Microphones Fit for a King—and a Queen
In the 1920s and 30s, EMI crafted microphones for British Royalty—King George V, King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth—but these gorgeous mics sat neglected in the EMI Archive Trust for decades. Then, in a strange twist of fate, production started on the award-winning film, “The King’s Speech.”
After painstaking restoration, the mics came back to life to record the film’s orchestral sections, as well as “re-amp” the dialogue for authenticity. Then the Abbey Road engineers started experimenting with re-amping guitars and synths to get unique crunchy filter-like qualities. Clearly, the mics were never designed to be used in this fashion—but breaking the rules is how you stand out.
requirements:
mac:
cpu: Intel or Silicon Architecture
ram: 8
disk: 16
version: macOS Catalina 10.15, Big Sur 11, Monterey 12, Ventura 13, Sonoma 14
additional_requirements: Minimum: 1024×768
Recommended: 1280×1024 / 1600×1024
USB displays are not supported as the primary display.
internet required: no
windows:
cpu: X64 compatible Intel or AMD CPU
ram: 8
disk: 16
version: Windows 10 64 bit and Windows 11
additional_requirements: Minimum: 1024×768
Recommended: 1280×1024 / 1600×1024
internet required: no
trial: no
notes:
feature: Modeled in close collaboration with Abbey Road Studios
Each mic has 3 range positions: close, natural, and ambient
Vibey sonic qualities for sound design and music production
The King George V mic is the only known model of a carbon mic
1920s and 30s mic characteristics provide “lost” mic timbres
Follow with reverb, for novel room and ambiance effects
licensing methods:
computer
usb
platforms: mac
windows
1178-2752
