Menlo Park, CA – April 2018…Countryman Associates, an industry-leading manufacturer of legendary direct boxes and ultra-miniature microphones, is pleased to announce the appointment of Eric Carmichel to the position of Chief Engineer. With a comprehensive background that spans physics, audio electronics, hearing science and more in areas as diverse as consumer electronics, medical (cochlear implants, hearing aids), and electronic hearing protection devices, Carmichel brings a rich skillset to his new position with Countryman. He commenced service with the company in January 2018 and is based at company headquarters in Menlo Park.
In his new capacity with Countryman Associates, Carmichel will be active in numerous aspects of the company’s technical operations. Among his various responsibilities, Carmichel will be involved in defining feature sets for new products, working with the mechanical design team to tune the acoustic properties of new microphones, testing prototype PCBs, assisting others on the engineering staff with design considerations, and occasionally addressing second tier technical support inquiries.
Carmichel brings a comprehensive set of skills and experience to his new position with Countryman. Most recently, he served as Principle Engineer, Acoustics and Audiologics Engineer for Doppler Labs, creators of the critically acclaimed Here One wireless earbuds. Prior to this, he was a Field Application Engineer at Knowles Corporation, where he assisted customers with integrating audio transducers in mobile communication and wearable products. He was also the Founder/Engineering Consultant for Cochlear Concepts, LLC. In this position, he was integral to the design phases of unique audiology, communication, and sound-control devices for use in clinical and research applications.
Reflecting on his new position with Countryman Associates, Carmichel offered the following comments, “Countryman Associates offers a unique opportunity and work environment. Because their manufacturing is in-house (Menlo Park, CA), they have the requisite tools and specialized equipment for rapidly prototyping novel audio products. I look forward to adding expertise to the R&D environment as well as Countryman’s acoustical measurements laboratory. I enjoy the theory, math, and electronics, but a hands-on, ‘build it and test it’ approach to product development is definitely a catalyst for innovation.”
Chris Countryman, President of Countryman Associates, shares Carmichel’s enthusiasm. “Eric’s skills and experience couldn’t be better suited to the types of products we develop,” he said. “His strength in acoustical and electronic design, product testing, invention and prototyping, as well as electronic and mechanical integration made him a terrific choice for our company. All of us at Countryman are pleased to have Eric onboard with us. I’m confident he will do well.”
About Countryman Associates
For more than 40 years, Countryman has focused on developing microphones and accessories that deliver maximum gain before feedback, with the highest possible rejection of wind, vibration, interference, and other unwanted sounds. The result is warm, clear vocals in speaking and singing applications, delivering natural audio reinforcement that requires almost no attention from the sound engineer or the performer. For additional information about Countryman Associates, visit the company online at www.countryman.com.
