Latin America. At this year's Grammy Awards, Shure microphones and wireless technology once again played a crucial role in delivering flawless audio to millions of viewers around the world.
With ATK providing all the wireless equipment for this year's production and with long-standing audio partners returning to the event, the ceremony showcased reliability, sound consistency, and perfect performance for broadcasting, thanks to Shure's wireless systems: Axient Digital, AD PSM in-ear monitoring systems, and PSM 1000, as well as an extensive list of Shure vocal microphones.
Thanks to years of collaboration with the Grammy production team, Shure solutions supported the full spectrum of live performances and show performance moments. The engineering team deployed Axient digital transmitters and a suite of AD4Q Receivers — expanded from previous years to accommodate additional channels, ensuring smooth operation in the high-RF density environment of the Los Angeles Crypto.com Arena.
Shure remained the artists' preferred wireless in-ear system throughout the night. Host Trevor Noah once again relied on Axient Digital PSM for his IFB, set up in spatial diversity mode by Steve Vaughn, Radio Frequency Coordinator.
Top Artists Trust Shure
A wide range of GRAMMY-winning artists selected portable microphones and Shure Axient Digital vocal microphone capsules for their live performances:
- Tyler, The Creator – SM39 Headset Microphone
- Lady Gaga –SM39
- Bruno Mars – BETA® 58A
- Reba McEntire – Nexadyne™ 8/S
- KATSEYE – Nexadyne 8/S
- Leon Thomas – BETA 58A
- Lucky Daye –SM58®
- Rafael Saadiq –SM58
- Anthony Hamilton –SM58
- Jon Batiste – SM58
- Rosé –BETA 58A
- Olivia Dean –SM58 (wiring)
- Shadow. – Custom Chrome SM58
Additional artists, including Sabrina Carpenter, Lola Young, The Marias, John Legend, and Pharrell Williams, also used Axient Digital wireless wearables.
This year the use of the SM39 was expanded, and several artists chose the headset microphone for its clarity, warmth, and vocal isolation. GRAMMY music streaming mixer John Harris shared his praise:
"This year's Grammy Awards brought the usual challenges, and in our first audio meeting I learned that what would probably be my most difficult segment (Lady Gaga) came with a surprise: I wanted to use a headset microphone. Ah! Headsets are always a challenge. They never behave or sound like a handheld device, and I was sure it would be an uphill experience. During the first fitting, I didn't watch the video, I just listened and thought, "Great, he's not wearing the headband." But he did use it. He had it tucked into his elaborate suit, right against his mouth, and it sounded fantastic. No exaggerated equalization, no relaxation of the compressors due to proximity problems, without the density or breathing noise that headsets usually create. It was incredible. I found out it was the new Shure SM39. Revolutionary. High-end, game-changing performance. I have no idea how they did it."
Jamie Pollock, FOH Engineer, added, "I was extremely impressed with the vocal quality I was able to achieve with the Shure SM39 with various artists at the 68th Grammy Awards. This microphone consistently gave me a clear, direct sound that I was able to quickly place in the mix. I managed to preserve the dynamics and used less processing to handle unwanted sounds."
Nexadyne for Diverse Vocal Styles
The state-of-the-art Nexadyne™ 8/S capsule also continued its rapid adoption among top artists. With Reba and KATSEYE performing with Nexadyne 8/S, the engineering team reported an exceptional and consistent vocal presence throughout the broadcast. KATSEYE monitor engineer, Nathan Langford, shared his experience with Nexadyne:
"When it comes to selecting a capsule for six unique voices performing a wide range of genres and styles, I've found that Nexadyne brings a consistent tonal character to all members of KATSEYE. The treble, which is paramount to the voice in the mix, especially the female voice, which remains smooth and present. "I didn't want a variety of different capsules on stage that could be tailored to each unique voice individually; I wanted a capsule that could capture all six voices the way they need to be heard, whether they're singing, rapping, or screaming into the microphone."
Nathan continued, "The rejection we received from the Nexadyne 8/S is critical for a variety of reasons. One of them is that all six members are usually very close to each other on stage, so I look for every dB of lateral rejection I can get. Six open vocal microphones in one stage can be challenging, so the rejection we can achieve is essential to keeping microphones "closed" with the use of primary source expanders and enhancers. "Maintaining sound quality while delivering the technical performance that a supercardioid microphone should have is ultimately what I've found in the Nexadyne 8/S."
A reliable workflow and a winning team
The Grammy Awards brought back the same core audio team from last year, ensuring complete continuity in RF management, mixing, and FOH operations. ATK provided all the wireless equipment for the broadcast, while Soundtronics provided the microphone and antenna infrastructure.
"Seeing several artists use our new headsets, our recently launched wireless capsules, the Axient Digital PSM system and a wired SM58, standard at the Grammy Awards, is very gratifying. The demand for quality in this show is high. "We are grateful that so many artists and engineers trust and depend on Shure products," shared Ryan Smith, Shure's artist relations manager.
