About Earthworks
Earthworks was formed by David Blackmer, the brilliant inventor and founder of dbx™, where he invented new technologies in VCAs and true RMS detectors for companders and compressors. At Earthworks his passion focused on inventing new technologies for microphones, preamplifiers and monitor speakers. These new advanced, patented technologies provide Earthworks with the ability to manufacture the “next generation” of professional audio products that will significantly outperform any other quality professional audio equipment on the market.
Those who use Earthworks microphones, amplifiers and monitor speakers refer to them as “stunning,” “most impressive” and “life changing.” This is because Earthworks advanced technologies provide a dramatic increase in audible quality. Reviews of Earthworks products in the press have been superlative. We are much more excited by the excellent results people achieve when using our equipment.
Earthworks is a New Hampshire, U.S.A. based company that is dedicated to quality and sonic excellence. Each Earthworks product is made with great care, meticulous attention to detail and a strong emphasis on quality. We pride ourselves in making only the very best in professional audio equipment and it is all made right here in the U.S.A.
 About High Definition Microphones
What is a High Definition Microphone™? It is a microphone that will pick up sounds with far greater accuracy and fidelity than conventional microphones. The difference you hear is like the difference you see when comparing a standard television picture to a high definition television picture. It is that dramatic!
Today’s recording systems and recording media (DVD, SACD) are getting better and better with higher sample rates and increased bit rates that provide extended frequency response, lower noise and greater dynamic range. The question is, are microphones capable of picking up sounds with increased bandwidth, lower distortion and with far greater detail? Most microphones available today only have high frequency responses reaching between 15 kHz to 20 kHz and are also not fully capable of supplying the increased detail and dynamic range.
In contrast, David Blackmer, the inventor and engineering genius of the Earthworks and dbx core technologies, foresaw our time. He realized that dramatic improvements in microphone design technologies were needed to replace some of the existing outdated ones. So, he invented a number of new technologies to dramatically increase the audible quality of microphones. Earthworks™ High Definition Microphones™ are not made like any other microphone on the market because they employ Blackmer’s new advanced microphone technologies. The audible results are startling! Let’s look at some requirements needed to create advanced, higher quality microphones:
Requirements of a High Definition Microphone
- Better Impulse Response
This is the ability of a microphone to accurately pick up signals with fast transients and rise times such as percussion, brass, guitar and piano. The impulse response is the single best measure of the overall sonic accuracy and fidelity of a microphone.
- Shorter Diaphragm Settling Time A shorter diaphragm settling time will increase a microphone’s ability to pick up subtle low-level sounds and transients. If the diaphragm is still vibrating from the sounds it picked up previously it will tend to mask or color many or all of the subtle sounds that follow.
- Extended Frequency Response
A number of studies have shown that acoustic sounds and overtones of musical instruments extend to beyond 100kHz. Studies also indicate that sounds beyond 20 kHz greatly influence the overall quality of the sound we perceive.
- Minimum Signal Path
Minimum electronics provide a more pure and unaltered signal. Features such as switchable patterns, pads and hi/low pass filters tend to degrade the sonic qualities of a microphone.
- High SPL Handling at Low Distortion
Many microphones will create severe distortion above 120dB SPL. Higher quality microphones must have very low distortion up to and beyond 140dB SPL. This provides far cleaner signals when picking up high level transients from close miked or amplified instruments.
- Cable Length
Once a microphone has provided a pure signal with extended frequency response, it must get to the other end of a long cable without losses. High current, Class A amplifiers allow driving long cables at very high frequencies without signal loss or slewing.
- Improved Polar Patterns
Polar response of most conventional microphones is poor over their operating frequency range. This causes beaming or spotlighting in addition to deteriorating frequency response with phasing problems on the edges of the pattern, resulting in phase cancellations and/or coloration in close multi-miking and contributing to acoustic feedback. Improved polar response dramatically reduces these problems.
All Earthworks microphones with extended frequency responses to 25 kHz and above meet these criteria of a High Definition Microphone™. Even our 20 kHz models meet all these criteria with a frequency response out to 20 kHz. Those who have heard Earthworks microphones are astounded by what they hear. When using an Earthworks microphone, typical comments are: “I hear details that I don’t hear with other mics!”, “This is the best guitar sound, ever!”, “This drum sound blows me away.”, “This is the best piano sound that ever came out of this studio!”, “You’ll have to pry these mics from my cold, dead hands!” and other similar comments.
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