audio technica view / spring 2010

The stage was set for Audio-Technica to shine with the stars at the StaplesCenter in Los Angeles this January, where more than 250 of our mics wereon-hand for the best singers, performers and artists in show business today.

The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards saw outstanding performances fromJamie Foxx, Taylor Swift, Eminem and Stevie Nicks - and Audio-Technica helped ensure the success of the powerful live broadcast with artistsall using microphones from our Artist Elite 4000 and 5000 Series, andthe UHF Wireless System. Elton John performed with Lady Gaga androcked the show with our hardwired AE6100 Hypercardioid DynamicHandheld Microphone, and Jeff Beck used the new AT4081 BidirectionalRibbon for his guitar amp during a tribute to late guitar legend “Les Paul”.

We are really proud to be a part of the Grammy’s and our products helpto deliver exceptional quality amidst the ever-increasing sonic demandsof this iconic show’s musical portions.

The backline mic complement of A-T wired microphones included:• AE5400 Cardioid Condenser Handheld Microphone for backing vocals and

horns• ATM350 Cardioid Condenser Clip-On Microphone for strings• AT4050 Multi-pattern Condenser Microphone for guitar and bass cabinets• The new AT4050ST Stereo Condenser Microphone for overheads

technicaviewtechnicaviewspring2010

audio-technica starsat the 52nd Annual

Grammy® Awards

Hair European Tourperformed by the

island musical theatre

This year, The Island Musical Thea-tre brings the famous musical Hairback to life with a European Tour.

Together with Audio-Technica andour Hungarian distributor Audmax,the cult musical will be performedwith 12 Audio-Technica ATW3110plus AT899cw sets (E band) andAllen & Heath iLive T112/IDR32mixing system.Composed by James Rado ,Gerome Ragni and Galt MacDer-mot, Hair is the tale of 1960’s hippieculture and the sexual revolution cen-tering on the lives of a group of politi-

cally active, longhaired hippies livingthe bohemian life in New York City. Ori-ginally it debuted off-Broadway in 1967but was so popular it ran on Broadwayfrom April 1968 for a massive 1,750performances. Cities across the UnitedStates and London took up the pro-duction and it has been played aroundthe world to thousands since. Catch‘Hair – Das Kult Musical’ in Germany,Switzerland, Austria, Serbia, Croatiaand Slovenia.

Above: Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks performing at the 2010 GRAMMY Awards with Audio-Technica’sArtist Elite 5000 Series Wireless Systems (© Photo by Michael Caulfield/WireImage)

Opposite: -Pain and Jamie Foxx performing at the 2010 GRAMMY Awards with Audio-Technica’s Artist Elite 5000 Series Wireless Systems (© Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

The

UK: Audio-Technica Limited, Old Lane, Leeds LS11 8AG England - France: Audio-Technica SAS, 28 rue Godefroy-Cavaignac, 75011 Paris, FranceGermany: Audio-Technica Niederlassung Deutschland, Stiftstrasse 18, D-65183 Wiesbaden, Germany ©2010 Audio-Technica, www.audio-technica.com

technicaviewspring2010

Juan Carlos Caceres and the «Tangofon Trio»

The Artist Elite AE5400 has beenchosen for the speech of the PopeBenedict XVI when he came to Israelin 2009.Using the same large diaphragm ele-ment as the AT4050 studio micro-

phone the AE5400 offer the pris-tine sound quality demanded bythe most discriminating micro-phone user. Audio-Technica inIsrael is distributed by Shema.

Italian company Prase Engineeringsrl is the Audio-Technica distribu-tor responsible for selling one of thefirst big infrared conference sys-tems for an association of Italianlawyers who need confidential,

trustworthy & secure conference systems.Installed at the Centro Nazionale Forense inRome by the ICT engineering and servicescompany Lutech S.p.A, they chose a sys-tem of 28 delegate units with microphones,4 antennas and one central unit.

The uber-talented American singersongwriter Taylor Swift is perfor-ming her Fearless world tour with thehelp of Audio-Technica’s 5000Series. They capture Taylor’s incre-dible vocals and face the wirelesschallenges of a big tour.This award-winning young singerknows exactly what she wants, too. Toge-

ther with her Sound Engineers RussellFischer and Andrea ‘Vito’ Carena,Taylor chose the AEW-T4100. Fischer says, “During rehearsals for thetour, we tried a number of different wire-less systems and mics but we keptcoming back to the Audio-Technica5000 Series Wireless and the T4100,it was the right system for the job. Forme, I needed a mic that would give megain before feedback and work well witha female vocal. Because Taylor’smoving around the stage a lot in front ofthe P.A. system plane, we need to makesure feedback doesn’t creep in the mix,so we needed something that had mas-sive rejection and controllable gainbefore feedback. The mic really soundsgreat – it sounds like her.

“This is the biggest tour I’ve been on yet,and that naturally presents some prettybig wireless challenges, but the Audio-Technica system has been very comfor-table to work with. I've never had a pro-blem squeezing in all the frequencies orhaving them work flawlessly as a matterof fact. From arenas to clubs, fromaward shows to subway stations, theAudio-Technica has been rock solid.” In fact, all the background vocals usethe AEW-T5400, the guitars and over-heads use AT4050 Mult i -PatternCondenser Microphones, the AT4051Cardioid Condenser Microphone is usedon snare bottom and an ATM25 Hyper-cardioid Dynamic Instrument Micro-phone for kick drum.

© Photo by Austin K. Swift

This January, the prestigious “Maison del’Amérique Latine” in Paris played host tothe Argentinean singer and composer JuanCarlos Caceres, accompanied by FrédéricTruet and David Marcos and the 5000Series Microphone. The trio wowed the audience by playing a tra-

ditional, primitive version of the popularTango and thanks to the AE5400 car-dioid condenser microphone, Caceresshared his warm and colorful voice whilstthe accompanying wind instruments usedthe ATM350 cardioid condenser clip-onmicrophones.

Keeping the secret with new infrared technology

Taylor Swiftis fearless – and now wireless


Pope’s speech captured by audio-technica

spring2010

“Audio-Technica’s new ribbon mics aresome of the most beautiful and sweetsounding mics I've ever heard. They aremost definitely a must for any mic col-lection.” Elliot ScheinerThe first ever ribbon microphones AT4080and AT4081 from Audio-Technica achievethat coveted ribbon microphone sound andsolve the problems of fragility and low out-put. Delivering the warm, smooth sound ofa classic ribbon microphone, Audio-Tech-nica’s Ribbon Microphones offer a robustbuild for long-lasting, reliable performanceand higher output for maximum compati-bility with microphone preamplifiers. Ideal

for vocals, wind instruments, strings, drumoverheads, orchestras and guitar cabinetsthe AT4081, with its small size and low-profile stick design, is easy to use on thesame instruments but with tone nuances.The METAlliance (Music Engineering andTechnology Alliance) - a group of globallyrecognized, award-winning audio engineersand producers, has certified Audio-Tech-nica’s new 40 Series ribbon micro-phones, Phil Ramone comments, “Thereintroduction of ribbon mics has nowachieved what Audio-Technica condensormics have: a great warm mic that createsgreat identity for an artist.”

technicanewget coveted

ribbon microphone soundwith audio-technica


Audio-Technica has enhanced theBP892 MicroSet® Subminiature Omni-directional Condenser Headworn Micro-phone with an AT8464 Dual-Ear Micro-phone Mount. Not only does the newBP892 offer increased dynamic rangewith maximum audio quality, it also mini-mizes visibility and allows users toconvert their single-ear-worn BP892MicroSet to a dual-ear-worn unit formaximum stability and comfort.

Ideal for broadcast, live sound, theater,ENG, house of worship, fitness applica-tions and other active uses, the AT8464gives additional stability and a comforta-ble fit for the BP892. It easily converts themicrophone to left or right wearing posi-tions and the continuously adjustableheadband fits children and adults. It fea-tures a durable, lightweight, low profiledesign with an included cord clip and isavailable in black and theatre beige.

the new dual ear mountequals pure comfort for head worn mics

new generation: 2000a

wirelessseries

There are some great new enhance-ments to the launch of Audio-Technica’ssecond generation 2000 Series.From increased RF power on both thehandheld and belt pack transmitters forincreased l ink stabil ity, chargingcontacts on the transmitters now allowseasy operation with rechargeable bat-teries and the ATW-CHG2 charging unitcan charge two transmitters simulta-neously with no risk of over-charging.The new ATW-R2100a receiver also

benefits from the latest Audio-Technica1/2 wave antenna technology to maxi-mize range. It has also a switch to selectthe output level (10mW/30mW). The12VDC b ias vo l tage on both BNCantenna inputs allows operation with theATW-B80 antenna booster or otheractive components. This breakthrough series makes easysetup, automatic scanning and otheradvanced wireless features affordable asnever before. Automatic frequency scan-

ning—standard on all 2000a Series wire-less receivers—finds and sets the bestavailable channel at the touch of a button.

The following frequency bandsare now available in Europe:I-Band: 482.000 – 507.000 MHzD-Band: 655.500 – 680.375 MHzG-Band: 721.500 – 746.375 MHzStill available are:E-Band: 795.500 – 820.000 MHzF-Band: 840.125 – 864.875 MHz

technicaknowspring2010

… that the AT4047MP is not just amulti pattern version of theAT4047SV?The idea was simple. With the AT4047MPwe wanted to have the special sound of theAT4047 with the added choice of morethan one pick up pattern. But when the firstsample of the AT4047MP was made withits double element, the sound shared moresimilarities with the AT4050 than it did withthe AT4047. However, it didn’t take our engineers long tofind the reason for this - the unique soundof the AT4047SV is a result of the combi-nation of the transformer output and theexact tension of the diaphragm - and this iswhere the challenge lay. But it took over ayear to realize the solution –the unique com-bination of a low-tension diaphragm andmulti pattern option. They have created a microphone that givesyou all the tonality of the AT4047SV withthe added flexibility of the additional pat-terns.

… that the AT4050ST not only offersM/S stereo?The AT4050ST gives you two AT4050elements – one cardioid and one Figure-of-8 offering flexible stereo mixing. But some-times there may be situations when you justneed to have a quick stereo setup withoutany matrix mixing, so the AT4050ST offersyou a choice of two predefined stereosetups with the simple flip of a switch.

Choose between a 90° setup or a 127°setup for either a narrow or wide stereoimage without the need for external equip-ment. This convenient method of handlingthe M/S inside the microphone can be also

found in our stereo shotgun microphones:BP4027 and BP4029.

… that there’s a specific reason forthe 127° opening angle on theAT4050ST?It might be a wider opening angle for the in-built matrix, but there is a reason for that.What’s the one setting that gives a goodresult, immediately? We looked at the self-noise level. Easy. We found that the lowestlevel of self-noise is at an angle of 127°making it sound-wise, the best option forthe stereo setup. The rest is in your handsbut sometimes strange looking numbershave easy explanations.

… that the AT4080 and AT4081 rib-bons are handmade?Due to the delicate nature of these fragileribbons, our engineers handcraft each andevery ribbon. This is the best way to gua-rantee a high level of consistency. So it isliterally true to say that the AT4080 andAT4081 have a special human touch.

… that the AT4080 and AT4081 areACTIVE ribbon microphones?A ribbon microphone by itself is a passivedynamic microphone with a very low outputsignal. This is due to the design idea of theribbon microphone. To bring this low signalto a usable level you would need to have adedicated microphone preamplifier. Weinserted this amplifier into the microphoneso that the output of the two microphonesis in the range of a modern condensermicrophone and can be used directly withyour favorite microphone processor ormixing console. To do this, both theAT4080 and AT4081 require 48V phan-

tom power – something that would damageother ribbon microphones on the market.

… that the AT4080 and AT4081 fea-ture MicroLinear technology?MicroLinear is one of the 18 patents wefiled during the process of researching anddeveloping the ribbons for the AT4080and AT4081. It is a combination of a fol-ding technique and a unique imprint of theribbon which maximizes the stability andat the same time counteracts the unwan-ted higher order resonance which can bea characteristic of other ribbon mics. Thisresults in a better control of the tonality anda far more robust ribbon. No more worriesof storing your ribbon microphone hori-zontally – no more worries of destroying itwith high SPL. The AT4080 and AT4081can happily be stored on their side and willwithstand up to 150dB SPL.

… that the AT4080 and AT4081 arevery similar, but also very different?Both the AT4080 and AT4081 share thesame DOUBLE ribbon design. With theback-to-back design of these two ribbons,we can increase the sensitivity and keepthe noise down so that you can enjoy abetter signal-to-noise ratio. When you lookat their spec sheets the microphones lookvery similar (beside the obvious differencein housing) but the tonality is very different. The AT4080 has an open sound due to theopen housing minimizing reflections, andalso gives a rich low frequency response.The AT4081 stays subtler in this frequencyrange but delivers a more direct response inthe mid frequencies. The AT4080 also fea-tures a bigger transformer to increase theoutput.

what to know moreabout New 40Serie microphone?

… that you could add these two new microphones to our existing families of side address and pencil micro-phones due to their combinations of element design (true condenser / electret) and output configuration(direct coupled / transformer coupled)?`

Microphone Element Output configuration Type PatternAT4050 True condenser Direct coupled 1” side address Omni, cardioid, figure-of-8

AT4050ST (new) True condenser Direct coupled 1” side address M/S, 90°, 127° stereo

AT4040 True condenser Direct coupled 1” side address Cardioid

AT4049 True condenser Direct coupled ½” pencil Omni

AT4051 True condenser Direct coupled ½” pencil Cardioid

AT4053 True condenser Direct coupled ½” pencil Hyper Cardioid

AT4033 Electret condenser Direct coupled 2/3” side address Cardioid

AT4041 Electret condenser Direct coupled ½” pencil Cardioid

AT4047 True condenser Transformer coupled 1” side address Cardioid

AT4047MP (new) True condenser Transformer coupled 1” side address Omni, cardioid, figure-of-8

AT4021 Electret condenser Transformer coupled ½” pencil Cardioid

AT4022 Electret condenser Transformer coupled ½” pencil Omni
