John Kenneth Hilliard
Acoustical engineer, MGM / Altec Lansing
Major contribution
Hilliard helped develop the Shearer Horn and Voice of the Theatre loudspeaker systems that informed subsequent sound-reinforcement practice.
At MGM, Hilliard investigated the limitations of existing theater loudspeakers, including mismatched arrival times between their frequency sections. He worked with Douglas Shearer and the Lansing engineering team on a more coherent horn-loaded system.
At Altec, Hilliard collaborated with James B. Lansing on Voice of the Theatre development in 1944. He subsequently directed engineering work encompassing horns, microphones, amplifiers and crossovers, extending the cinema-loudspeaker tradition from which live-sound systems borrowed.
Key work
- MGM loudspeaker-development initiative (1933)
- Voice of the Theatre development with James B. Lansing (1944)
- Altec engineering leadership (1946–1960)
In the chronology
Selected sources
- John Hilliard · Lansing Heritage
- Shearer Horn · Lansing Heritage
- The Lansing Sound · Foundation for Economic Education