In the autumn of 1931, our Company prepared to launch its first Shure-branded microphones during the following January. Mr. Shure was keenly aware that potential customers would require education about our products. Informative, frequent communication was essential. Below is the earliest Shure Apps Tech Tip/Engineering Bulletin yet found.
Let’s examine subtleties and messaging in the above publication.
The logo: New in 1931, this Art Deco logo alludes to the industrial design of a microphone. The concentric circles have the appearance of a carbon mic face, while the two vertical lines within the triangle imply the side view of a mic.
Upper righthand corner: Instruction Sheet for Shure Microphones. Not Ellis microphones, not Universal microphones, not Kellogg microphones…Shure Microphones.
Upper middle of the page: Shure Brothers Company / Manufacturers – Engineers / S.N. Shure, Pres. No longer do we distribute other people’s microphones. Now we engineer and manufacture our own transducers.
First paragraph: A two-button microphone is a delicate instrument and should always be handled very carefully. The following instructions are given with the aim of ensuring long life and the greatest satisfaction for the Shure 2-button Microphone. Best to educate the novice microphone owner/user on how to handle the mic and to forecast their satisfaction. Note that Microphone is capitalized following Shure but not capitalized in the first sentence. Capitalization implies importance.
Second paragraph: Those who have been in the habit of using microphones of other manufacturers… Shure mics are different and better. Make certain to follow our instructions closely.
Fourth paragraph: When not in use, the microphones should be kept in a cool, dry place and should be moved from time to time. Once again, best to inform the novice microphone owner on how to care for the mic.
Wiring diagram at bottom: Shure Microphone Transformer. Besides microphones, we offer related accessories such as transformers.
Mr. Shure was adamant about educating potential and existing customers to establish lifetime loyalties for the Shure brand. This early Engineering Bulletin illustrates how this was to be accomplished.
Related information: Vintage Shure Technical Bulletins
Arcana – mysterious or specialized knowledge
When your author started at Shure in 1976, there was an ironclad Company mandate that the word “microphone” was always spelled out in full – never abbreviated. I am uncertain when this rule fell to the wayside. My current preference is to employ “mic” as a noun and “mike” as a verb, e.g. “Use the SM57 mic to mike a snare drum.”
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Research into the term Unidyne, before it was appropriated by Shure in 1939, uncovered the following two images. United Manufacturing, who employed the Unidyne name for a “radio panel”, was also headquartered in Chicago, like Shure.
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Is our Unidyne the “Coca-Cola of microphones?” Or is Coca-Cola the “Unidyne of soft drinks?”
