Bay State Audio Students Visit World Headquarters of Telefunken Elektraukustik
On Friday, February 28, 2014, Audio Faculty John Krivit and David Lefkowitz brought members of the AES Student Chapter at Bay State College to South Windsor, Connecticut to visit the world headquarters of Telefunken Elektraukustik, a company that has, since 1947, been designing and building some of the audio industry's most critically respected microphones.
Telefunken's Director of Operations, Alan Veniscofsky brought students on a tour of the Manufacturing division where students could clearly see how the physical properties of electromagnetic induction and capacitor microphones could be influenced by their construction and design. Next, Veniscofsky moved the tour to the Testing division where students witnessed the process involved in obtaining individual frequency response and other tolerance measurements. Veniscofsky spoke about the rich history of German condensor microphones and how historical vicissitudes in Germany (two world wars and a huge wall) influenced production. Students were allowed the opportunity to examine original historical documentation and technical specifications and toured an incredible display of classic antique transducers.
After the tour, Telefunken engineers made a recording of Amherst, MA rock band Jamie Kent & the Options in their studio facility using Telefunken microphones to demonstrate the unique characteristics and applicable use of each mic. Students were subsequently provided the unmixed tracks for use in a mix competition for all Bay State College students who toured the facilty.
The winner will receive a Telefunken M80 dynamic microphone.