AudioMedia - December 2008 - (Page 55) Neumann | 80 YEARS > The move from tubes to solid state technology also saw the birth of arguably the most famous microphone of all time – the U . This much-copied design is probably the only microphone recognisable to non–techie types, and any studio worth its salt will have one – or a brace – in their mic cupboard. Over the years, Neumann has refined and added to this product range, while introducing along the way some ubiquitous studio technology we now take for granted – such as v phantom powering. Georg Neumann himself died in and, in , the company passed on its controlling interest to a competitor, Sennheiser Elec tronic GmbH. I n , the company moved to new headquarters and decided to concentrate on microphone production. One of the big changes after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the opening up of Russian and Chinese markets, was a flood of cheaper microphones onto western markets – most of which ape classic Neumann designs. The company, however, seemed unfazed by this, responding to the competition with improvements in manufacturing processes, more competitive pricing and many new and improved products. Some of these attempts were to satiate the desire for ‘new’ versions of Neumann’s classic designs, such as the M and M tube microphones – though as Fraissinet points out, the product names indicate these are completely new microphones and not clones of the originals. “If we wanted to recreate or remake an old microphone, such as the U , we would only do it if we could use the original parts and circuitry, and without making any changes and alterations because of lack of components,” says Fraissinet, “We make the original or we don’t do it at all,” he laughs. Servicing is very important to a busy professional facility; a fact that Neumann knows is important. “We still service and have parts for all our products delivered and manufactured since the s,” says Fraissinet, “We are still repairing and maintaining customers’ valued collections with original parts.” It’s hard to imagine many other companies whose eighty-year old designs are so sought after that other manufacturers are desperate to clone them. “If their goal is to copy our microphones, we must be doing something right!” says Fraissinet, “We are still the market leader in professional recording studios, so it’s inevitable that people will try to recreate our designs. But we find that those customers who buy a Neumann clone will eventually realise the quality difference between the real and the fake – and a lot of people will buy a Neumann as soon as they can afford to do so. “ such as the KMS – though people had of course been pressing the company’s products into these less benign environments for years. Utilising their parent company’s long experience in wireless technology, Neumann has also produced capsules for Sennheiser’s SKM system, and is also heavily involved in digital microphone technology with its System D. “I believe we are now the technological leader in digital microphone solutions,” says Fraissinet. “We produce the only systems that convert into the digital domain right behind the capsule, and not further down the line.” He says that, as with phantom powering, the company is leading the development of standards in this area. “I’m pretty certain that this technology will find its way into the studios – we already have a number of installations, such as MTV Canada for live broadcast, and several film scores have been recorded using our digital systems.” W www.neumann.com NEW EXPOSÉ E8B AND VXT SERIES FROM KRK Purity. Freedom from adulteration or contamination. That’s what you need in the recording studio. Pure and simple uncoloured audio. KRK engineers understand this, and take great care to offer speakers that can be relied upon to deliver. The Exposé E8B and VXT series take studio monitoring to a whole new level. With an attention to detail and design expertise unmatched in the industry today KRK has truly raised the bar. Key design elements such as a sleek radiused edge enclosure with optimised airflow and minimal port turbulence, and finely tuned custom components, all ensure that the new Exposeé E8B and VXT series deliver a pure and realistic sound that is in a class of its own. SO PURE Though eighty years old, Neumann is looking less like a doddery old codger and more like a young upstart, with upgrades to classics such as the U ai and its digital microphone systems. The company is also planning a move back into the signal processing field – as Fraissinet explains. “In the first quarter of we will have a new Neumann stand-alone microphone amplifier. We have often been asked why we didn’t produce one which would be in harmony with our microphones, and have decided now is the right time to do it.” The company also has other nonmicrophonic ideas in the pipeline based on their past expertise. “We had entire consoles on the market for many decades, and this know-how has not disappeared – we still know how to handle a signal!”, laughs Fraissinet. Although Neumann products are still designed at the company ’s headquarters in Berlin, being part of the Sennheiser group has brought the company many benefits according to Fraissinet, “It has gained us access to a lot of innovative production technology and machinery, along with state of the art production facilities and a much wider distribution network. Fraissinet foresees a bright future for the company – albeit based on the traditions of the past. “One thing that is extremely important to us is honesty, reliability, and our history and tradition. These are the things that Neumann stands for, and we realise are much valued by our customers.” ∫ I N F O R MAT I O N Georg Neumann GmbH The Future Neumann has expanded its range into the sound reinforcement area, with products The Present T +49 (30) 41 77 24 0 55 WWW.KRKSYS.COM AUDIO MEDIA DECEMBER 2008 http://www.neumann.com http://WWW.KRKSYS.COM http://WWW.KRKSYS.COM
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