History
In the early 1920s, Drs. Walter H. Schottky and Erwin Gerlach co-invented the first ribbon microphone. By turning the ribbon circuit in the opposite direction, they also invented the first ribbon loudspeaker.
In the late 1920s, Dr. Harry F. Olson of RCA began development of ribbon microphones, first with field coils and then with permanent magnets. The first commercially manufactured ribbon microphone was the RCA Photophone Type PB-31. Produced in 1931, it was a breakthrough technology in sound, and revolutionized the audio recording and broadcasting industries, setting a new standard in frequency response. The clarity and realism were unmatched by any of the condenser microphones of its day. These were first used in New York’s Radio City Music Hall in 1932
Just a few months later, in 1932, the PB-31 was replaced by the 44A, which was enormously successful and highly regarded for its smooth tone and defined pattern control, which not only reduced the effects of reverberation on soundstages, but also offered higher gain before feedback in live sound applications. The 44A was updated with improved magnetic material in the 44B/44BX models. RCA also launched the unidirectional 77A/77B models and the multi-pattern 77C/77D mics. Nearly three-quarters of a century later, many of these RCA ribbon models are still hard-working audio tools prized by engineers worldwide.
The BBC-Marconi Type A was an iconic ribbon microphone produced by the BBC and Marconi between 1934 and 1959. Also of note is the ST&C Coles 4038 (or PGS – pressure gradient single) designed by the BBC in 1954 and still used for some applications to this day. Its uses varied from talks to symphony concerts and is regarded as a delicate, fine traditional microphone.
Around 2002, relatively inexpensive ($80 – $200) Chinese-manufactured ribbon microphones inspired by the RCA-44 and older Russian Oktava ribbon microphones became available.
In 2007, microphones employing ribbon elements made of strong nanomaterials became available, offering orders of magnitude improvement in signal purity and output level.
The ribbon microphone is an electrically simple design with no active circuitry; it is possible to build one from a kit, or with basic tools and materials. The acoustic complexity of ribbon microphones is comparable to other types of air coupled transducers.
Read more about this topic: Ribbon Microphone
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