Original series According to Oliver Archut, the was first presented at the
Berlin Radio Show (
Berliner Funkausstellung) in 1947 as a prototype; the first documented commercial sale of the microphone (with serial number 72), according to Klaus Heyne of German Masterworks, occurred in December 1949. The original was the first switchable
pattern condenser microphone (
cardioid or
omnidirectional). This functionality was achieved by disabling the polarization voltage to the rear of the diaphragm of the microphone capsule. was identical to the except for the available polar patterns (cardioid and
figure of eight instead of cardioid and omnidirectional). The Beatles' producer
George Martin used the extensively in the group's recordings at Abbey Road Studios, London. As a successor to the , Neumann introduced the (employing a Telefunken tube) in 1960. In 1967 Neumann introduced the Neumann U 87|, which was a direct successor to the , but ultimately proved to be (particularly in vocal applications) the most popular successor to the . The , the solid-state version introduced by Neumann in 1969, was less appreciated as a vocal microphone but became ubiquitous in studios as a bass drum microphone. Used on the outside of the bass drum, in conjunction with a primary bass drum microphone (which would usually be placed on the inside, or close to the inside of a bass drum or a bass drum head), it would make a complete bass drum sound. ==References==