NILES, ILL.—The 58th Grammy Awards earlier in February featured a bevy of performances by some of music’s names, and a number of them utilized Shure microphones. The new KSM8, established SM58 and Axient wireless mics were put to use during the show that took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Recording artist Tori Kelly performs onstage during The 58th GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on February 15, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/WireImage)
Shure’s new KSM8 Dualdyne microphone on a UHF-R wireless transmitter was the mic of choice for host LL Cool J, as well as for three of the musical performances from Tori Kelly, Hollywood Vampires, and for three members of Little Big Town. Grammy Audio Coordinator Michael Abbott had previous experience using the KSM8 mics on reality show “The Voice.”
The Axient wireless mic also played a role in some of the performances from the likes of Justin Bieber, who used it with a KSM9HS capsule, and the Alabama Shakes, who used a SM58 capsule. The production team also used an Axient with a SM58 capsule as the production’s spare mic.
Tributes to Lionel Richie, Glenn Frey of The Eagles, and B.B. King, meanwhile, used the “old reliable” SM58 mic. SM58 was used atop UHF-R handhelds for the Richie tribute, with hardwired versions used for the backing vocals during the Frey tribute. Robin Thicke also used the SM58 during his performance.
Shure also provided all wireless in-ear systems with its PSM 1000s. The mics have been used for the last five years during the Grammy broadcast, as it comes with a de facto standard for RF-intensive live broadcasts.
