Shown above is the studio where "Lights Out" was produced. Studio B was the smallest of the four large broadcast studios in Chicago's Merchandise Mart building.
In 1932 the old 4A condenser microphones were replaced with RCA ribbon mics, which set a new standard of quality for the industry. They are still in use today, prized by many recording engineers wishing to achieve a certain effect.
Studio B was converted into a TV studio in 1948.
NBC left The Merchandise Mart in 1989, And this is interesting: the last broadcast out of the famed Studio A, where the Johnson's Wax Program with Fibber and Molly originated, was a television program called "Farewell to the Mart," featuring music by the Georgia Francis Orchestra. The sound was captured on an RCA 4A condenser microphone which was restored by Bob Pacquette of Select Sound in Milwaukee, WI. The producers wanted a vintage sound, but one account I've read claims that the old condenser mic sounded better that the microphones being used by the WMAQ TV station that was operating out of the Mart at the time.
CONDENSER MICROPHONES
A condenser microphone is built on the principle of capacitance. A capacitor, or condenser, is a device that can store an electric charge. It consists of two plates placed next to each other with a voltage applied to them. With other factors remaining constant, if the distance between the plates changes, the capacitance changes. In a condenser mic, one plate is fixed and the other is movable. As the movable plate (the diaphragm) is moved by sound waves striking it, the change in capacitance generates an electric signal that corresponds to the waveform of the sound.
Condenser mics require a power source to supply the needed voltage in order to work. Two approaches are common: batteries installed into the microphone case and phantom power, which is voltage that comes to the mic from the mixer through the mic cable.
Condenser mics are known for their crisp, responsive sound, as they have a wide, flat frequency response (i.e., they can reproduce a wide range of frequencies evenly and accurately). Because they tend to be somewhat sensitive, they are often used for more distant placement than dynamic mics. They work well for recording vocal and instrumental ensembles from a distance. They are also commonly used to “close mic” solo vocalists, although they are not typically hand held. Also, while they tend to be too sensitive for drums, they do work very well with cymbals because of their wide frequency response.
The above is from the web site of the Eden Prairie, MN Middle High School. Isn't that special?
