Shure PSM 1000 Used Exclusively for the GRAMMY Awards, AgainFor the second consecutive year, all of the artists and bands who performed using in-ear monitors during the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards used the Shure PSM1000 personal monitor system, including Mumford & Sons, Rihanna, Maroon 5, Carrie Underwood, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, and Taylor Swift. "I love using Shure PSM 1000 on all my shows, especially high profile shows like the Grammys," said Michael Parker, one of the monitor engineers for the broadcast. "Excellent sound quality and solid RF are easily achieved when using the [PSM]1000s." Country-pop superstar Taylor Swift opened the show with her hit "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" using Shure Axient Wireless (AXT200/Beta58). "This was the first time Axient was used at the Grammys, and it sounded great," said Cory Lorentz, artist relations manager for Shure. "It's a tough environment for wireless inside the Staples Center and, honestly, anywhere in Los Angeles. I couldn't even get service on my cell phone. So, having a system like Axient with its frequency diversity is key." In addition to Shure Axient UHF-R wireless microphone systems, with a combination of SM58, Beta 58A, and KSM9 handheld transmitters, were chosen by a long list of artists for performances throughout the evening, including Dierks Bentley (UR2/Beta 58), Justin Timberlake (UR2/SM58), Jay-Z (UR2/SM58), Mavis Staples (UR2/SM58), Maroon 5 (UR2/SM58), Juanes (UR2/KSM9), and Frank Ocean (UR2/SM58). Shure endorsers Mumford & Sons were big winners, bringing home the highly-coveted Album of the Year Award for their album Babel. They played twice during the evening using wired Beta 58A microphones to perform "I Will Wait" and then going wireless (UR2/Beta 58) as they shared the stage for the Levon Helm Tribute. Fellow Shure endorsers The Black Keys swept the rock categories, receiving awards for Best Rock Song, Best Rock Album, and Best Rock Performance. "What a night for The Black Keys," said Lorentz. "Not only did they win three awards as a band, but then Dan Auerbach takes Producer of the Year for his work with Dr. John. It doesn't get much better than that. It was also nice to see Mumford & Sons get some Grammy love this year after being shut out last year. Congratulations to all of those guys." In addition to all of the wireless systems used throughout the evening, Shure endorsers The Black Keys took the stage with Dr. John using wired SM58 microphones. Other artists and bands opting for wired SM58s included Kelly Clarkson, The Lumineers, and Jack White. The Lumineers and White also used Shure KSM313 ribbon microphones on their guitar cabinets. "That performance by fun. was ridiculous...a real highlight for me," added Lorentz. "Some of the show's production team might have been a little nervous because of all the water, but I wasn't. We put all of our gear, including all of our wireless products through the ringer during quality testing. I knew the mics would hold up just fine." Dave Bellamy of Soundtronics, which coordinated RF for this year's broadcast, had this to say about the performance by fun., "I was never in the least a bit concerned about the mics failing because of the effects of the water." 
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