Microphone Live Light
Red light on means microphone Live! The red "Mic Live" red light would come on automatically when the appropriate fader on the studio mixing desk was opened. It signalled to those using the studio equipment, and those outside, to be aware of what they were saying.
BBC Design Mic live Light
With a footprint the size of a standard single-gang mains socket and a depth to match, these BBC designed microphone live lights featured a 240v 15w "pigmy" lamp behind a glass, later plastic, lens.
To change the lamp required the knurled bezel to be unsrewed carefully as the lens could drop out and break on the floor.
To access the wiring , or to fix the box to a wall, required the four screws in the faceplate to be removed.
Mic Live lights were usually located above, or to the side of, studio doors and, depending upon the size of the room, in locations around the studio so as to be in the sightline of the person in front of the microphone.
A Light for All Reasons
The design wasn't confined to informing those in the studio that the microphones were on, or "live".
These lights were also utilsed in a variety for colours. E.g. Blue to denote when a studio was transmitting ("in Network). White for a telephone call (they would flash in time to the ring). Green as a "cue" light to initiate an action, usually to start speaking.
In each application the lightbox would have the appriprate coloured ring around the bezel to match the lens colour. Most were wall mounted but some types, notably the green "cue" light would be mounted on a floor stand or a wooden base for use on a studio table.
With an ethos of simplicity, WTBS studios confied the use of these signal lights to only indicating when the microphone was live.
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