CANDID MICROPHONE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 September 1938, Page 5

CANDID MICROPHONE

NEW FACTOR IN HOLLYWOOD FILM-MAKING. « The candid microphone is the newest factor 'in Hollywood’s motion-picture making. This latest development in wide-angle sound pickup was used for the first time in recording the Frank Capra production, “You Can’t Take It With You,” sound engineers revealed at Columbia Studios. Its use was kept secret by studio sound men until RCA, whose engineers perfected yrtiat they term the “baby undirectional mike,” could manufacture instruments to meet the demand of other studios. The candid microphone is similar to the candid camera in its wide range. It “hears” every sound within an angle of 180 degrees—in other words, everything in front of it from extreme left to extreme right. And this imaginary lateral line is a “wall” of silence behind which no sounds are recorded. (Standard present-day microphones pick up sound within a narrow-wedge, usually of about 60 degrees, and are sensitive to sounds behind them to varying extents). The candid mike increases recording precision and lessens mike manipulation for dialogue spoken during lively action. While undirectional microphones are not new, the previous model was a ponderous affair weighing nearly nine pounds and could be used only on huge sets. The candid mike weighs less than two pounds and can be used on any type of picture set.