[Tech1] Some details of the Pye desk in Type 2 scanners.

Thu Apr 8 06:55:36 CDT 2021

The BK5A isn't really similar to the 4033 at all. It is an end-fire 
single capsule cardioid, using a ribbon capsule with an acoustic 
labyrinth at the back to give the unidirectional response.

The 4033 was a (legal) knock-off of the Altec (Western Electric) 639 
which dates from 1938. It is probably correct that STC was chosen for 
the BBC as a British badge. In the 1930s the advantages of a 
unidirectional mic were being widely considered. RCA came up with a 
method rather like the BK5A - a delay labyrinth behind a 
(bi-directional) ribbon. Shure did much the same with the Unidyne in 1937.

The classical theory of combining an omni and fig-8 to create a cardioid 
was perfectly correct, but meant that Altec's mic had to be 
side-address. The US were very slow with the idea of capacitor mics - 
Germany beat them by decades - and that meant massive magnets for 
dynamic transducers in order to get any decent output.

With further apologies for boring those with no interest in audio history...

Chris Woolf

On 07/04/2021 21:52, John Howell via Tech1 wrote:
>
> Hello Geoff,
>
> The 4033 looked even more impressive on its maker's Art Deco table 
> stand, see attached photo. If it was a hat you might say it was "at a 
> jaunty angle" I have a theory about  the choice of the 4033. In the 
> 1950s it became clear that television was here to stay and a 
> microphone was needed that was a cardioid to reduce off-stage noise, 
> as small & light as possible yet rugged enough to withstand a degree 
> of rough handlzng. Now in our training 'ration book' which listed the 
> equipment with which we should be familiar there was an RCA microphone 
> type No. BK5A. I couldn't find anything about this, no-one had seen 
> one let alone used one. Now, 60 years later I got hold of one and the 
> spec. is very similar to the 4033. I think these were the main 
> contenders for a boom mic for coming years. I suggest that the ST&C 
> won the contract because the 4033 was made in Britain!
>
> Hibou.
>
>
>
> On 07/04/2021 00:01, Geoffrey Hawkes via Tech1 wrote:
>> When I was on Sound in the autumn of 1963 as part of my initial training and post Evesham in the spring of ‘64, I enjoyed the boom operating experience. It seemed to me that the 4033 was wedded to the Mole Richardson boom and the lighter, more modern D25 was designed for the Fischer boom. While I couldn’t comment on the differences in sound capture, the 4033 looked more “BBC”, having a gravitas about it, if not to the extent that the AXBT of Radio had, but along with the 4038 and the “Apple & Biscuit” it looked like it 
belonged the same family. The 4033 had a literal gravitas too and avoiding clonking anyone on the head with that was a caution given to all of us trainees, though a bash from the back end of the boom could be even more painful. Was it Gordon Rolls or Ebu who informed us that we were responsible for the front end and it was up to others to watch out for the rear when passing by or under it, especially while the operator was swinging the arm across the set during a scene? Fortunately I can’t recall having offended with either, or to have been on the receiving end myself, though it’s likely others were.
>> Are booms still used as much on drama today or is it all done with personal mics? The trouble with those is the absence of sound perspective and it seems unnatural to hear dialogue in a long shot sounding the same as 
if it was in close-up,
>>
>> Geoff
>>
>>
>>
>> Geoff
>>> On 6 Apr 2021, at 09:13, Nick Ware via Tech1<tech1 at tech-ops.co.uk>  wrote:
>>>
>>> Last December, as part of my easing-towards-retirement sound 
kit sell-off I got £2400 for a pair of KM84’s. They were in near mint condition and, when new, cost me £125 each from FWO Bauch, 
probably as long ago as late 1970’s.
>>>
>>> Say what you like about the 4033, but I maintain that for a whole host of reasons, drama sound was much better and more natural-sounding then than now.
>>>
>>> N.
>>> Nick Ware - Sent from my iPad mini 5
>>>
>>>> On 5 Apr 2021, at 22:23, Roger Long via Tech1<tech1 at tech-ops.co.uk>  
wrote:
>>>> The STC 4033 was a thirties design from Westrex
>>>> Ribbon omni hybrid. Cardioid
>>>> The ribbon gave a bit of suck to the response
>>>> The D25 newer, lighter and brighter.
>>>> Wide cardioid
>>>> Not so much suck.
>>>> Last year I sold both on the Bay
>>>> The 25 made £725 ,the 4033 £650...
>>>> The AKG had a rare Boom wind gag.
>>>> Roger
>>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>>>>> On 5 Apr 2021, at 15:56, Dave Plowman via Tech1<tech1 at tech-ops.co.uk>  wrote:
>>>>>>> In article<606b1663.1c69fb81.8844e.b346 at mx.google.com>,
>>>>>>> patheigham via Tech1<tech1 at tech-ops.co.uk>  wrote:
>>>>>>> The standard 4033‘s went out of favour when the Mole booms were replaced
>>>>>>> by Fishers — the 33‘s were too heavy, and the AKG D25‘s were favoured
>>>>>>> instead
>>>>> The 4033 was a fairly awful mic. An attempt to produce a cardiod of 
sorts
>>>>> using two mics matrixed together. But then the D25 a much newer design.
>>>>> --
>>>>> Dave Plowmandave at davesound.co.uk      London SW 12
>>>>> --
>>>>> Tech1 mailing list
>>>>> Tech1 at tech-ops.co.uk
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>

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