Natalie Grant performs onstage during the 2016 Dove Awards (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Dove Awards)
The 47th annual Dove Awards in Lipscomb University's Allen Arena in Nashville honored the top musical artists across all genres of Christian music. The event was televised on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) on Sunday, October 16, with KING & COUNTRY and Tye Tribbett hosting. The host microphones chosen for the show were Shure Beta 87C. For live performances, the dozens of artists on the show relied on Shure wireless microphones and in-ear monitor systems supplied by CTS Audio.
The biggest winner of the night was Lauren Daigle, who took home three awards, including Artist of the Year. Contemporary artist Chris Tomlin, a Shure endorsing artist, won Song of the Year for “Good, Good Father.” Tomlin was also recognized by Soundexchange for achieving more than one billion online streams – a rare honor for a Christian artist. In addition, two new Shure endorsing artists took home their first Dove Awards. NF won the award for Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year, while Danny Gokey won for Christmas Album of the Year.
The night was marked by live performances, including Pop/contemporary Album of the Year winner TobyMac, who began with a solo performance, then thrilled the sold-out crowd with a surprise reunion of legendary rap-rock group DC Talk for their first performance together in 15 years. Other notable performances included Shure endorsing artist Natalie Grant and legendary Gospel artist Kirk Franklin.
Shure was the wireless system of choice on stage, with eight channels of UHF-R handhelds and 16 channels of ULX-D digital wireless handling all primary vocals along with four guitar systems. Ryan Stotts of CTS Audio served as RF coordinator for the event, handling 120 total channels between live performances, intercom/IFB, and attending press crews.
FOH engineer Jonathan Schwarz selected the Shure KSM9 as the default microphone capsule for all handheld wireless mics, saying the choice ensured smooth, consistent sound across all performances. “This show has a wide variety of artists, and there are a bunch of wedge on stage for certain acts,” notes Schwarz. “The KSM9 is very smooth, and I get plenty of gain. I've been a fan ever since it was introduced.”
All Shure wireless mics were networked together, along with 20 channels of PSM 1000 in-ear monitors through Shure's Wireless Workbench software. Ryan Stotts says this enabled him to assign and deploy frequencies quickly and easily, monitoring all systems from a single computer.
"I love the predictability of Shure wireless,” says Stotts. “It makes me very comfortable because I know the units so well. Earlier this summer, I used the ULX-D digital system for the first time and was up to speed in about two minutes. I also love the front-end filters on Shure wireless products."
CTS Audio provided significant portions of the audio team for the 2016 Dove Awards. Along with FOH engineer Jonathan Schwarz and RF coordinator Ryan Stotts, production mixer Paul Corley handled the broadcast mix for the event, while house production mics were handled by Brooks Abbott. Monitor engineers Mark Kimmel and Jeff Redwine delivered in-ear mixes to the artists on stage, and report flawless wireless throughout the evening.
"I always love working with the Dove Awards,” says Ryan Smith, the Shure Artist Relations Manager based in Nashville. “It is such a pleasure to work with the audio crew on this show, and to see so many Shure products well represented. The diversity of artists and the level of musicianship is just amazing.”
