Melodium Type R

The Type R in our collection is serial no. 241 is marked "CONSTRUIT SPECIALEMENT POUR LE SERVICE DE LA RADIODIFFUSION" which means that it was made specifically for the French national broadcaster, which would have been the French equivalent of the BBC. Radiodiffusion Française was established in 1945 , so our microphone was built after that.

We also had the opportunity to examine Type R serial no. 12, which  is dated 31.12.40. That makes it 85 years old at the time of writing. No. 12 was made for the nascent "Radiodiffusion Nationale". This is particularly fascinating as it dates the manufacture to during the period of occupation in the Second World War We were surprised that microphones were still being manufactured during that period, but I suppose that the government needed to broadcast their propaganda, or perhaps this one was stolen and used by Le Resistance!

Inside, the Type R is very similar to the later model 42B, with the same magnets and motor assembly, but different internal baffles, using a wider mesh and cloth. The high pass filter section of the mic is also different to its square cousin. In place of the three way rotary switch on the 42B, this mic uses a metal bar to bridge a terminal inside the base of the mic, and it just as 'Music' and 'voice' settings. A hole in the bottom plate lets the engineer know whether the filter is engaged or not.

Frequency sweeps: Melodium R (red) and 42B (Blue)

In comparison to the 42B, the model R has a little more bass, although this could simply be due to the differences in tension and mass of the ribbons. There are other small differences to the high frequency sonic signatures, primarily due to the differences in grill shape and mesh.

A post about the Type R at the Xaudia blog

 From Melodium Heritage: "there are proven evidences (manufacturing plate) of the manufacture of the Type R from 1940. Before this series for the ORTF, there are also a few copies with a wider grid. Maybe 1938 or 1939…"