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48th Annual Grammy® Awards Ceremony Features Audio-Technica Mics for the Ninth Year in a Row
Press Release
2006-02-16

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Audio-Technica has been supplying its acclaimed microphones for use at the GRAMMY® Awards show for nine years now, ensuring the celebration is outfitted with the best tools for “Music’s Biggest Night™.” The 48th Annual GRAMMYs, held February 8, 2006, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, featured a wide array of A-T mics to support this definitive broadcast event. “Audio-Technica provided over 200 microphones this year, including many of our hard-wired mics and Artist Elite® 5000 Series UHF Wireless Systems, all of which gave consistently great performances throughout the evening,” stated Gary Boss, A-T’s Marketing Director, Live Sound & Studio.

The Emmy-winning GRAMMY Awards ceremony sets the standard for broadcast entertainment. It was the first major awards show to venture into HDTV and 5.1 surround sound, and makes increasingly elaborate forays into using current technology to the fullest advantage. Audio professionals working on the musical portions of the show continually select Audio-Technica microphones to achieve outstanding sound quality. The team responsible for this year’s GRAMMYs included a number of renowned contributors, many returning to help orchestrate the event.

ATK/Audiotek provided the sound system with FOH (front-of-house) engineer Ron Reeves and Mikael Stewart, while the broadcast audio was supervised by Phil Ramone and Hank Neuberger of N.A.R.A.S. & Cossette Productions. New York-based XM/Effanel Music with their L7 remote truck, along with music mixers John Harris and Eric Schilling, supplied the 5.1 surround and stereo feeds.

Once again CBS 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 range of Audio-Technica microphones for the GRAMMY Awards show’s audio.

Audio-Technica’s Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless System was used with the AEW-T5400 handheld microphone/transmitter for vocals by Bruce Springsteen, Kelly Clarkson, Kanye West, Christina Aguilera, Jay-Z, Sugarland, and members of De La Soul performing with Gorillaz. It was also used by Van Hunt, Ciara, Will.I.Am and Steven Tyler during the Sly and The Family Stone tribute. During the New Orleans tribute Elvis Costello and Bonnie Raitt also used Audio-Technica’s Artist Elite 5000 Series. In addition, Paul McCartney as well as Audio-Technica endorsees Linkin Park members Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda performed with the 5000 Series system and AEW-T3300 handheld mic/transmitter. The backline mic complement of A-T wired microphones included the AT4047/SV for bass guitar cabinets; ATM35 for strings and under cymbals; AT4050 on overheads, guitar and bass guitar cabinets; AE3000 for toms; AE2500 on kick; AT4033 on hi hat and ride cymbals; and AE5400 on the Leslie cabinet.

Michael Abbott, Audio Coordinator for the 48th Annual GRAMMYs, has come to rely on the uncompromising quality of Audio-Technica mics. He stated, “With Audio-Technica as a key partner it gives me one less thing to worry about when putting a show of this magnitude together. The reliability, consistency and clarity of their products is second to none. I would also like to commend A-T on their excellent on-site support.”

Photo Caption: Shown (L-R) performing with Audio-Technica’s Artist Elite® 5000 Series Wireless System are Jay-Z, using the AEW-T5400 handheld microphone/transmitter, Paul McCartney and Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, each using the AEW-T3300 handheld microphone/transmitter, at the 48th GRAMMY® Awards held February 8, 2006, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. Photo by Frank Micelotta / Getty Images. (This photo is property of Frank Micelotta / Getty Images and may be used by the press only for the purpose of one-time reproduction. Unauthorized use, alteration or reproduction of this photograph is strictly prohibited.)