Latin America. For the first time in its history, Telemundo presented the Billboard Latin Music Awards 2016 "Billboard Duets", a unique installment in which duos and collaborations never seen before stood out. The show went through memorable moments, from the arrival of television and music figures on the red carpet, to the spectacular performances of the most renowned Latin stars of today, becoming a trending topic worldwide during its transmission. The Audio Supervisor for Telemundo, Juan Águila was in charge of the sound production, having as a challenge an impeccable delivery throughout the ceremony.
Despite his extensive experience – more than a decade as an Audio Supervisor – Águila points out that the 2016 version of the Billboard Latin Music Awards was still a challenge: "It was a special edition. We had fifteen musical numbers during the three hours of transmission and each act included two, three, four, up to five artists at the same time on stage. It was a challenge because, in terms of sound, it was quite intense."
Given the large number of singers on stage, a foolproof audio system was required. That's why Águila relies on the Axient Wireless Management Network:
"Since it was released, we have had the luxury of always having Axient, it is a key piece in the success of our shows." The supervisor explains that due to the congestion of radio frequencies in Miami and the fact that the number of artists tripled, the inventory of wireless microphones inevitably had to increase. "Axient played a crucial role. We had a couple of acts in the middle of the audience, which with another type of microphone would have been complex, but Axient facilitated the challenge of increasing the wireless microphone. It became part of our quality standard." Twenty-four channels of Shure PSM personal systems handled all personal monitoring channels and 36 wireless microphones were also used. "The PSM 1000 system is like the Axient: there's nothing from the outside that can compare to it." As for vocal microphones, the new KSM8 was used, also KSM9 and SM58. "The KSM8 was the most valuable player," says Águila, "I think the artist who had not had the opportunity to work with him fell in love. KSM8 exceeded my expectations. We used it on different types of vowels and it was amazing. I think it's going to be part of our standard specification going forward."
The performance, which took place at the BankUnited Center, featured Nicky Jam and more than 51 participating artists, including singers, actors and actresses and television presenters. The American reggaeton artist, Shure user, also won an award for his solo work, "Latin Rhythm Songs Artist of the Year", Artist of the Year. Another of the highlights of the day, with a high-scale Telemundo broadcast, was the tribute to Latin American women by Ha*Ash, user Shure who also shone under the concept of duos.
The night was also marked by the recognition of the historic Mexican singer Juan Gabriel and his performance with Shure's sponsor, Juanes, of the song "Querida", during which his choir used the KSM8 microphone; and for other diverse collaborations, such as that of the singer Gerardo Ortiz with the user of Shure, Alejandra Guzmán, who delivered a contrasting but harmonious sound between regional Mexican music and rock. The awards ceremony was hosted by actress and TV presenter Gaby Espino and famous actor and singer Pedro Fernandez.
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