Wonderful interview about the Abbey Road Microphone Collection (UK)
Radio Microphones (under construction)
The use of radio microphones is now widespread across the theatre, film & event industries.
Their wide use is more recent than you may realise, however.
Use on Films:
Peter Handford, the sound recordist on Murder on the Orient Express (1974), shot at Elstree Studios, ‘pioneered the use of concealed radio microphones for feature film production’ (hidden in the furniture in the train carriages).
Use in Theatre:
Became widespread in the 1980s due to the new technologically-advanced musicals where sound reinforcement was needed to beat the volume of the electronic instruments and rock instruments in the band.
This blog article has some great date references:
- First use of a body-worn radio microphone on Broadway was Anna Maria Alberghetti in ‘Carnival’ in 1961.
- The musical ‘The Grass Harp’ in 1970 was the last Broadway musical to use no body-worn radio microphones.
- Radio Mics were used on ‘Hello Dolly’ in 1971 with Ethel Merman.
- 1981: Dreamgirls (Broadway): 5 wireless mics swapped between cast members.
- 1982: Cats (Broadway): First Broadway production in which every cast member had an individual radio mic.
Use in Live Music Performance:
EDC (based in the UK) had a range of hand-held radio microphones available in 1979.
LSI: Digital Wireless Microphones (February 2017)
[External Website]
From Lighting & Sound International
More information coming soon
Archive
Any undated equipment is listed first with a grey background. If you can help us by adding dates please Contact Us!
Beyerdynamic
Crown
Shure
Sennheiser
Sennheiser
Shure
EDC
Electro-Voice
This archive is still under construction, so please bear with us while we add more items. If you have specific information or documents that we don't have, and would be willing to share, please contact us!