A Sonic History of Georg Neumann Microphones

Georg Neumann introduced the world’s first commercially available condenser microphone, the Neumann CMV, and officially put his new company Neumann on the map. The interchangeable capsules offered different directional patterns, and it was hard to miss at 40 cm tall and 9cm in diameter. Due its large profile it became known as the “Neumann bottle.” The Classic Neumann CMV 3 became almost iconic and can be seen in many historical photographs of public events in Germany, especially those taken during the period of World War II.

After the Neumann factory in Berlin was damaged by Allied bombing in November 1943, Georg Neumann moved his company to the town of Gefell and resumed production in the early months of 1944. After the war ended, this Gefell fell under Soviet control and Neumann became a “people’s corporation.After the reunification of Germany, the Neumann company now located in Gefell became known as Microtech Gefell.

Upon re-establishing Neumann in one of the Allied sectors of Berlin under the new name “Georg Neumann GmbH,” the famous U47 switchable pattern microphone was developed, based on the M7 capsule on the earlier CMV 3 microphones. One of the first condenser microphones to be widely accepted, the U47, was used in recording studios around the world. The Beatles vocals were recorded with Neumann condenser microphones which had better upper midrange response, sounded sharper, and contributed to their signature sound.

During the post-war period, Neumann developed the M49 and M50, both using the M7 capsule, and during the 50s the KM 53, 54, and 56. In 1957 Neumann introduced the first stero microphone, which was essentially a pair of KM56 microphones housed in the same body and capable of being remotely controllled. The rock n roll era was distinguished by recording up close vocals at high volume into the U47 and U48, producing a harsh, overdriven sound. Just as this trend was developing, the VF 14 vacuum tube was discontinued by its manufacturer Telefunken, leaving the U47 and U48 without an essential component, which led to the development of the subsequent U67.

The mid-sixties saw the introduction of the first solid state Neumann microphones, the KTM and the U77, transistorized version of earlier Neumann mics. Phantom power was first introduced by Neumann in 1966 in its Neumann U87 capacitor microphone, a method which had previously been used by telephone companies now allowed Georg Neumann to connect his solid state, tube, and dynamic microphones all to the same power source.

Neumann introduced the TLM 170 in the 80′s, which featured no output transformer, and instead had balanced outputs. The transformerless microphone design was expanded to include the KM100 which featured seven different changeable active capsules, the TLM 193 which used the capsule of the U89 and TLM 170, the KM 180 series, the TLM 103 large diaphragm condenser, the variable pattern TLM 127 variable pattern condenser and the TLM 49 cardiod vocal microphone.

During the 90′s, Neumann introduced a revolutionary series of vacuum tube microphones that featured transformerless output circuitry.Widely sought after still today, the Neumann M149 tube microphone, the M147 cardioid tube microphone and the M 150 tube microphone, are all based on the M 50 design that was developed with the pressure transducer mounted directly on the surface of the sphere inside the capsule head. The iconic Neumann company was bought by Sennheiser in 1991, and production was moved to a brand new level 100 clean factory in Wedermark, but official Neumann headquarters remained in Berlin.

Neumann revolutionized microphone technology again in 2003 with the Solution-D D-01 microphone, featuring built in analog to digital conversion. The D-01 was followed a few years later by a modular, small-diaphragm series of digital microphones, the KM D which was based on the earlier KM 100/180 series. During this time Neumann also began production of its very first dynamic microphone, the BCM 705 broadcast microphone.

Since the beginning, Neumann microphones have remained synonymous with quality and signature models like the Neumann U87 have become unmistakable icons of the recording studio. For artists, producers and engineers alike, a Neumann microphone represents the highest level of sonic perfection and innovation.