Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience World Tour is the live iteration of the artist’s album of the same name, which debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 earlier this year.
The record was Timberlake’s second number-one album and best-selling debut week of his solo career, spawning hit singles including “Suit & Tie” and “Mirrors.”
To assure that the album experience translates to the concert realm, front-of-house mixer Andy Meyer chose an Audio-Technica Artist Elite 5000 Series frequency-agile true diversity UHF wireless system paired with an AEW-T6100 transmitter (wireless iteration of the AE6100 hypercardioid dynamic handheld microphone) and AEW-R5200 receiver.
“The AE6100, as well as its wireless counterpart, is an amazing-sounding microphone, and it really works for Justin’s vocals,” says Meyer. “The sound quality is superior – it sounds like we’re taking the studio out on the road.”
At the same time, he also points to the AE6100’s live performance characteristics. “It has great rejection, especially with the kind of volume we’re getting from the crowds on this tour. There’s very little bleed from the stage or the venue that gets in there, which really helps keep Justin’s vocals clean for FOH and monitors.”
Meyer is also using A-T mics in other applications on the tour, including the ATM25/LE (Limited Edition) hypercardioid dynamic instrument microphone on toms, and the AE5400 cardioid condenser handheld microphone—normally a handheld vocal microphone—on the top and bottom of the snare drum.
“I’ve been doing that since I was like seven years old,” Meyer jokes. “Seriously, you cannot beat the 5400 in that application, and I keep trying.”
