(click thumbnail)Often called the "lip mic" because the user places the mic's metal positioning bar across the upper lip, the 4104 is a pressure gradient ribbon design with a high degree of acoustic damping.In the rush of new production technologies that constantly come and go, it's easy to forget valuable tools that have been around for a long, long time simply because they do a single job very well.
That's why it's important to periodically reintroduce these classics to a new generation who might react: "Wow, I never heard of that!" In fact, that was just my reaction long ago when an old timer made me aware of an obscure, but very special, 1950s-era British microphone.
Now, you have to be wondering why anyone would care today about a microphone designed more than five decades ago. Let me respond with a little quiz.
Let's say you need to go on the air from a location where the background noise is so piercingly loud that you have to shout to the top of your lungs to be heard by the person next to you. In this situation, what microphone would you use to guarantee that your listeners hear natural, well-balanced voice quality with a dramatic reduction of that ambient noise?
There's really only one correct answer to this question and, if you were like me, you probably don't know it. Give up? The answer is the Coles 4104 Commentator's Ribbon Microphone (aka "the lip mic"), one of the best kept secrets in American broadcasting.
The Model 4104 was designed by D.E.L. Shorter and H.D. Harwood of the British Broadcasting Corp. in the mid-1950s and has been in constant production ever since. Today, Britain's Coles Electroacoustics manufactures the 4104, as well as another Shorter/Harwood-designed classic, the Model 4038 studio ribbon microphone.
In Europe, the 4104 is a well known and widely-used tool for broadcasting voice commentary from noisy locations. It offers better than 30 dB average discrimination between voice and background noise while maintaining a rich, natural quality to human speech.
Often called the "lip mic" because the user places the mic's metal positioning bar across the upper lip, the 4104 is a pressure gradient ribbon design with a high degree of acoustic damping. It offers a flat frequency response at the controlled talking distance and is completely free from breath noises.
The microphone is not unduly affected by wind noise and can be used in air stream velocities up to 20 mph without notable difference in speech quality. With the use of a simple windshield attachment, good quality speech reproduction can also be achieved in winds ranging up to 40 mph or more.
So think sports, hurricanes, fires, helicopters, war zones, noisy industrial plants-anywhere on-air voices typically have to shout to be heard over background noise. This is why the 4104 has a proven reliable performance record over the years and why it's still used by crews for ABC, CBS and the BBC worldwide.
Though the 4101 certainly does its job well, that's not to say the mic's "on your face" appearance is not unusual. In fact, the user could be mistaken for biting the end of a hammer.
The tough-as-nails mic element in the 4104 is housed in a rugged brass perforated case with stainless steel woven mesh nose and mouth screens. Weighing 10 ounces, the mic is handheld by a PVC covered handle with an XLR connector embedded in the end.
Over the years, I have used 4104 in a variety of situations. I once did a vocal commentary in the back of a taxi cab driving through New York City streets as a large tractor-trailer rig passed only a few feet away and loud jet engines roared overhead. It was so noisy I could barely hear myself speak into the mic.
Yet, back in a quiet studio, I played the cab recording to find that nearly all of the background street noise had disappeared. It was at that moment that I recognized the potential of the lip mic as a very powerful production tool. News reporters could use it to do voiceovers from virtually anywhere. It was like having a portable narration booth in a shoulder bag.
There can be an interesting side effect when using the lip mic. Because the outside noise is often so great, speakers sometime raise their voice in order to hear themselves speak. Not only is this unnecessary with the 4104, but it can sound a bit strange with the lack of background noise. A normal speaking voice sounds best when using this microphone.
NOT SO DELICATE
One misnomer that's been carried over from the old days of RCA 44 and 77 studio microphones in broadcasting is that all ribbon mics are a very delicate breed and should be used only indoors. Not so with 4104. This mic can withstand the rigors of daily use in the field without special care.
Though the Coles 4104 is an child of the 1950s, it remains a valuable tool for innovative broadcasters today. For producers working in hostile environments, its benefits can be a godsend.
