- The U.S. Patent Office has issued two patents for Point Source Audio (PSA), EMBRACE Earmount Microphone: Patent No. D786,220, which protects the design of PSA’s EMBRACE earmount, and 9,706,285, which covers the device, apparatus, system, or method of use. The design of EMBRACE allows microphones to be easily concealed and quickly custom-fitted for the wearer, providing a placement of the microphone that is consistent and stable.
- EMBRACE microphones are designed for theatre, broadcast, film, corporate, and other applications where the microphone is ideally camouflaged, yet still maintains consistent placement from the mouth even with head movement.
- The two new patents for EMBRACE mark the third patent the company has received in the last two years. Point Source Audio also holds a patent for its CM-i3/CM-i5 intercom headsets that was granted in 2016.
- “These patents validate our commitment to innovations that elevate both user and audience experience, and which solve ongoing problems for our customers,” said James Lamb, president of Point Source Audio. “And there’s more to come with a patent pending for our CO2-8WL dual microphone. It’s the world’s first self-contained redundant dual element mic that makes switching to a backup microphone seamless and discreet.”
- Users of the EMBRACE Earmount solution include Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell, the San Francisco Opera, Alley Theatre, and numerous other performing arts venues throughout the country.
- In the past, concealing headworn microphones usually required hand assembly using sharp tools, tape, wire, plastic, and other materials. “The process of creating an ear rig is very time consuming and requires a dedicated skill set that is not always available on production teams,” said PSA’s vice president of marketing, Yvonne Ho. “We designed EMBRACE as a commercial mic’ing solution to be accessible by all in the audio and arts community.”
- Each EMBRACE Microphone utilizes the company’s SERIES8 microphone technology and comes complete with a left and right earmount in a choice of beige, brown, or black color for matching hair and skin tone. For extreme camouflaging, EMBRACE Microphones can be customized with theatrical color markers, makeup, or airbrushing. EMBRACE is also now available in single or dual elements offering built-in backup.
