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The Valan Atlas PMS3. The Best Microphone Stand Ever?

Posted on July 9, 2021 | 2 comments
The Valan Atlas PMS3 was originally manufactured in the late 1960’s by Valan Electrics, Birmingham,
England. It is the only microphone stand that I can think of that has appeared regularly as a ‘must have’ on the
Technical Riders of many well-known performers. A quick glance around the internet reveals pictures of famous
users including Jimi Hendrix, Van Morrison, Helen Reddy, Ozzy Osborne, Led Zeppelin, Status Quo, Deep
Purple, The Slits, The Clash and Bono (U2)
It has also been a firm favourite with comedians. Here below is British comedian and national treasure Ken
Dodd. On stage at the Theatre Royal Norwich.
So what is it about the Valan Atlas that makes it so different to other mic stands.

1. Thanks to its unusual woven wire clutch mechanism the height is instantly adjustable. It goes up and down
with a single movement of the hand and stops wherever you let go. So no faffing around slackening or tightening
anything.

2. It has a very heavy cast iron base with a small footprint. This makes it extremely stable but also very easy to
tilt in any direction. You can even lean it right over like Bono in the picture above. It is perfect for the theatrical
showman/woman.

3. The small footprint of the base also means that the performer is unlikely to trip over it! From the sound
engineer’s point of view it also means that singers and guitarists who tap their feet are less likely to hit it!
4. The solid construction of the stand and its clutch mechanism also acts as an excellent shock absorber. This
helps protect the microphone against unwanted handling noise.

5. The middle section covering the clutch mechanism also forms a very comfortable hand grip at waist height.

6. The chrome finish is superb and always looks fabulous under a centre spot.
The Bad News and the Good News.

Very sadly Valan Electrics went out of business in the early 1980’s. The last mention of them I can find is in a
Studio Sound survey in July 1981. However, these iconic stands have remained popular and the good news is
that they are once again being made by US company RCI http://www.rcistarlite.com/micstand1.htm

Conclusion.
We all know that cut-price microphone stands are never worth it. They will always let you down (usually in the
middle of the gig)! Valan Atlas PMS 3 microphone stands have never been cheap. However, they are beautifully
made, a joy to use, and will last for years. I bought mine in the 70’s. It has been centre stage on thousands of
shows and still looks as good as the day it left the factory. Worth every penny!

Posted in 1960's Microphone Stand, Uncategorized, Valan Atlas PMS3 Microphone Stand, 2 Comments
Vintage Microphone Stands
Tagged 1960's Microphone Stand, Valan Atlas PMS3 Microphone Stand, Vintage Microphone Stand

Electro-Voice EV664 …… On The Road Again

Posted on March 13, 2015 | Leave a comment

In my previous blog post on the EV664 I mentioned that it is one of the few PA microphones from the 1950’s
that still sounds good through a modern system. Recently I have taken my 664 out on the road again to use it in
a theatre show featuring classic British rock’n’rollers The Buddy Presley Band. Here are a couple of clips from
the sound check featuring guitarist Corrado Di Ianni (aka Conrad) using the EV664 for vocals. (The mic on the
guitar cab is a 1960’s Philips EL6033-10 set to cardioid pattern).

CLICK HERE for clip 1

CLIP 2

Electro-Voice EV664 Sound Check Recording.

The microphone stand which appears in the video is the original Electro-Voice stand which came with the mic.
This mic stand is a work of 1950’s genius featuring a simple push-button ratchet mechanism which allows the
user to effortlessly raise or lower the stand. And after nearly 60 years, just like the mic, it still works perfectly. It
is the same stand that appears in the Electro-Voice adverts of the period.
 Introduced in 1954 the 664 was the Electro-Voice answer to the Shure 55 and even came
with a money back guarantee of it’s superiority !

With it’s unusual arrangements of ports, illustrated in the leaflet above, the 664 was the first microphone to
utilise Electro-Voice’s patented Variable-D design.
Variable-D and Beyond – Classic EV Microphone Design and Evolution

The EV664 has a crisp modern sound and I was interested to notice that the frequency response graph for the
664 is actually quite similar to the current Sennheiser e945 !

In addition to its considerable merit as a transducer the EV664 is also one of the best looking microphones ever
made. A gorgeous piece of rock’n’roll art!

N.B. Singers who like to

clasp their grubby hands around the mic should be kept well away from the 664. Apart from messing up the
proper functioning of the ports they will also leave nasty finger marks!!

Posted in Vintage Brochures and Tech Specs, Vintage Microphones, Vintage PA Leave a comment
Microphone
Tagged 1950's Microphone, Electrovoice EV664, Variable-D, Vintage Microphone Stand, Vintage PA
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