NEW YORK, NEW YORK: Held at Radio City Music Hall on August 29th, the annual MTV Video Music Awards delivered three hours of seamless RF performance on stage, with the presenters, at the podium and outside the theater on Sixth Avenue. With security tight, the infrastructure behind this monumental event has grown in direct proportion to the media hype surrounding the pre-show, the outdoor and indoor shenanigans of the main event and the post show recap. MTV, again, hired industry leader Wireless First, under the direction of Kevin Sanford, to coordinate and set up all of the RF systems (microphones, in-ear systems and wireless intercom) for the highly watched event.

Eminem, winner of four Moonmen, brought his own Sennheiser silver-plated SKM 5000 series to the MTV VMAs Show

To pull off this task without a hitch, Sanford brought his usual arsenal of Sennheiser wireless systems along with over a dozen of the recently introduced Neumann KK 105-S capsule heads, based on the KMS 105 vocalist mic, with Sennheiser's SKM 5000 N transmitters. As usual, the VMAs showcased a diverse range of performing artists including Shakira, Justin Timberlake, Eminem, P. Diddy, the Hives, the Vines and Guns 'n Roses. The new Sennheiser/Neumann hybrid mics were used by several of the artists as well as all the hosts, presenters and for various production elements. Shakira, who initially used the Sennheiser/Neumann hybrid at Divas Las Vegas, has now adopted it full-time. Eminem, winner of four Moonmen, used his own Sennheiser silver coated SKM 5000 with ME 5005 capsule.

"I had just as many microphones, in-ears and intercoms outside as I had inside," revealed Sanford. The RF-heavy environment of a major metropolitan area such as New York City requires flexible, frequency-agile wireless solutions that can operate without interference, something that is especially critical in live broadcast situations. "Outside, it was all Sennheiser," he continued. To handle all the outdoor antics required another fifteen Sennheiser wireless mics plus a dozen Evolution 300 Series in-ears."

"The pre-show these days is almost bigger than the main show," he continues. "You've got people in the middle of the street, and there's always an open mic somewhere. This year it was Ludacris driving up Sixth on top of a tour bus. The objective was to have him heard at least a block away as he rolled up Sixth to rally the crowd. MTV always brings me a challenge in the opening numbers of these events."

"Performing on the marquis above the Radio City Music Hall entrance, Avril Lavigne, Moonman winner for the "Best New Artist" in a video brought her own microphone of choice, the Sennheiser Evolution Wireless 565, comprised of the e 865 super-cardioid pattern electret condenser mic head and SKM 500 handheld transmitter. Sanford provided additional Sennheiser wired Evolution Series microphones for her band as well as the Evolution in ear systems.

A show of the size and complexity of the VMAs requires a great deal of operational experience and technical expertise to ensure a trouble-free show. "It's all about coordination and doing your homework," noted Sanford, "This was critical in the outdoor portion. We had to do some heavy frequency checks in light of new CNN Studio now directly across the street from Radio City. What usually happens is that we work out final details on the spot. That's part of the reason why I like Sennheiser so much. Their equipment is agile and robust. Sennheiser's extra twenty to thirty milliwatts of transmitter power always turns the trick."

Sanford, whose Wireless First operation started six years ago, comments that he's quite comfortable doing shows inside Radio City. "My very first show was in Radio City, and I probably do five or six other shows there every year. The Local 1 sound departments at Radio City and in the Garden are the best in the city. There's a tremendous amount of microphone moves and coordination in the hall, but I always know that when I go to Radio City, Eddie Santini and Tom Aragone are going to take care of me. Getting that support makes my job easier."

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. Sennheiser Electronic Corporation is the U.S. wholly-owned subsidiary, with headquarters in Old Lyme, Connecticut.