Mic Manufacturer Milestones
Jan 1, 2012 2:00 AM, By Erin Shipps, senior associate editor
Rode Microphones
The first Rode microphone was produced and marketed 22 years ago this year. Now the company is launching The Rode Difference, a website and online campaign that goes behind the scenes of the Australian microphone manufacturer, publicly sharing for the very first time the secrets and techniques behind how they produce their microphones. Rode Founder and President Peter Freedman guides visitors on a personal tour at www.therodedifference.com.
Audio-Technica
Audio-Technica celebrates 50 years this year. In 1962 Audio-Technica launched the AT-1 moving magnet phonograph cartridge, used in radio stations for broadcasts. Some other important accomplishments from A-T’s timeline:
? 1964: Development of an elliptical diamond stylus and the AT-3X and AT-5X
? 1965: AT-1001 tone arm package recognized by the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology
? 1967: Vibration-testing equipment shipped to measuring-device manufacturers and dual-magnet VM phono cartridges launched
? 1968: Technology for joint phono cartridge research with the NHK Technology Research Center provided
? 1969: Phono cartridges exported to audio equipment manufacturers worldwide; first microcassette recorders launched
? 1971: Patents obtained for the VM phono cartridge format in the UK and U.S.
? 1972: U.S. office established in Akron, OH
? 1973: Phono cartridges shipped to European audio equipment manufacturers
? 1974: AT-700 stereo headphones launched; AT-15E VM phono cartridge awarded top prize in the phono cartridge category at the Stereo Components Grand Prix competition; product goes on to win numerous other awards.
? 1978: ATH-8 and ATH-7 condenser headphones win MITI Good Design Award; AT-800 series of microphones launched; office opens in Leeds, England.
? 1986: Commercialized a Pure Copper by Ohno Continuous Casting AV cable; AT33ML/OCC phono cartridge, the world’s first phono cartridge made with PCOCC materials, launched; wireless microphone systems unveiled; boundary microphone unveiled
? 1988: Office established in Taiwan
? 1991: AT4033 cardioid condenser microphone introduced
? 1994: AT4050/CM5 multipattern condenser microphone launched
? 1998: AT4060 vacuum tube studio-use condenser microphone introduced
? 1999: AT895 adaptive array microphone introduced with DeltaBeam technology.
? 2002: 5000 Series advanced wireless systems introduced
? 2003: AT3060 cardioid phantom-powered tube microphone introduced
? 2004: New price/performance standard set with the AT2020 side-address studio cardioid condenser microphone
? 2005: Developed UniGuard, 13 individual patents, and a total system for RFI protection
? 2007: AT2010 cardioid condenser vocal microphone introduced; QuietPoint noise-cancelling headphones introduced; SpectraPulse, a patented Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology, introduced; SpectraPulse UWB Wireless Microphone System bypassed the increasingly congested RF bottleneck to deliver clear, intelligible audio without the performance and set-up issues associated with conventional wireless systems
? 2009: First ribbon microphones, the AT4080 and AT4081, introduced
Audio-Technica also has a large involvement with the Olympic Games. For a complete company history, visit www.audio-technica.com.
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