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.
(Jim Evans)
