CMI/IUPUI Speaker Restoration Project: Harry F. Olson
This week’s blog post is all about the main designer behind
these speakers, Harry F. Olson, an accomplished inventor and researcher at RCA
for a large part of its more experimental forays into audio and visual
technology in post-World War II America. Olson was a key figure in the
development of directional microphones, synthesizer technology, sound design,
and so much more in a time of economic and industrial prosperity for the United
States.
After obtaining
his B.E., M.S., and Ph.D at the University of Iowa, Olson was eventually hired
as a researcher at RCA in 1940 and worked in developing the acoustic technology
of RCA radios. This technology was initially designed for military use (World
War II was in full effect, after all), particularly with underwater signal
transmission and voice communication. When the war was over, his research team switched
over to acoustic solutions for non-military usage, particularly for television
broadcasts and sound recording. This led to the development of velocity-based,
unidirectional microphones to reduce room noise as well as higher-fidelity in
music reproduction. They also developed the first working electronic music synthesizer
before the age of computers, relying on digital card input and analog vacuum
tubes and relays to reproduce sounds almost identical to the incoming signals.
Of course, the
team also had a hand in speaker design and production, resulting in more efficient,
low-distortion directional speakers before more quality electrical systems in
buildings. Olson also had extensive research into speaker cabinets and how they
influenced the performance of the speaker themselves, resulting in the round
experimental speakers that we’re working with on this project. He was responsible
for dozens of patents in the acoustical field as he continued to work for RCA
until his retirement in 1967. Up until his death in 1982, Olson continued serving
as a consultant for RCA and contributing technical papers to the acoustical research
community. His impact on how we listen to music today cannot be understated,
and it’s so cool that we can restore something he had a personal hand
in developing!
If you want
to learn more about Harry Olson’s work, my sources for this blog post are
below. There’s some fascinating stuff about early recording work, as well as
information on the state of America post WWII:
- Interview with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers:
- Research Paper on Speaker Enclosures by Harry F. Olson:
- Annual RCA booklet on research and development (1956)
- Acoustical Society of America, short biography
- Popular culture in the 50's
Until next time!
-Kat
Picture Credits:
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/dr-harry-f-olson-of-the-david-sarnoff-research-center-of-news-photo/517367126#dr-harry-f-olson-of-the-david-sarnoff-research-center-of-rca-operates-picture-id517367126
http://www.music-store.cz/clanky/paskove-mikrofony
http://www.dwdrums.com/images/moonmic/olson_direct-radiator-loudspeaker-enclosures.pdf
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