Music Center Incorporated (MCI) is the former name of a United States manufacturer of professional audio equipment that operated from 1955 until 1982 when it was acquired by the
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
Corporation. The company is credited with a number of world firsts: commercialising the 24-track multi-track recorder, the tape Auto Locator and in-line mixing console.
History
During the late 1950s Grover 'Jeep' Harned, the founder of MCI, owned and operated a small record and stereo servicing outlet in
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...
. He also designed and built custom audio equipment such as mixing consoles, audio preamplifiers and general record electronics at the request of customers like Mack Emerman, the owner of the nearby
Criteria Recording Studios.
Harned's growing list of record industry contacts led in time to regular referrals, and then to long term service contracts. In addition he installed commercial sound systems for the Parker Playhouse, Pirate's Worlds and Fort Lauderdale International Airport amongst others.
Consequently, in 1965 Harned established the company Music Center Incorporated. Many years later Harned recounted the change in direction during an interview
"I got into the tape recorder business in an interesting way. I had built a console for Sidney (Sy) Nathan, owner of King Records in Cincinnati. Sid, Mack Emmerman, and Bob Richardson had a bunch of Ampex 350 tape recorders with transports that still ran well, but electronics that were on the verge of quitting completely. So in 1968 Sid, Bob and Mack got together and hired me to design and build some new "solid state" electronics for the old transports. My electronics proved to be quieter, had lower distortion, and they didn't have the 'Bias Rocks' common to so many earlier designs.
I filled this order for 100 units and I thought that would be the end of it, but when the word got around the industry that there was this guy in Florida building these 'solid state' electronics, a lot more people became interested in them"
In 1968
Tom Hidley, then manager of
TTG Recording Studios in Hollywood, asked Harned to supply a 24-track recorder. Hidley had recently modified an Ampex 300 tape machine to accommodate 2-inch open reel magnetic tape and required multitrack audio.
[ Harned delivered a custom built 24-track machine — a modified Ampex 300 — which was commissioned later that year. This unit became the prototype for a new MCI product line, the JH-5 tape recorder. The "JH" designation is attributed to Jeeps first wife: Joyce Harned. Mrs. Harned ran the office bookkeeping and files assigning her own numbering system.
]
Technical innovation
In the late 1960s MCI established a network of dealerships across the United States to sell and service a line of preamps, recording electronics and tape recorders.[ Studio Supply, one of these dealerships was operated by ]audio engineer
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...
Dave Harrison. He asked Harned if he could design a device to enable an audio engineer to switch quickly and easily between monitoring audio input and track mixdown modes. In 1972 MCI introduced the MCI JH-400 series console, the world's first commercial in-line mixing console
A mixing console or mixing desk is an electronic device for mixing audio signals, used in sound recording and reproduction and sound reinforcement systems. Inputs to the console include microphones, signals from electric or electronic inst ...
. Unlike split mixing console models, the in-line JH-400 series consoles offered the user a choice of options and incorporated Harris 911 IC op-amps, at a lower cost than its competitors.[
With the release in 1975 of its JH-500 series mixing consoles, MCI became the first manufacturer to design a sound mixer containing ]voltage controlled amplifier
A variable-gain (VGA) or voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA) is an electronic amplifier that varies its gain depending on a control voltage (often abbreviated CV).
VCAs have many applications, including audio level compression, synthesizers and am ...
s (VCA) to aid in mixing multiple channels. Console automation
In music recording, mix automation allows the mixing console to remember the audio engineer's adjustment of faders during the post-production editing process. A timecode is necessary for the synchronization of automation. Modern mixing console ...
became a necessity at a time when the number of mixing channels grew and there were more faders than a single operator could manage. With VCAs, the engineer could adjust multiple selected channels simultaneously with one fader, without changing the relative levels of the selected channels. VCA technology cost a fraction of the price of motorized moving fader automation (Flying Faders), the competing standard of the time.
The MCI tape AutoLocator, another innovation, was similar in design to a remote control though it had advanced functions such as storing a number of presets to recall a particular position of a given recording track. This proved to be a great time saver during the overdubbing process. The MCI JH-45 Autolock enabled a person with average technical experience to quickly configure two JH-24 multi-track recorders for synchronized recording. Other companies incorporated these features into their products but in many cases, MCI innovated first.
MCI's success could also be attributable to its aggressive pricing strategy as MCI's marketing Vice President Lutz Meyer later attested.
"Our competitors literally took apart our AutoLocator product but couldn't see how we could possibly price it. It had 50 Integrated Circuit chips, it was like a small computer. They couldn't make the same equipment without selling it for twice our price.
"It took Ampex
Ampex is an American electronics company founded in 1944 by Alexander M. Poniatoff as a spin-off of Dalmo-Victor. The name AMPEX is a portmanteau, created by its founder, which stands for Alexander M. Poniatoff Excellence.AbramsoThe History ...
and 3M years to realise it was our loss-leader
A loss leader (also leader) is a pricing strategy where a product is sold at a price below its market cost to stimulate other sales of more profitable goods or services. With this sales promotion/marketing strategy, a "leader" is any popular artic ...
. Every time we shipped an AutoLocator out, $700 or $800 was going out the door but recording engineers wanted it. And it worked, they are ordering other MCI products".
Commercial success
MCI's reputation was built on technical innovation and its budget priced systems that were popular with independent music studios. During the 1970s the MCI brand was tied to the fortunes of the Criteria Studios
Criteria Studios is a recording studio in North Miami, Florida, founded in 1958 by musician Mack Emerman. Hundreds of gold, platinum, and diamond singles and albums have been recorded, mixed or mastered at Criteria, for many notable artists and ...
. Rock musician Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
recorded his 1974 album '' 461 Ocean Boulevard'' at Criteria, which had served as the testbed for MCI's new products since the early 1960s. The Eagles
The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles and six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s ...
recorded their best selling singles at Criteria, and likewise the Bee Gees
The Bee Gees
were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in ...
chose Criteria to record ''Saturday Night Fever'', the biggest-selling album of the 1970s.
MCI branded equipment was renowned for its high build quality and features that generally gave it a competitive edge over more expensive brands such as 3M, Neve and Studer
Studer is a designer and manufacturer of professional audio equipment for recording studios and broadcasters. The company was founded in Zürich, Switzerland, in 1948 by Willi Studer. It initially became known in the 1950s for its professiona ...
. These features included the Autolocator, constant tension reel servos, wrap and azimuth adjustable heads, long wearing ceramic capstans and one button punch-in and punch-out. MCI marketing appeal coincided with the emergence in the mid 1970s of independent music studio operators. Aspiring studio operators fell into either of two categories: those with deep pockets that could afford $45,000 or more for high-end 3M, Neve or Studer gear, and the remainder who could not. MCI placed half-page press adverts in industry magazines (such as ''Record Engineer/Producer'' (RE/P)) promoting comparable MCI equipment sets for as a little as $25,000-30,000.
MCI continued to grow as Harned confirmed:
"Today, we build our own motors, make our own faders, printed circuit boards, have our own paint shop, do our own silk screening. . . in short we have almost completely integrated manufacturing capacity for professional audio equipment".
By the late 1970s, MCI's annual revenue stood at an estimated $20m and its products had a 36% market-share in the US domestic market and 45% internationally. The company had a workforce of 250 staff and dealerships in more than 30 countries.[ Later still ]AC/DC
AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...
's ''Back in Black'', ''For Those About To Rock'' and many Queen, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
, and other rock albums were recorded on the Harrison-designed MCI consoles. Other famous artists that used MCI branded equipment included Roy Orbison, Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk.
Digital revolution
In 1977, the 2-inch analog multitrack format was well-entrenched in high-end studios, with a wide selection of competing product offerings from companies like Ampex, and MCI amongst others. That year saw the introduction of the world's first commercial quality 32-track digital recorder by 3M. MCI unveiled a prototype 3-inch, 32-track analog deck in 1978, which showed Harned's willingness to try new ideas, though it never went into production. Later that year American artist Ry Cooder released ''Bop 'Till You Drop
BOP or Bop may refer to:
Animals and plants
*Bird of prey, eagles, hawks, owls and other raptors
*Bird-of-paradise, a family of birds
* BOP clade, a lineage of plants in the grass family (Poaceae)
Government and law
* Balance of power (disambigu ...
'', the world's first digitally recorded, mixed and mastered pop album, using 3M's digital recorder.
In 1980, the Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
Corporation and Philips Consumer Electronics
Philips Consumer Lifestyle is a subsidiary of the Dutch multinational electronics company Philips which produces consumer electronics and small appliances. It is the only Philips company headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The America ...
(Philips) published the '' Red Book'' for the Compact Disc, an industry standard of consumer grade digital media. Many recording studios retooled to support end to end digital production. MCI was one of several major equipment manufacturers that backed Sony’s new Digital Audio Stationary Head
The Digital Audio Stationary Head or ''DASH'' standard is a reel-to-reel, digital audio tape format introduced by Sony in early 1982 for high-quality multitrack studio recording and mastering, as an alternative to analog recording methods. DAS ...
digital recording standard. In the early 1980s Sony wanted to extend its business operations into the US manufacturing sector and approached Harned with a buyout offer. The Sony Professional Products Division was established in Fort Lauderdale specifically to accommodate this acquisition.
Notable products
JH-10 Multitrack Tape Recorder
The world's first 2-inch open-reel 16-Track tape recorder.
JH-16 Multitrack Tape Recorder
The JH-16 Series of Multitrack Tape Recorders was MCI's first mass-produced
Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and ba ...
series of tape recorders and was produced from 1971-1979. The JH-16 designation encompassed three models of tape recorders from MCI with three different transport series, all known as JH-16 series tape recorders: JH-10 (1971-1973), JH-100 (1973-1975), and JH-114 (1975-1979). The JH-16 came in three configurations: 1-inch, 8-track; 2-inch, 16- track; and 2-inch, 24-track. All three transport series operate in 15 ips
IPS, ips, or iPS may refer to:
Science and technology Biology and medicine
* ''Ips'' (genus), a genus of bark beetle
* Induced pluripotent stem cell or iPS cells
* Intermittent photic stimulation, a neuroimaging technique
* Intraparietal sulcus, ...
or 30 ips, with the JH-100 and JH-114 transport series offering Vari-speed capability.
JH-24 Multitrack Tape Recorder
The JH-24 Series of Multitrack Tape Recorders was produced from 1980-1988 and was the successor to MCI's JH-16 Series. With the JH-24, MCI kept the JH-114 series transport and completely redesigned the audio electronics by implementing a transformless design utilizing differential amplification for the line inputs, line outputs, and head coupling to improve the machine's technical specifications.[ Additionally, MCI implemented switches on each channel's Record/Cue card allowing the operator to switch equalization networks to align the machine to either NAB or IEC standards. As with the JH-16, the JH-24 came in three configurations: 1-inch, 8-track; 2-inch, 16- track; and 2-inch, 24-track.
]
JH-400 Series Console
The JH-416 introduced the "In Line Monitoring" configuration that became the standard for many future console designs from both MCI and other manufacturers. In 1974, the product was redesigned as the JH-428, a 24-track recording console.
JH-500 Series Console
This model was first produced in 1975 and became the preferred recording console for Atlantic Records in New York and Criteria Studio in Miami. In time the model range included A, B, C, & D versions offering 28, 32, 36, 38, 42, & 56 channel mainframe configurations. Metering was available as either VU or Light Meters. The 500 Series was highly configurable and was available with a wide array of customization options. The JH-556 was the first recording console designed specifically to cater for dual 24 track recording.
JH-600 Series Console
The JH-600 series included many of the JH-500 features in a more compact frame with automation. A totally new transformerless design, many engineers believed the JH-600 to be the cleanest sounding MCI console yet. And the console was relatively low-priced, making it possible for many studios in the 1980s to buy a JH-600 in combination with a JH-24 tape recorder and JH-110B 2-track tape recorder, making for an "All MCI" studio.
References
{{Reflist, 2
External links
Obituary on Grover C. "Jeep" Harned, the founder of MCI
Various images of MCI recorders
Site dedicated to the technology and products of MCI, Inc.
Manufacturers of professional audio equipment
Companies based in Florida
Audio mixing console manufacturers
Audio equipment manufacturers of the United States
1982 mergers and acquisitions