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Audio-Technica U.S., Inc.

1221 Commerce Drive
Stow, OH 44224
United States
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GRAMMY® AWARDS SHOW RELIES ON AUDIO-TECHNICA MICROPHONES FOR 13TH STRAIGHT YEAR
Posted on Monday, February 1, 2010

— A-T’s new AT4050ST Stereo Condenser Microphone and AT4081 Bidirectional Ribbon Microphone were selected as new additions to A-T’s GRAMMY backline complement —

For the 13th year in a row, Audio-Technica maintained its status as the hallmark of superior sound at the GRAMMY® Awards Show, known throughout the industry as Music’s Biggest Night®. This year at the 52nd Annual GRAMMYs, held January 31, 2010, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, a special emphasis was placed on live performances. For the live show and broadcast, Audio-Technica supplied over 250 of its acclaimed microphones, including an impressive array of hard-wired mics and Artist Elite® 5000 Series UHF Wireless Systems. Of particular note were Audio-Technica’s new AT4050ST Stereo Condenser Microphone and AT4081 Bidirectional Ribbon Microphone, both selected to be part of A-T’s extensive backline complement for this year’s show.

The GRAMMY Awards ceremony itself has garnered widespread notice throughout the years as it continually raises the standard for broadcast entertainment. The EMMY®-winning production was the first major awards show to venture into HDTV and 5.1 surround sound, and it was outfitted with the most advanced tools to ensure the highest fidelity for the evening’s performances. Audio professionals continually select Audio-Technica microphones to achieve exceptional quality amidst the ever-increasing sonic demands of the show’s musical portions. The team working on this year’s GRAMMYs featured many top-tier contributors who returned to ensure the success of this landmark event.

The sound system was provided by ATK AudioTek with FOH (front-of-house) Engineers Ron Reaves and Mikael Stewart, with the house audio supervised by Leslie Ann Jones, a prominent member of the Producers & Engineers Wing® of The Recording Academy®. New Jersey/California-based remote facilities company Music Mix Mobile were onsite with their M3 trucks to create the music mix, facilitated by Broadcast Music Mixers John Harris and Eric Schilling, while Tom Holmes was responsible for the overall broadcast mix. The broadcast audio was supervised by Phil Ramone and Hank Neuberger, also leading members of the P&E Wing. Michael Abbott returned as Audio Coordinator, and Music Mix Mobile’s Joel Singer served as Engineer-in-Charge.

For the home audience, CBS once again delivered the most advanced form of HDTV, with 1,080 lines of picture resolution and 5.1-channel surround sound. To meet the sonic demands of this format, the audio engineers and music mixers employed a wide range of Audio-Technica microphones for the GRAMMY Awards.

Artists who performed throughout the evening using Audio-Technica’s Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless System included Jamie Foxx, T-Pain and Doug E. Fresh, performing Foxx’s “Blame It”; Album-of-the-Year winner Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks, on a medley of recent Swift hits and the Nicks-penned Fleetwood Mac classic “Rhiannon”; double award recipient Maxwell; and Lil Wayne and Drake, who performed with Eminem. All of these performers used A-T’s AEW-T5400 Handheld Microphone/Transmitter, except Swift, who used A-T’s AEW-T4100 Handheld Microphone/Transmitter. Additionally, Elton John, who performed with Lady Gaga, used a hardwired AE6100 Hypercardioid Dynamic Handheld Microphone.

The backline mic complement of A-T wired microphones included AE5400 Cardioid Condenser Handheld Microphone for backing vocals and horns; ATM350 Cardioid Condenser Clip-On Microphone for strings; AT4050 Multi-pattern Condenser Microphone for guitar and bass cabinets; the new AT4050ST Stereo Condenser Microphone for overheads; and the new AT4081 Bidirectional Ribbon Microphone on percussion and guitar cabinets, as well as for Jeff Beck’s guitar amp during a tribute to late guitar legend Les Paul. Audio-Technica’s 5000 Series Wireless was also used on background vocals.

John Harris, Co-Music Mixer, stated, “For high-profile broadcast events like the GRAMMYs, we always turn to Audio-Technica because there can’t be any room for error. A-T gives us an unwavering level of confidence, as I know the mics will work perfectly regardless of the situation. Also, I have been moving away from traditional overhead microphone techniques for cymbals, and instead using a single stereo mic for the whole kit. The AT4050ST has been spectacular in this application.”

Joel Singer, Music Mix Mobile Engineer-in-Charge, stated, “Audio-Technica products always perform flawlessly from a technical standpoint, and they continue to be our company’s go-to mic because of fidelity, clarity, overall reliability and consistency from microphone to microphone. And of course the quality of audio that comes through with A-T's RF is not at all sacrificed because it's a wireless – it's transparent.”

Celebrating over 45 years of audio excellence worldwide, Audio-Technica is a leading innovator in transducer technology, renowned for the design and manufacture of microphones, wireless microphones, headphones, mixers, and electronics for the audio industry.

—For more information on the complete range of Audio-Technica products, contact Karen Emerson, Audio-Technica U.S., Inc., 1221 Commerce Drive, Stow, OH 44224. Tel: (330) 686-2600; Fax: (330) 688-3752; Web: www.audio-technica.com

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