Gefell M 1030  From Gefell

Since its founding by Georg Neumann in 1928, the company has produced high quality, condenser microphones for broadcasting and recording. Many models have used the M7 capsule originally designed by Mr. Neumann in 1949 for the CMV563a. The M7 was responsible for the legendary sound of the Berlin manufactured U47, U48 and M49 microphones. Today, under the technical supervision of Mr. Kuehnast's son, the Company still produces the M7 capsule in exactly the same way Mr. Neumann taught the elder Kuehnast in the 1940's. Hand drilling each hole in the backplate, making the PVC membrane, and even gluing it together by hand is done just as Mr. Neumann specified. The M7 is currently used in the UM 92.1S, UMT800, UMT70S and MT71S Gefell manufactured microphones.

Some of the production equipment which Microtech Gefell GmbH uses for capsule production capitalizes on advanced technology developed by the Soviets before Perestroika. One of the more recently developed microphones, the M300, uses a capsule made of ceramic material molded under high pressure and plated with chromium. This technology was developed in Moscow using advanced computer modeling and simulation techniques. Gefell perfected a capsule manufacturing process unlike any employed in making Western microphones.

The SMS70 series of microphones designed in the early 1970's used a hybrid amplifier with an fet stage. Hybrid technology was not adopted by manufacturers of Western microphones until the late 1980's. Microtech's newest amplifier for the UMT70S series microphones uses surface mount device (SMD) technology.

The company also manufactures a complete line of measurement microphones equivalent to those of Bruel & Kjaer, the Danish manufacturer. These microphones are tested to the highest standards currently used in the West. The manufacturing methods for the nickel membranes and backplate assemblies are highly advanced. Testing each microphone takes a minimum of three months to guarantee performance and stability when it leaves the factory.

Before the Reunification of Germany the company manufactured their studio and broadcast microphones for RFT, a state agency that distributed them to customers in the Eastern Bloc. Most of the microphones went into the broadcast system. Some microphones, like the PM 860, went into public address systems. Virtually every town hall and auditorium in the former Soviet Union has one. About 1985, the Company began developing high powered (30 to 100 Watt) industrial lasers. They still use a laser engraving machine to put the name and serial numbers onto microphones and other finished metal products. During this period, the East German government poured 60 Million Ost Mark into the company allowing them to buy sophisticated equipment and construct a new building.