Jesse Kennedy on production sound mixing challenges in the Phoenix Valley

In the field of location sound, production sound mixers often face technical challenges that require specific equipment solutions. When encountering the radio frequency environment of the Phoenix Valley, Jesse Kennedy of Kennedy Film Productions integrated the Lectrosonics DSR4 digital slot receiver into his workflow to manage the area's complex signal landscape.

Kennedy’s career in location sound began with his initial experience as a production assistant. During his first assignment, he was given a choice of how to contribute to the production. “I saw four people standing in line to hold the camera, but no one was waiting to help out with audio,” says Kennedy. “I wanted to do anything, not just stand around, and I found myself holding a boom as second audio. It turned out I had a knack for it, and I was on my way. Incidentally, that was my first exposure to Lectrosonics, and I’ve been using the brand ever since.”

This first assignment was the premiere episode of the TLC programme Sister Wives, where Kennedy observed that reality television production often involves unpredictable conditions. “After the episode aired, the Utah police opened an investigation into the family,” Kennedy shares. “The production looked like it would be a hit, but they had to get out of town to keep filming. I was chosen to be the audio guy who moved with them to Las Vegas. I was in deep right away, and we did 67 episodes together.”

Following his work in Las Vegas, Kennedy spent eight years in New York as a freelancer for various productions, including news, short stories, and daytime television, eventually joining the union for larger projects. After working in Dallas for eighteen months, he relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, where he faced a different set of RF challenges compared to his experience in Manhattan.

“I thought New York was bad, frequency-wise, but the RF landscape was varied enough that I could always find a few clean frequencies regardless of their gear block,” Kennedy recalls. “For whatever reason, the Phoenix Valley is like an RF nightmare, and my older block 21 transmitters were almost inert in many places."

The reliability Kennedy had previously relied on was challenged by the local environment. “My old Lectrosonics products were tough, heck, transmitters got dropped in toilets, and they still worked,” Kennedy laughs. “But if the signals couldn't reach the receiver, it was time for a change. That was my impetus to step up to digital transmitters.”

To address these issues, Kennedy consulted with the local sound mixer community to see how they managed the regional RF environment. “I started asking other local mixers to see how they dealt with the RF challenges here. It was reassuring to hear that many of them had gone to Lectrosonics digital solutions.”

The adoption of the Lectrosonics DSR4 digital slot receiver provided a solution to the spectrum interference. "Once I went to the DSR4, wireless spectrum interference wasn’t an issue anymore," shares Kennedy. “But the real revelation for me with the DSR4 was that it allowed me to maintain consistency with my older gear — it didn’t become obsolete. I can use a mixture of my new DBu and LT transmitters with my old plug-on transmitters, and in Hybrid compatibility mode, with a few button pushes, I can dial up anything I want, and there are no restrictions on frequency spacing. That's been amazing."

Kennedy now works on corporate assignments and commercials for brands such as Verizon and Archwell Health, as well as documentary features, including a recent project on Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. He continues to use Lectrosonics for his production requirements. “While I’ve tried other brands over the years, I’ve always returned to Lectrosonics because it’s just such a trusted name for me,” concludes Kennedy. “Lectrosonics products provide great reception, great quality, and are kind of indestructible.”