Georg Neumann (entrepreneur)
Georg Neumann | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 13 October 1898 Germany |
| Died | 30 August 1976 (aged 77) |
| Occupations | Entrepreneur; audio engineer |
| Known for | Designing recording and audio mixing equipment |
Georg Neumann (13 October 1898 – 30 August 1976) was a German entrepreneur and developer of electroacoustic equipment, particularly microphones.[1][2]
Early life
Neumann was born in Chorin, Brandenburg, the son of a railway employee. He received his technical training in Berlin at Mix & Genest and at the AEG Kabelwerk Oberspree.[3]
Career
In 1923, Germany's first radio station near Berlin began using the Eugen Reisz microphone, whose development Neumann had helped shape. In 1928, Neumann and Erich Rickmann founded Georg Neumann & Co. in Berlin in Berlin. The company's goal was to manufacture condenser microphones, in which sound waves vibrate the diaphragm of a capacitor, producing an electrical signal through changes in capacitance. This technology was implemented in the CMV3, which became the company's first commercial microphone.[4]
At the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, the first version of Neumann's condenser microphone, featuring the M7 capsule in a low-frequency valve circuit, underwent its first major live test. During the early 1940s, the company's premises on Michaelkirchstraße in Berlin were damaged by bombing. In 1943, most of the company and its employees relocated to a former textile factory in Gefell, Vogtland. Because its products were considered important for wartime propaganda, the company was classified as essential to the war effort.
After the Second World War, Neumann re-established production in Berlin in 1947 by founding Georg Neumann GmbH in the Kreuzberg district. In addition to condenser microphones, the company manufactured disc-cutting lathes and large studio mixing consoles. Neumann continued to oversee the Gefell operation, although it was gradually nationalized after the establishment of East Germany (GDR) and was eventually renamed VEB Mikrofontechnik Gefell.[5]
Notable inventions
- Neumann CMV3 - the first mass-produced condenser microphone.[6]
- Neumann U 47 - the first studio microphone with switchable polar patterns.[7][8]
- Neumann M 49 - the first studio microphone with remotely controllable polar patterns.[9]
- Neumann U 87 - the longest continuously produced condenser microphone in history.[10]
Personal life
Neumann died in 1976. He was married and had two children.[11]
Legacy
In 2008, the Georg Neumann Hall was established in a renovated building of the Berlin University of the Arts and is used by the university's Jazz Institute.[12]
In 2013, the Georg Neumann Museum was opened at the Microtech Gefell factory. Its exhibits include a prototype of the KEM 970 cardioid plane microphone, an experimental UM 92 microphone, and an early CMV5 fitted with an M7 capsule.[13][14]
See also
References
- ↑ Read, R. David (4 May 2021). "Industry Pioneers #8: Georg Neumann: Microphone Pioneer". Sound & Communications. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ "Georg Neumann, 77, a Pioneer in Audio". The New York Times. 2 September 1976. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ Temmer, Stephen F. (1976). "In Memoriam". Journal of the Audio Engineering Society. 24 (8).
- ↑ "Marmorblock-Mikrofon". Nachrichtentechnische Sammlung, RWTH Aachen University. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ Roessler, Anselm (2003). Neumann, the Microphone Company: A Story of Innovation, Excellence and the Spirit of Audio Engineering. Bergkirchen: PPVMedien. pp. 36, 70–71. ISBN 3-932275-68-3.
- ↑ Friesecke, Andreas (2014). Die Audio-Enzyklopädie: Ein Nachschlagewerk für Tontechniker (2nd ed.). De Gruyter Saur. p. 419. ISBN 9783110340136.
- ↑ Swedien, Bruce (2009). Make Mine Music. Hal Leonard. p. 38. ISBN 9781423464945.
- ↑ Schmitt, Al (2018). Al Schmitt on Vocal and Instrumental Recording Techniques. Hal Leonard. p. 46. ISBN 9781495094514.
- ↑ Roessler, Anselm (2003). Neumann Microphone Book. PPVMedien. ISBN 9783932275685.
- ↑ Rudolph, Thomas E.; Leonard, Vincent A. (2001). Recording in the Digital World: Complete Guide to Studio Gear and Software. Hal Leonard. p. 113. ISBN 9780634013249.
- ↑ "Georg Neumann, 77, a Pioneer in Audio". The New York Times. 2 September 1976. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ "Georg-Neumann-Saal". Universität der Künste Berlin. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ "Regionally and globally positioned – MTG and 650 years of Gefell". PresseBox. 12 September 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ "Georg-Neumann Museum". Microtech Gefell GmbH. Retrieved 29 July 2026.