The Troubadour continues to be a vital link in the evolving American music industry and culture, and microphones from Audio-Technica have played a key role in keeping it that way. Bobby Crown, the FOH Mixer, production manager and system engineer for The Troubadour for the last seven years, brought an all-A-T package of microphones into The Troubadour in 2008 and they've been in use since.
Crown, who at one point was simultaneously an engineer at four of L.A.'s leading venues, including the Whisky a Go Go and the Viper Room before settling in at The Troubadour in 2003 for what he calls its "magical positive energy," has found the perfect A-T microphone for every application at the club. Electric guitars and basses benefit from ATM650 Hypercardioid Dynamic Instrument Microphones, ATM250 Hypercardioid Dynamic Instrument Microphones (on the rear of the amp cabinet) and ATM250DE Dual-Element Instrument Microphones; acoustic guitars get great sound and pickup from AE5100 Cardioid Condenser Instrument Microphone; vocals are captured using the ATM610 Hypercardioid Dynamic Handheld Microphone.
"Every night we have a different artist, and over time the room will adjust as the size of the crowd changes, but the A-T microphones remain the consistent thing about the sound," says Crown, who estimates that he's mixed over 5,000 bands at the Troubadour. "We get a lot of guest engineers in here and I've found that they really appreciate the comfort zone they feel when they find out we're using the same Audio-Technica microphones that a lot of them already use on the road. The A-T mics help in so many ways."
(Jim Evans)
