Richard Smith of Integral Close Miking from SAM Systems

Sam Systems 2012 Ltd was formed in the UK in 2012 as it`s title suggests. The company was created to design, test and manufacture a new concept in close miking for Guitar combos and speaker cabs and the product subsequently came into being and was branded INTEGRAL. The brand was first launched at the Frankfurt MusikMesse in 2017 to great acclaim with product becoming available in July of that year. The period of time from the company being formed to being in production was spent in development, followed by some four years of road testing with 3D printed samples before we were happy to commit to tooling up for production. The first units were designed specifically to fit 10” (IM10) and 12” (IM12) speakers and will fit any make. Other designs are under development for the future.In short, INTEGRAL utilises a dynamic mic with a super-cardiod pattern that is aimed off-axis to the speaker cone and which is set within a centrally mounted hub. Within the hub, and underneath a perforated domed cover, is a capsule aimed at the speaker sweetspot. This hub is supported by a ring that matches the speaker diameter & fixings and is 3.00mm thick, rather like a gasket. The gasket is sandwiched between the rim of the speaker and the sound board utilising the same bolts or screws that hold the speaker in place. Thus it is no longer floor mounted on a stand, is protected from overspill, is always in the right place and requires no set up time once installed in the cab. Consequently it gives a consistent performance from gig to gig prompting the same comment from the various media reviews “Why has this not been done before?”
Richard Smith, is the Technical Director and founding member of the company. Following a spell in the Royal Navy as an engineer he followed a path which led to designing Gas and Oil firing burner equipment. But, in a radical change of direction, he was drawn into the music industry when out of frustration of not being heard when playing in his band, he created the first onboard amplified and subsequently, wireless harmonicas. This journey took him around the world where he met the most interesting, quirky and generally great people. More importantly, this set him up with various contacts worldwide enabling him to perform his present role. Within Sam Systems his job has been to create INTEGRAL from an original concept and take it through to being the finished product we now see being so successful in many countries.

https://www.integral.uk.com/