Shure Wireless Delivers Flawlessly at CMT Awards

	Brian Kelley, Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line perform onstage with two custom Shure Super55s at the 2018 CMT Music Awards at Bridgestone Arena on June 6, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

Broadcast live on CBS from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on June 6, the fan-voted 2018 CMT Awards featured a wide range of performances from country music's biggest stars. Featuring both indoor and outdoor stages, the event was hosted by Little Big Town, who also won the award for Group Video of the Year.

Led by audio coordinator Kevin Sanford, the sound crew for the event delivered an evening of perfect audio. All artists used their preferred microphones, but the team again selected Shure Axient Digital and UHF-R as their default wireless microphones, with 24 total channels available. Once more, PSM 1000 was the show's exclusive in-ear monitor system, with 24 channels on hand. The RF coordinator was Jason Lambert.

The sound company for the event was PRG (Production Resource Group), led by Mark Boettcher. Music mixers were Tom Davis and Marc Repp, with Michael Davis handling the broadcast production mix. Inside the sold-out Bridgestone Arena, Rick Shimer handled the front-of-house mix while Jason Spence mixed monitors for the artists.

"The PSM 1000 continues to be my 'go-to' system for monitors," reports Spence. "I rely heavily on remote monitoring of the transmitters through Shure's Wireless Workbench software. I don't even want to think about using anything else."

Shure microphones were a constant sight throughout the show. For the opening performance of their new single, "Summer Fever," Shure endorsers Little Big Town used three Axient Digital systems, along with Kimberly's preferred UR2/Beta 87A handheld. Carrie Underwood, who extended her winning streak with a record 18th CMT trophy for Female Video of the Year, used a custom chrome UHF-R transmitter for her performance of "Cry Pretty."

UHF-R was also the choice for Duo Video of the Year winners Dan + Shay (SM58 mic capsules), Dierks Bentley (Beta 58), and Darius Rucker (SM58). Kelly Clarkson used a KSM9HS capsule for her stunning, gospel and soul-inflected version of "American Woman." Florida Georgia Line went for the unique, old school look of Shure Super 55 hardwired mics with custom black grille foam.

This year's show featured a couple of new twists, with outdoor performances by Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, and Sam Hunt. While Stapleton went with a hardwired mic, both Bryan and Hunt relied on Axient Digital wireless mics to ensure flawless audio in the crowded RF environment of Nashville's lower Broadway entertainment district. Inside the venue, there was a side stage dedicated to rising stars, including LANCO, Carly Pearce, and Russell Dickerson, all of whom used hardwired SM58 vocal mics to deliver song segments leading into commercial breaks.

Audio for the broadcast was problem-free, for the artists on stage as well as the audiences in the arena and at home. Sanford credits Shure for delivering the tools his team relies on to deliver flawless audio, whether that means wired or wireless.

"It's great to have the support of Shure, both in and out of Nashville," he says. "Their products and customer service are things we rely on to help us on shows of this magnitude. They never let us or their artists down."