STOW, OH, February 9, 2009 — For the 12th 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 51st Annual GRAMMYs, held February 8, 2009, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, a particular emphasis was placed on live performances, with 25% more featured nominees and performers than in the past. 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.
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, while the broadcast audio was supervised by Phil Ramone and Hank Neuberger, leading members of the Producers & Engineers Wing of The Recording Academy®. New York-based XM Productions/Effanel Music were onsite with their L7 remote truck to create the music mix, facilitated by Music Mixers John Harris and Eric Schilling.
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 using Audio-Technica’s Artist Elite® 5000 Series UHF Wireless System, with the AEW-T5400 handheld microphone/transmitter and AEW-R5200 true diversity frequency-agile dual receiver, included Jay-Z; Taylor Swift; Estelle; T.I.; Lil Wayne; Stevie Wonder; Boyz II Men; Al Green; and Jamie Foxx, Duke Fakir and Ne-Yo in a tribute to the Four Tops. Audio-Technica endorser Kenny Chesney used a wired A-T AE3300 Cardioid Condenser Handheld Microphone, and Thom Yorke of Radiohead used the AE5400 Cardioid Condenser Microphone. Justin Timberlake performed using A-T’s wireless AEW-T4100 Cardioid Dynamic Microphone/Transmitter.
The backline mic complement of A-T wired microphones included AE5400 Cardioid Condenser Handheld Microphone for backing vocals; AT4050 Multi-pattern Condenser Microphone for guitar cabinet and overheads; AT4040 Cardioid Condenser Microphone for overheads; AE5100 Cardioid Condenser Instrument Microphone for ride cymbal, hi-hat, and percussion; ATM250 Hypercardioid Dynamic Instrument Microphone for Leslie cabinet and guitar cabinet; BP4025 X/Y Stereo Field Recording Microphone for percussion; AE2500 Dual-Element Cardioid Instrument Microphone for kick drum; AT4047/SV Cardioid Condenser Microphone for guitar cabinet; ATM450 Cardioid Condenser Instrument Microphone for ride cymbal; and ATM350 Cardioid Condenser Clip-On Microphone for horns, congas and strings.
Michael Abbott, Audio Coordinator for the 51st Annual GRAMMYs, has come to rely on the unsurpassed quality and consistency of Audio-Technica mics. He stated, “Live broadcasts of this magnitude are immensely challenging, and we have been lucky to have Audio-Technica as a continuing partner in helping make the GRAMMYs happen. Our engineers need a wide range of consistent and dependable microphones that enable them to capture each artist’s individual character, and A-T delivers exactly what we need.”
For more information on Audio-Technica’s product line, please visit www.audio-technica.com.