Taylor Swift on Tour With Audio-Technica Wireless Gear

LONDON — FOH engineer Russell Fischer and monitor mixer Andrea “Vito” Carena had no qualms about using Audio-Technica’s 5000 Series wireless system for Taylor Swift’s Fearless tour for frontline and backing vocals.

Swift’s vocal microphone needed to be suited to her voice and able to reliably reject feedback, since Swift often interacts with the crowd in front of the main P.A. loudspeakers. Fischer and Carena, together with Swift, chose the 5000 Series wireless system for its overall sound quality, gain-before-feedback properties and reliability.

Swift uses Audio-Technica’s Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless System with an AEW-T4100 Cardioid Dynamic Handheld Transmitter for her lead vocals, and all background vocals are handled by the 5000 Series Wireless System with AEW-T5400 Cardioid Condenser Handheld Transmitter, with all systems using the AEW-R5200 True Diversity Frequency-Agile Dual Receiver.

Fischer, who has in the past worked with Toby Keith, Keith Anderson, Jane’s Addiction and Skid Row, among others, selected other Audio-Technica mics for the Fearless tour, including AT4050 Multi-Pattern Condenser Microphones on guitars and overheads, AT4051 Cardioid Condenser Microphone on snare bottom and an ATM25 Hypercardioid Dynamic Instrument Microphone for kick drum.

“During rehearsals for the tour, we tried a number of different wireless systems and mics from a variety of manufacturers on Taylor’s vocals, but we kept coming back to the Audio-Technica 5000 Series Wireless and the T4100,” Fischer recalled. “And we all agreed that the A-T was the right system for the job.

“For me, I needed a mic that would give me gain before feedback and work well with a female vocal,” Fischer added. “Because she’s moving around the stage a lot, going in front of the P.A. system plane, we need to make sure feedback doesn’t creep in the mix, so we needed something that had massive rejection and controllable gain before feedback. The mic really sounds great — it sounds like her.”

Carena, who worked as monitor engineer for such artists as Keith Anderson, Colbie Caillat and Trick Pony, added, “This is the biggest tour I’ve been on yet, and that naturally presents some pretty big wireless challenges, but the A-T system has been very comfortable to work with. I’ve never had a problem squeezing in all the frequencies or having them work flawlessly as a matter of fact. From arenas to clubs, from award shows to subway stations, the A-T has been rock solid.”

Swift’s Fearless tour traveled to the U.K. recently, and, after an early-2010 jaunt to Australia, she will be back in North America, beginning March 4, 2010, in Tampa, Florida.

For more information, please visit www.taylorswift.com and www.audio-technica.com.

Reprinted from FOH Online