om
electronics, came on the scene back in 1974 with the first commercially
available direct box. The term “direct box” didn’t exist back then and the Selectron 1 was marketed as a “microphone substitution device.” It was designed
to connect a high-level speaker output to a microphone level input for recording
or public address purposes, thus eliminating a microphone. It originally
featured a high impedance output but was later available with a
transformer-balanced option. The later versions were more like a modern DI in
that they accepted an instrument level signal and provided a balance low
impedance output.
Company founder, Jamie Goldsmith,
is a performing musician, circuit designer and recording engineer who worked
under the legendary Malcolm Chisholm when employed by Chess Records in the early
1970s. His experience at Chess led to the development of custom designed direct
boxes using high quality audio transformers. After leaving Chess and moving back
to his native Wisconsin he continued to work as a freelance engineer and audio
consultant. After years of bartering his engineering skills in exchange for
vintage equipment and purchasing other gear as money would allow he was able to
build his own commercial recording studio. His studio became a real world
laboratory for developing equipment for the recording industry.