Description

The legendary RCA 44 ribbon mic is the oldest piece of pro audio equipment still in regular use. Coveted for its wide-frequency-range and uniform directivity pattern over the entire audio frequency range, the 44 became a reference standard. More than 75 years later, AEA introduces the latest evolution in ribbon microphones.

The new AEA model A440 microphone is based on the RCA 44BX, but with an internal phantom powered JFET buffer amplifier, combined with a new higher-ratio Lundahl transformer. Using the same RCA ribbon element, (only 1.8 microns thick,) which is from material originally manufactured for RCA, the A440 is the quietest ribbon microphone ever produced, with a noise floor of 9dB(A) or less.

Teamed with the AEA RPQ Ribbon Preamp, a "no load" 2 channel ribbon preamp w/ switchable P48 power and Curve Shaping for high-quality, high-gain, low-noise mic pre-amplification, Wes Dooley will demonstrate the evolution of an icon.

Also demonstrated will be the AEA FW-27, a 27 foot tall, a 9.5 pound, collapsible mic stand with articulating legs and bubble level to maintain a vertical profile on slopes, stairs or uneven floors.

About the Speaker

Wes Dooley's longtime passion for audio has infused his company, Audio Engineering Associates (AEA), with a well balanced blend of creativity and technical expertise for forty years. Amongst his many contributions to the audio arts, Wes Dooley is best known for his pursuit of excellence in ribbon microphone technology. After two decades of representing and servicing the BBC 4038 in the United States, he began to experiment with his own ribbon microphones. Noting the scarcity of the legendary RCA 44's and other ribbon microphones, in 1998 Wes re-introduced the 44, one of the most critically acclaimed microphones in the recording industry. Over half of the movies scored in Los Angeles have a 44 somewhere on the scoring stage.

Building off of his successful reintroduction of the R44, in 2002 Wes designed and began producing an original ribbon mic, the AEA R84. His groundbreaking work with ribbon microphones earned Wes an Audio Engineering Society Silver Medal Award in the fall of 2003, in recognition of outstanding development or achievement in the field of audio engineering.

Wes has also co-authored two AES Journal articles about stereo microphone techniques, chaired workshops on mic techniques and mixing strategies for compatible multiple releases for cinema, broadcast and home video, and has presented section meetings on stereo techniques and forensic audio. A 38 year member of AES, in 2001, he was named an AES Fellow for his contributions to recording technology.

Address:

Directions

http://www.dolby.com/about/contact_us/directions_sf.html

From Peninsula/S.F. Airport/Silicon Valley (Hwy. 101 North)
Take Vermont Street exit. Make immediate left onto Vermont Street.
Go five blocks and turn left onto Alameda Street.
Three blocks up is Potrero Avenue.
Dolby is the large, red, three-story brick building on the corner of Potrero and Alameda.

From Bay Bridge (Hwy. 80 West)
Take 9th Street/Civic Center exit.
Go south onto Harrison Street. Follow Harrison to 10th Street.
Turn left onto 10th Street and proceed under freeway overpass onto Potrero Avenue.
Dolby is the large, red, three-story brick building on the corner of Potrero and Alameda.

From Golden Gate Bridge (Hwy. 101 South)
Cross Golden Gate Bridge, take the Lombard Street (Hwy. 101) exit.
Follow Hwy. 101 signs up Lombard to Van Ness Avenue. Turn right.
Proceed on Van Ness to Fell Street and turn left.
Proceed on Fell until it crosses Market Street and becomes 10th Street.
Continue on 10th under freeway overpass and bear right onto Potrero Avenue.
Dolby is the large, red, three-story brick building on the corner of Potrero and Alameda.