Navigating Unseen Realms
Kevin Sanford and Wireless First

By Chris Kathman


Kevin Sanford getting ramped up to make the “divas” sound even better.

Like a lot of people out there who work for bands, my involvement with wireless technology usually runs to one or two RF microphones or wireless in-ear personal monitoring systems (IEM) with any given act.

If I can’t get a clear frequency when I fire them up, I scoot around nearby wavelengths for a few minutes, and that usually does the trick.

So it is with great respect that I go to meet someone like Kevin Sanford of Wireless First, babysitting 32 channels of wireless microphones behind the curtain at rehearsals for a “VH-1 Divas” shoot in a Las Vegas arena.

“It amazes me that people are still mystified by RF,” Kevin laughs. “What it comes down to is diligence. Nothing beats good old math. I’m a purist - I don’t trust anything I can’t see and analyze.”

WHO HAS WHAT

When he packs up to go to a gig, Kevin even brings his own cables rather than picking them up from a local provider. “I’m not going to rent, I want them to be mine and know they’re going to work.”

That’s part of the attitude that enables him to take on tasks like running 42 channels of RF for a “Survivor” finale, or 50 mics in the middle of Times Square (with countless competing transmitters and receivers in the immediate vicinity) for the event kicking off the 2000 NFL season. “It wasn’t the easiest,” Kevin dryly comments. “Ninety percent of my business is live television. You have to do your homework - you can’t just show up and expect it to work.”

I ask how, when going to a given city, he starts to figure out where he can look for clear frequencies. “My first thing is to call the venue and talk to the local head of sound,” he replies. “Or you can call the FCC coordinator. It’s a volunteer position that most major cities have, usually a ham radio nut, a frequency junkie. They are a great resource to find out who has what, locally.”


Kevin and a towering rack of intercom units backstage at the "Divas" show.

“Sennheiser puts out a great DTV chart,” he adds. “DTV has definitely wreaked havoc - in the next 10 years, it’s going to be the biggest problem for any wireless vendor. There’s going to be some serious challenges, looking at the spectrum and finding new bands. Digital wireless is going to be the next big thing ­ ‘Let’s stuff all of them into this little tiny space!’”

We’re already hearing military and aviation officials complain about seemingly innocuous civilian devices like WiFi ­ and even wireless baby monitors ­ messing with their bandwidths. Kevin also travels with databases that are constantly compiled and updated.

As well as working with RF mics and IEM, Wireless First supplies wired and wireless intercom packages, which can become really extensive at awards shows or at large-scale events like an NBA All-Star game. In addition to the brands that most of us are familiar with - Clear-Com and Telex - Kevin tells me about a German company called Reidel that sells wired intercoms that are software based and controlled by a laptop.

CLEAR CHANNELS

The day I meet up with him, he shows me a rack of “com” equipment as tall as he is. I note the quality of his cases, and he explains that he personally designs them to be manufactured by a company named TKA Cases of Ipswich, Massachusetts. “We’re a dealer for them, so I send them a .pdf file and say, ‘This is what I need.’”

For the “VH-1 Divas” rehearsal, Kevin is running 24 Sennheiser SKM 5000 N handheld transimitters outfitted with Neumann KK 105 S capsules. He also has some Audio Technica RF mics with the 4054 capsule and 5400 series transmitters. “The new systems allow you to hook up to 20 channels of receivers together, program one as the master and the rest as slaves. You can then hit a scan button and an internal program will find clear channels.” (He also makes a point to compliment Joel Singer - now at Effanel - and Gary Boss of A-T for their involvement in the development of that system.)


Dueling divas at this year’s show – Ashanti with Sennheiser transmitter, while Mary J. Blige is on an Audio Technica system.

Kevin explains his background and what led him to eventually conceptualize Wireless First, which has resulted in gigs like being wireless coordinator for Grammy Awards show broadcasts and dealing with mainstream organizations like the Boston Pops. “I cut my RF teeth at Burns Audio from 1987 to 1993,” he says. After a few years of freelance work, Wireless First came into being in 1997.

One of the more unusual gigs the company does is handling production duties for a touring Cuban salsa ensemble called “Havana Night,” produced by a German promoter. It’s a two and a half hour show that travels in two trucks and has a 60-member cast, with 22 costume changes.

Kevin’s involvement began when they were having sound problems, and he’s now gone to Cuba four times and hooked them up with Sennheiser IEM systems, as well as supplying intercoms and handheld mics.

HANDS-ON APPROACH

Working in conjunction with Elevation Video, Wireless First is also starting to get into rental and installs of plasma screens, LCD projectors, and video monitors. Sporting a very professional design, the company website (www.wirelessfirst.com) brings in a lot of business, but Kevin emphasizes the need for telephone follow-up with prospective clients.


One of the custom cases designed by Kevin.

“They’ll e-mail you to say ‘We’re having problems with feedback,’ or someone can’t walk somewhere. If they go into a music store, that’s just an employee looking to make a commission. You need to talk to someone to figure out exactly what they need,” he says.

There is a request page on the web site where users can describe their problem or what they are looking for in terms of a system. “Most of the time, I answer it personally,” he concludes “That way, I know they got what they needed. RF isn’t like going to buy a 27-inch TV!”

Kevin Sanford is a rare example of a technically gifted person who also understands how to set up and run a business. He has found a niche and mined it well. If Wireless First had stock for sale, I’d buy some!

 

Chris Kathman is a working mixer and regular contributor to Live Sound and ProSoundWeb.com. He is a widely published author of a variety of articles and can be reached at chris@prosoundweb.com chris@prosoundweb.com

January 2004 Live Sound International

Email this story to a friend.