Saturday night at NAMM 2020 saw pro audio giants Shure and Genelec scoop top honours at this year’s prestigious TEC Awards.
On an evening that also saw legendary artist Joni Mitchell honoured with the 2020 Les Paul Innovation Award, the pro audio industry’s finest turned out in force to celebrate some of the most exciting achievements in sound from the past 12 months.
For the first time, three companies won two awards each in the Outstanding Technical Achievement category. They were Genelec (for its Aural ID and S360 A SAM products), Universal Audio (for Apollo x16 and its Capital Chambers PlugIn), and API (2448 Console and the 550A 50th Anniversary Edition 3 band EQ product).
In Technical Achievement, winners picked up honors in Wireless Technology (Shure), Microphones-Recording (Townsend Labs), DJ Production (KORG), and several additional categories in Headphone/Earpiece Technology, Music Instrument Amplification & Effects, Production Essentials and more.
To close the evening, Herbie Hancock presented Mitchell with the Les Paul Innovation Award, commenting “it’s hard to imagine a world without this courageous woman’s brave songs and records”.
Mitchell remarked that she was “truly honored,” as several artists took the stage to perform some of the most iconic songs from her peerless catalogue. Performers included Suzanne Santo for ‘The River’; Kevin Ross for ‘A Case of You’; Weyes Blood for ‘Woodstock’; and Venice performing ‘Free Man In Paris’.
The Les Paul Innovation Award has been presented annually to distinguished individuals from the music industry, such as Jackson Browne, Joe Perry (Aerosmith), Paul McCartney, Neil Young, and 2019’s recipient, Peter Frampton.
Earlier in the evening, recording engineer Dave Pensado and industry veteran Herb Trawick, the creative duo behind the weekly web series Pensado’s Place, were named recipients of the 2020 TEC Hall of Fame award.
See below for the full list of winners.
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Amplification Hardware/Studio & Sound Reinforcement
Auratone – A2-30
Audio Apps & Hardware/Peripherals for Smartphones & Tablets
Genelec – Aural ID
Audio Education Technology
iZotope – Pro Audio Essentials
Computer Audio Hardware
Universal Audio – Apollo x16
DJ Production Technology (Hardware/Software)
KORG – minilogue xd
Headphone/Earpiece Technology
Neumann – NDH 20
Large Format Console Technology
API – 2448 Console
Microphone Preamplifiers
Rupert Neve Designs – 5211 Dual Mic Pre
Microphones – Recording
Townsend Labs – Sphere L22 v1.3
Microphones – Sound Reinforcement
Aston Microphones – Stealth
Musical Instrument Amplification & Effects
Line 6 – HX Stomp
Musical Instrument Hardware
Moog Music – Moog One
Musical Instrument Software
Spectrasonics – Omnisphere 2.5
Production Essentials
Cable Wrangler
Signal Processing Hardware
Solid State Logic – Fusion
Signal Processing Hardware (500 Series Modules)
API – 550A 50thAnniversary Edition
Signal Processing Software (Dynamics/EQ /Utilities)
FabFilter – Pro-Q 3
Signal Processing Software (Effects)
Universal Audio – Capitol Chambers
Small Format Console Technology
Allen & Heath – SQ Digital Mixer Series V1.3
Sound Reinforcement Loudspeakers
JBL Professional – VTX A8 Line Array
Studio Monitors
Genelec – S360A SAM
Wireless Technology
Shure – Axient Digital ADX Transmitter
Workstation Technology/Recording Devices
Avid – Pro Tools 2019
CREATIVE ACHIEVEMENT
Film Sound Production
Bohemian Rhapsody (20thCentury Fox, Regency Enterprises, GK Films)
Interactive Entertainment Sound Production
Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games | Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Record Production/Album
A Star is Born (Soundtrack), Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper (Interscope Records)
Record Production/Single or Track
“Bad Guy,” Billie Eilish (Darkroom / Interscope Records)
Remote Production/Recording or Broadcasting
61stAnnual Grammy Awards (CBS)
Studio Design Project
Old Mill Road Recording (Francis Manzella Design Ltd.)
Television Sound Production
Game of Thrones (HBO /Warner Bros. Television)
Tour Event Sound Production
Freshen Up, Paul McCartney
