MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Microphone designer and manufacturer Lewitt Inc. has donated and loaned several of its cutting-edge microphones to Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Media and Entertainment that will serve as unique teaching tools for audio production students.

Lewitt, stylized as LEWITT, contributed the following:

• Donated the LCT 240 PRO Vocal Set, which is an XLR condenser microphone that can be used for vocals, podcasts, streaming and instruments. 
• Loaned the LCT 1040 TUBE/FET microphone system; the DTP 640 REX kick drum microphone with two capsules; and the LCT 640 TS FET Studio microphone with dual output mode.

In addition, the company has provided an educational discount to MTSU students who would like to purchase their gear.

“At Lewitt, our mission is to empower people to express themselves easily with exceptional sound and so we are happy to offer some of our top microphones to MTSU students in the audio program,” said Dan Pilver, Lewitt Inc.’s vice president of sales and marketing. “We hand-picked some of our most innovative and popular designs which are used by professional engineers in top studios all around the world. 

“The unique features of these tools will allow student to quickly audition different types of polar patterns, capsules, and circuits, and hear the sonic differences firsthand. We look forward to a continued partnership with MTSU.”

Beverly Keel, dean of MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment, said the college was “so grateful to Lewitt for its generosity and dedication to audio production education. … These are great-sounding microphones.” 

“The LCT 1040 is the only microphone that has a TUBE output and a FET output. By having both, these microphones allow students to to hear the difference in TUBE and FET outputs in the same recording for the first time. In the past, it would have required two separate performances by the singer, so they likely wouldn’t be identical.”

Lewitt, which was founded by Roman Perschon in 2009 to change the status quo of microphone design, is an international company with more than 100 employees representing more than 20 nationalities with headquarters in Vienna, Austria. It is one of the fastest-growing microphone companies in the market.

“We are incredibly thankful for the many contributions Lewitt has made to the Department of Recording Industry,” said Michelle Conceison, chair of MTSU’s Recording Industry Department. “Their microphones cover a wide range, which is especially helpful for us since our students are learning skills across disciplines and record across genres with a wide musical spectrum.

“The microphones they provided are available for students to use on their recording projects. Lewitt has also offered our students a discount on mic purchases when they find that mic of their dreams.”

Added MTSU professor Bill Crabtree, director of the Master of Fine Art in Recording Arts and Technologies, “The Lewitt LCT 1040 Tube Mic system is terrific! I use it in my advanced engineering and graduate recording classes regularly. It’s like having several different mics all in one package. 

“The remote control gives students the ability to switch polar patterns and the type of circuit without leaving the control room. This allows them to vary the sonic characteristics and what the mic captures without leaving the sweet spot. It’s really a perfect mic for teaching and learning.” 

MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment is the only college of media and entertainment in the world. It houses the Department of Recording Industry, which has been a mainstay on Billboard’s list of top music business programs for more than a decade. Audio Assemble named it the No. 1 Audio Engineering School in the United States while Mastering.com included MTSU in its list of Top 17 Audio Engineering Schools in the U.S. 

MTSU offers a bachelor’s degree in audio production and an MFA in Recording Arts and Technologies.