Veteran Audio Pro Kevin Sanford Counts on Sennheiser Wireless to Keep an Ensemble of Divas in Perfect Pitch

On Tuesday, April 13th, VH1 brought back the magic of the event that was one of the highest rated single broadcasts in the cable channel's history. The event was "Divas Live '99", and where Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, Shania Twain and Aretha Franklin left off in '98, Cher, Tina Turner Whitney Houston, Lee Ann Rimes, Brandy, Chaka Kahn, Faith Hill and Mary J. Blige plus special guest, Elton John, took over this year. From a technical standpoint, "Divas Live '99" marked the return of Kevin Sanford and his wireless microphone and wireless intercom rental company, Wireless First. Sanford was, once again, on hand as the wireless specialist to provide all wireless microphones for the show, as well as wireless intercoms throughout the majestic Beacon Theater in New York City.

No stranger to high profile events like 'Divas', Sanford spent much of his career with the huge television sound company Burns Audio in Los Angeles before moving to Boston and forming Wireless First two years ago. His resume includes an impressive roster of wireless applications including systems for the VH1 Fashion Awards, Politically Incorrect, MTV's Video Music Awards, MTV Spring Break, The Jerry Lewis Telethon and Kathie Lee Gifford's Christmas specials.

Sanford's audio background may be diverse, but his choice in wireless is always the same: Sennheiser. "As far as wireless mics go, I always use Sennheiser," he says. "When I started the company, I had an inkling what was coming down the road with DTV and crowded frequencies. Sennheiser offers me flexibility of easily moving frequencies in other channel sets if I run into problems. I am very anal about the sound quality of my mics and if I have to use another wireless mic, it's only because the artist or performer happens to be endorsed or specifically requested another model. The signal-to-noise ratio on most competitive mics can be a real problem."

At the Beacon Theater, Sanford used 18 Sennheiser systems, consisting of 12 SKM5000 handheld transmitters, 4 SKM3072 handheld transmitters and 4 SK1063 bodypacks with MKE2 and ME104 lavaliers. All systems are tied into 3 separate Selective Antennae Splitter 116 Antenna Distribution Amplifiers and high gain antennas for increased signal strength. As well as microphones Sanford will be setting up 6 separate wireless intercom systems, all with high gain antennas and 3 wireless IFB systems.

Everything Sanford brings is preprogrammed and racked to help speed up the install process. He uses an IFR Spectrum Analyzer to keep an eye on what's going on with frequencies and audio. The mics are split four ways for this show: to the monitors, to the house, to the music truck and to the production truck. Because he works extensively in New York City Sanford has a set of proven frequencies he normally uses and presets the systems prior to arriving at the venue. He then re-checks the frequencies with the spectrum analyzer throughout set up and rehearsal to ensure they're clear and there are no conflicting channels before show time.

"I'm lucky," Sanford says. "I've found a nice set of frequencies that work in New York, so I haven't had too many nightmare shows.

In addition to the Divas broadcast and other television-related projects, Sanford has used his Sennheiser wireless systems to handle Buena Vista Pictures' movie premieres, including the "Mulan" show at the Hollywood Bowl, "Hercules" in New York's Amsterdam Theater and "101 Dalmations" at Radio City Music Hall.

"Divas Live '99" raises funds for VH1 Save the Music, a pro-social initiative, that supports music education in public schools. The event is expected to raise more than $250,000.

Established in 1945 in Wedemark, Germany, Sennheiser is the acknowledged world leader in microphone technology, RF-wireless and infrared sound transmission, headphone transducer technology, and most recently in the development of active noise-cancellation.

The above image and article are from Sennheiser's web site