For the 15th year in a row, Audio-Technica microphones appeared on GRAMMY Awards Show, known as Music’s Biggest Night.
This year, the 54th Annual GRAMMYs, held February 12, 2012, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, featured a wide selection of artists from various genres of music, with Audio-Technica supplying more than 250 of its microphones, including an array of hard-wired mics and Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF wireless systems.
Artists who performed throughout the evening using A-T Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF wireless systems included A-T endorser Jason Aldean and The Beach Boys. Aldean performed using wireless AEW-T6100 hypercardioid dynamic handheld transmitters for his lead vocals, and The Beach Boys used a combination of AEW-T5400 cardioid condenser ,icrophone/transmitters and AEW-T6100 units for their vocals.
The backline mic complement of A-T wired microphones included additional AE5400s for backing vocals, horns and rotary speaker cabinets (high and low); ATM350 cardioid condenser clip-on microphone for strings; AE5100 cardioid condenser instrument microphone for hi hat and ride; AT4050 multi-pattern condenser microphone for overheads; and AT4081 phantom-powered bidirectional ribbon microphones and additional AT4050s for guitar cabinets.
The sound system was provided by ATK AudioTek, with Ron Reaves and Mikael Stewart serving as front of house engineers and 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 M3 (Music Mix Mobile) was onsite with its Eclipse and Horizon 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 Recording Academy Producers and Engineers Wing. Michael Abbott returned as Audio Coordinator, and M3’s Joel Singer served as engineer-in-charge for the Eclipse broadcast mix truck, while M3’s Mark Linett served as engineer-in-charge in the offline Horizon remix truck.
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.
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.
