In England, Stantel (Standard Telephone and Cables) produced an exact copy of the Western Electric 630: the 4021 from 1935 until approximately 1962 (after which production was outsourced to Coles in 1965; this model may not have been discontinued until Coles became an independent company in 1972).
The shape of this model was used for the International Electrical Symbol (IEC/Circuit Diagram Symbol) for microphones, making the design immortal.
The disk on top of the 4021 sphere was designed at Western Electric’s Bell Labs, by R.R. Romanow and ensures that all frequencies reach the element in a uniform manner, the result is a recording pattern that is almost perfect omni (all-round). For a more directional use, another disk that had only a small hole in the center could be mounted instead.
The design was of high quality, which made the microphone suitable for more than just recording speech and music; they were also used for scientific purposes, as measuring microphones.
When WE’s production of the ‘Eightball’ ended in the United States is not entirely clear; Western Electric sold its microphone division in 1949 (pressured by the US government, which feared a monopoly) to Altec. Although Altec did not continue the production of the Model 630, it was still made because it was part of the Altec 639 A and 639 B microphones. These ‘Birdcages’ (with a directional recording pattern, because of the combining of a ribbon and a dynamic element) were produced until the end of the Fifties.
In England, Stantel (Standard Telephone and Cables) made the 4021s at least until 1962 (after which the production was outsourced to Coles in 1965, this model may have been terminated when Coles became a self-employed company in 1972).
In addition, there was a third country of production; In France it was made in Paris by LMT (Le Materiel Telephonique, another subsidiary of Western Electric), when French production started and ended is unknown.
Recently, I was lucky enough to acquire two more STC 4021s, in a sturdy wooden box (marked with the letters V.I.E.) that clearly came from the British army.
The inscription led me to the discovery that these microphones contributed significantly to air defense during the 2nd World War.
Alan Blumlein, the famous English audio pioneer, inventor of the “Stereo Sound”, had devised the Virtual Impact Equipment system, using two STC 4021s to locate enemy aircraft through the noise their engines made. Coupled with a strong searchlight, this gave British artillery the opportunity to target and destroy German aircraft.
So these 4021s were not only good at supporting the morale of the population (for instance through Winston Churchill’s speeches), but they were given a second heroic task. By the end of the war, the newly developed RADAR system had taken over this work. Unfortunately, Blumlein died in a plane crash, during a test of the RADARsystem, which he had helped developing. He was only 38.
The audio recording is from 2017, but can easily be recognised as the sound of many old movies. It was performed by the vintage ‘Salon Orchestra’ from The Hague.