Mixer Captures Country Christmas

Salt Lake City, UT (January 7, 2026)—This season’s A Grand Ole Opry Christmas on the Hallmark Channel featured a massive roster of country legends, and production sound mixer Paul Hunt was there to capture them all.

Hunt’s journey into audio was an evolution from his original goal of acting. While working as a stand-in on the series Touched by an Angel in 1997, he befriended the audio crew, which eventually put a boom pole in his hand, “I saw the progression of technology through the years,” Hunt recalls. “The mixers I worked with always used Lectrosonics; it was the staple with professionals. Lectrosonics is what I first learned on and so naturally, what I’ve always trusted.”

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Hunt’s current arsenal is centered on the DSR4 and DCR822 receivers, which are “indispensable for my cart and run-and-gun and bag setups,” Hunt says. He also utilizes IFBT4 frequency-agile compact IFB transmitters.

This most recent A Grand Ole Opry Christmas included Brad Paisley, Tigirlily Gold, Mickey Guyton, Megan Moroney, Riders in the Sky and Pam Tillis. A gear miscommunication meant Hunt had to rely entirely on his own kit rather than supplement it with in-house equipment for this elaborate production.

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“My Lectrosonics kit was versatile enough that I was able to use it for whatever was needed,” Hunt says. A highlight involved Brad Paisley, who requested to use his own capsule on Hunt’s DHu handheld. Hunt also used SMDWB transmitters in IFB mode to provide monitoring for the artists on stage.