The various histories of music technology, microphones. Converting sound to an electronic voltage and then vice versa is the job of a microphone and an amplifier/speaker. The microphone can convert a sound source into an electronic signal and then send this signal through a speaker to reproduce the sound. This signal can be recorded for permanent reference of the original sound.

Like so many inventions, ideas and developments have come from a necessity, in this particular case the need was the telephone and then the radio. Below is a brief timeline of the microphone’s existence and development.

1827 – Sir Charles Wheatstone was the first person to coin the phrase “microphone”.

1876 ​​- Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone transmitter. The Bell company later purchased Berliner’s microphone patent for $50,000 to improve their own telephone device.

1878 – David Edward Hughes invented the carbon microphone. The Hughes carbon microphone forms the basis for many of the microphones still in use today.

1916 – Condenser microphone invented at Bell Labs by E. C Wente and may also be called a condenser or electrostatic microphone.

Mid-1920s – The invention of the electronic vacuum tube amplifier provided increased volume output for devices, including the microphone.

Late 1920s – Wente and Thuras developed the omnidirectional dynamic microphone and named it ‘The Westenr Electric 618A’.

1942: Ribbon microphone invented for new radio broadcast format. The most popular were the 44BX and 77DX developed by Harry Olson at RCA. Early ribbon microphones were extremely fragile and had to be handled with care to maintain their high-quality sound.

1962: Bell Laboratories researchers James West and Gerhard Sessler patented the Electret microphone, which offered higher reliability, higher accuracy, lower cost, and smaller size, revolutionizing the microphone industry.

The history of the microphone is much larger than this brief description and other areas that could be investigated include: microphone makes and models, polar patterns, types and different designs, and also recording techniques using single or multiple microphones.

For the A2 (GCE 2008) Music Technology exam (question 4), if a relevant question arises, the above information would be enough to get the full 16 points, but remember that your answer must be well written and structured (bullets are not except for this question).