CMI/IUPUI Speaker Restoration Project: RCA

-

The speakers we're restoring for this project were most likely manufactured at the RCA factory here in Indianapolis, but what kind of company is RCA? 


RCA stands for Radio Company of America and is one of the longest running electronics manufacturing companies in the United States. Created by General Electric in 1919, it started as an effort by the U.S. government to enhance American innovation so that we could rely less on imported European radios. RCA soon became a sort of conglomerate of different, smaller companies that could share their patents and technologies. It’s thanks to the RCA laboratories that American-made, high quality radios and black-and-white and eventually color televisions were in high-demand in the 1950s. They were also a key producer of military radio and submarine sonar technology for the United States during and post World War 2.

RCA is also responsible for installing the sound systems of countless public places such as schools, churches, theaters, you name it. Radio City Music Hall in New York City had an RCA sound system, as well as government buildings in Washington DC. They were the biggest marketer of short and long distance communication, and that research directly led into the separate research and production of speaker cabinets and microphones. The RCA recording studio also has a legacy of producing great artists such as Elvis Presley, Diana Ross, and Billy Joel. RCA’s innovating spirit has continued even to today’s products, still offering radios, televisions, and audio equipment as well as more modern tablets, smartphones, and home appliances.

Once again, if you're interested in more things about RCA as a company, the sources I used to write this blog post are down below. See you next week, where we start getting into the technology and structure of speakers built in the 50s.

- 

RCA What it is, What it does (1950) 
http://www.americanradiohistory.com/ARCHIVE-RCA/RCA-What-it-is/RCA-What-It-Is-What-It-Does-1950.pdf

Encyclopedia Britannica, RCA Corporation entry
https://www.britannica.com/topic/RCA-Corporation

Los Angelos Times, Article on RCA recording
http://articles.latimes.com/1988-09-18/business/fi-3214_1_rca-records

Sound Equipment Catalog (RCA)

RCA website

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CMI/IUPUI Speaker Restoration Project: Harry F. Olson

-
Image
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 d...
Read more

CMI/IUPUI Speaker Restoration Project: Speaker-less

-
Image
         As Monday finally came around, the restoration team met up at the IUPUI loading dock to take all of our equipment to our venue at Square Cat Vinyl, a local record shop in Fountain Square that also serves as a performance space, café, and bar. The historical feel of the shop heightened the vibe we wanted to give with our performance, but you still couldn’t help but feel a little cramped on their small center stage. Nevertheless, we were able to set up the speaker and all of our gear onto the platform before showtime. After a quick sound check and some drinks to lighten the mood, we were ready to begin the set.                                                            Overall the night went off without a hitch. Despite some sound issues near the beginning, each performance wen...
Read more