but I think there some tubes in the receiver. In addition to the speaker mounted in the front, mine also had a "cat's eye" tuning meter--very sexy! I used this both for mics and for electric guitars for a time. It's on the list of gear I wish I hadn't sold--it was a cool looking thing. Very expensive when it was new. That perf of Sister Rosetta was great. Well done production for the time--good band mix, decent if a little distorted vox from that funky wireless. Even though that old VHF wireless didn't have great range, wasn't diversity etc there was so much less RF junk in the air then that this kind of thing could work. The visible cable is for her mic--a big dynamic lav on her coat up by her mouth. The antenna for this transmitter was just a long piece piece of wire. philp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Thomas Posted December 15, 2013 Report Share Posted December 15, 2013 Here's some from the audio ltd HQ, not sure how far back they go... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil D Posted December 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2013 I want one of the "cars eye tuners". We don't get any cool gear like that! I have a vision of some poor A2 apprentice tracking the receiver along on a trolley, out of shot. I imagine that the end audio quality would be somewhat variable? What would one of these units have cost, comparatively in the day, Philip? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Reineke Posted December 16, 2013 Report Share Posted December 16, 2013 I still have a Conn 'Strobotuner' from when I was a guitar player. About 11x6x6" and 5Ibs, it's still is very accurate though and I still use it. I also used it in my studio days to calibrate tape machines to non-tunable instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Smith Posted December 16, 2013 Report Share Posted December 16, 2013 Yeah, pretty sure that's a Sony CR-4. I think both the early Vega and Shure "Vagabond" 88 receivers use "cats eye" tubes. Not in my shop to look it up at the moment, but Shure has a nice example of it in their lobby exhibit. Here's the CR-4 ad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikewest Posted December 18, 2013 Report Share Posted December 18, 2013 I worked with the first Audio Ltd VHF radio mikes in 1965/66 used for theatre work and on 2001 (Kubric's film) When I joined ATV Network in 1966 they had developed their own VHF radio mike with quite small transmitters but the receiver was the size of a microwave oven and with a large ground plane aerial. Quality with a dynamic neck mike either an RCA BK44 or an AKG D109 (both on lanyards) was not astounding and no good therefore for drama or vocalists Gee do I feel so lucky today with my 10 Lecros!!!!!!!! mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil D Posted December 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2013 I thought of you when I saw this Mike. I note the price of the Sony was $250. When adjusted for inflation that would convert to $1800 in today's value. So in effect the cost was reasonable for cutting edge technology, although there is no doubt that we are now getting much more value for money! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted December 19, 2013 Report Share Posted December 19, 2013 Phil: " there is no doubt that we are now getting much more value for money! " I'm not sure if I could agree... when these were new, they were the best technology available and served well in the more limited extreme circumstances, compared to the current 125% routine dependence on them we seem to have today... They weren't routine, but they were sometimes day-savers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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