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Alberto Contrador of Spain, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, rides in between media motorcycles to win the 18th stage of the Tour de France cycling race, on Thursday, July 23, 2009. The pictured videographer and others throughout the Tour employed Audio-Technica AT835ST M-S Stereo Shotgun Microphones to capture live audio of the race. Photo by Bas Czerwinski/AP Photo. (This photo is the property of Bas Czerwinski/AP Photo and may be used by the press only for the purpose of one-time reproduction. Unauthorized use, alteration or reproduction of this photograph is strictly prohibited.)
 











 

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Clyne Media, Inc.
Tel: (615) 662-1616
Fax: (615) 662-1636

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


AUDIO-TECHNICA STEREO SHOTGUN MICROPHONES FOLLOW THE TOUR DE FRANCE THROUGH EVERY TURN AND PASS

— Camera-mounted stereo shotgun microphone picked up the nuances of the most famous bicycle race in the world

— Camera operators on the back seats of five motorcycles shadowed the 2,200-mile race start to finish, creating an exciting soundbed along the way —

STOW, OH, July 29, 2009 — Viewers of the 2009 Tour de France saw hundreds of racers cover over 2,200 miles between July 4th and July 26th, each vying for the finish line on Paris’ Avenue des Champs-Elysées. They also heard an amazing soundscape of determined cyclists straining to climb mountains, the rattle of bicycles bunching up in the peloton and the crowds cheering them along, thanks to Audio-Technica AT835ST M-S Stereo Shotgun Microphones, mounted to the cameras on five motorcycles that cover the miles-long pack of racers. The AT835ST microphones were provided by the Societé Française de Production (SFP), a division of the Euro Media Group, which has been a longtime supplier of broadcast technology and services to the Tour de France and other major sporting events.

Throughout the race, the motorbike crews covered the action from top to bottom, pacing the riders and collecting crowd reaction effects. The audio, embedded with the video signal, was sent via low-power broadcast to a pair of helicopters and two circling airplanes. They, in turn, relayed the signals to three ground relays in trucks, which sent it via satellite or terrestrial links to outside broadcasting (OB) vans located near the finish line.

“We chose Audio-Technica stereo shotgun mics because they are good-quality microphone solutions for this application,” explains Luc Geoffroy, CTO of the Euro Media Group. “The mics are robust, with excellent sonic characteristics to pick up sound in a mobile situation, and they can do it with exceptional directivity, providing good rejection of unexpected wind and other noise. They’re lightweight and small, making them a good fit for how we use them on the motorbikes, and they also give us a good stereo image with excellent separation. And they’re very easy to use and highly reliable.”

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Photo File: TourdeFrance.JPG
Photo Caption: Alberto Contrador of Spain, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, rides in between media motorcycles to win the 18th stage of the Tour de France cycling race, on Thursday, July 23, 2009. The pictured videographer and others throughout the Tour employed Audio-Technica AT835ST M-S Stereo Shotgun Microphones to capture live audio of the race. Photo by Bas Czerwinski/AP Photo. (This photo is the property of Bas Czerwinski/AP Photo and may be used by the press only for the purpose of one-time reproduction. Unauthorized use, alteration or reproduction of this photograph is strictly prohibited.)

Please note: With its move to the Broadcast and Production line, Audio-Technica’s AT835ST has a new model number: BP4029. The two models’ performance specifications are identical.

See more Audio-Technica news releases.

Celebrating over 45 years of audio excellence worldwide, Audio-Technica is a leading innovator in transducer technology, renowned for the design and manufacture of microphones, wireless microphones, headphones, mixers, and electronics for the audio industry.

—For more information on the complete range of Audio-Technica products, contact
Karen Emerson, Audio-Technica U.S., Inc., 1221 Commerce Drive, Stow, OH 44224.
Tel: (330) 686-2600; Fax: (330) 688-3752; Web: www.audio-technica.com


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All Rights Reserved.