MICROPHONE OF THE MONTH OCTOBER 2025

WESTERN ELECTRIC 394-W, THE FIRST CONDENSER MICROPHONE

One last time, I'd like to highlight the centennial of the first condenser microphone and the recordings I made with it on April 2, 2025, at the vintage Artone Studio in Haarlem.

I'd long wanted to create a short documentary that offered a glimpse into the workings of the condenser microphone and the recording techniques of the time, and that has now been realized.

Because the condenser microphone remains the most important tool in recording studios even after a hundred years, and I'm fortunate enough to own one of the three working examples of the first production model, I'd like to highlight it one last time.

Of course, much has changed in a hundred years, but essentially, much has also remained the same. The recording process, in which all the musicians record a song together at once, is, in my opinion, much more challenging and inspiring than modern technology, where everything is recorded on multiple tracks and there's no interaction between the musicians.

When recording is done with just one microphone, the sound is phase-pure, which is impossible under any other circumstances. The recorded sound is therefore pleasantly organic and warm.

Some modern Bluegrass bands, in particular, have rediscovered how to make use of just a single microphone, performing live or in the studio, often with beautiful results.

For more info on the subject, check my earlier posts about this unique microphone, and the recordings that were made with it, which I wrote in 2021 and 2025

Many more types feature in my book Witnesses of Words. More information about that can be found at www.witnessesofwords.com