Beyoncé was not the only one who broke records at the 65th annual Grammy Awards® that took place last week in Los Angeles. Austrian Audio mics have been a staple at previous GRAMMY Awards®, but this year they broke their own record: Twelve OC818s and twelve CC8s mics were used on stage, primarily to record the drum kits for the performing acts that night.
Michael Abbott, the chief engineer and sound designer of the GRAMMY Awards, has been relying on Austrian Audio quality for years. He and his team of engineers have always been impressed on how the hand-made mics from Vienna cover the drums. In such a widely broadcasted event like the GRAMMY Awards, quality and reliability are key, and Austrian Audio delivers just that and more.
Handmade in Vienna, the OC818 is a multi-pattern dual-output condenser microphone equipped with a world’s first: optional wireless control, while its sibling – the OC18, is a cardioid pattern precision microphone. Its unique design and outstanding sonics, combined with new wireless control technologies offering highly optimized workflows, have garnered the OC818 five-star reviews from all over the world.
Austrian Audio CC8
The CC8 small diaphragm microphone excels thanks to Austrian Audio’s OCC7 condenser capsule. Its capsule and transformerless output give the CC8 an outstanding linear frequency response. It can handle extremely high sound pressure levels of up to 156 dB without distorting. Combined with a very low self-noise of only 16 dB SPL (A), this results in an exceptional dynamic range. The CC8 sounds natural and open and never becomes harsh or spiky, even at extreme volumes. The mids and highs are silky smooth and never exaggerated.
Michael Abbott spoke to Walter Ruehrig and Bernd Gossi, Austrian Audio’s Artist Relations Managers, and they agreed that the 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards was another feather in Austrian Audio’s cap.
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