I know nothing. Nothing at all.
But I will say that I did enjoy doing business with Ted, and grew to appreciate his unusual traits.
Regarding his opinions of FAX machines, at the time, TRAM was the only manufacturer who would not receive purchase orders by FAX and insisted
that they be sent by US mail. The orders were always processed
efficiently and correctly. Also during that time, he soldered on every connector himself, to order.
Even though other lav microphones now have a respectable share of the
market, it is a great tribute to Ted Rapp that the TRAM mic is still preferred by many, and the mounting accessories and box are still
considered by most to be the best in the industry.
It might be interesting to note that he seemed to detest the term
"Vampire Clip" for his most famous mounting accessory. He always
listed it as "Clip-on Holder" and refused to call it anything else.
The way he would sign off on the phone now comes to mind...
"and out"
Glen Trew
On Friday, May 22, 2009 at 1:43:49 PM UTC-4, gl...@trewaudio.com wrote:preferred to remain "offline " in todays parlance. A great friend, mechanical genius. Developed and manufactured the units in his home. I helped him sort through thousands of elements for sensitiity and frequency response. That was the secret sauce.
I know nothing. Nothing at all.
But I will say that I did enjoy doing business with Ted, and grew to appreciate his unusual traits.
Regarding his opinions of FAX machines, at the time, TRAM was the only manufacturer who would not receive purchase orders by FAX and insisted
that they be sent by US mail. The orders were always processed
efficiently and correctly. Also during that time, he soldered on every connector himself, to order.
Even though other lav microphones now have a respectable share of the market, it is a great tribute to Ted Rapp that the TRAM mic is still preferred by many, and the mounting accessories and box are still considered by most to be the best in the industry.
It might be interesting to note that he seemed to detest the term
"Vampire Clip" for his most famous mounting accessory. He always
listed it as "Clip-on Holder" and refused to call it anything else.
The way he would sign off on the phone now comes to mind...
"and out"
Glen Trew
I helped Ted develop the now infamous tram. Used extensively on broadway after it was developed. Yes "Ted Rapp and Mom" is correct. He was also an Air Force Reserve Pilot. Yes he was cautious because we sold to many agencies and companies that
Theodore A Rapp brought us the legendary TR50 lapel mike.
Over the years, I�ve heard some fascinating anecdotes of his life.
Much of this may be myth as there seems to be very little documented
evidence of his life. While the company has reverted back to his
family, they do not appear to have a web site. Seems a pity that Ted
died almost without trace. Maybe he wanted it that way?
Can anyone out there positively confirm or deny the following?
Ted was a very private person who preferred to keep a low profile.
He once worked in the R&D division of the CIA where they developed a miniature version of an electret mike for surveillance work.
Realizing the commercial potential for concealable mikes in film & TV,
Ted left the agency and developed the TRAM lapel mike which became an industry standard.
Ted believed the agency was upset about him commercializing �their� invention, and that they intended to �get back at him� one day.
Reputedly, he lived with his mother in upstate NY and the TRAM name came
from Ted Rapp And Mother.
He was extremely cautious about phone and fax communications as he
believed they were being �tapped� by his former employer.
If you can throw any light on the above, or the real truth about Ted
Rapp, please let us know as he deserves to be remembered for his contributions to our industry.
Batter up!
Bill White
My understanding...Along with the array of brilliant concealable mounts, an= >d it being available in various colors, the secret sauce was the low-noise = >cable. Also, the original Tram had a 10k bump to push through clothing. Oft= >en this would overload the front end of many first-generation wireless tran= >smitters. Jerry implemented a flat response version called the Sonotrim, wh= >ich also cut better with Schoeps.
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