HARMAN Professional India Takes 2014’s An Ode to the Blues Festival To a Higher Level with Stunning Sound and Lighting

BANGALORE, India — The blues has growing appeal as evidenced by the popularity of India’s An Ode to the Blues festival, now in its fourth year. Held at Bangalore’s CounterCulture performance space/restaurant, the festival featured international and Indian blues artists including Guitar Shorty, Soulmate, Blackstratblues, Ministry of Blues and many others, who performed on two stages outfitted with a complete HARMAN Professional live sound system and Martin lighting.

“With every event we do, our primary focus is on the artist and we want to present the way they sound and the way they look at their absolute best,” said Guru Somayaji, Program Director and Festival Manager at CounterCulture. “This year we wanted to up the ante to bring in a setup that not only looked good but sounded top-notch.”

The Robert Johnson Stage and the Roots Blues Stage were equipped with a variety of JBL loudspeakers including four VRX 900 Series loudspeakers, two STX828 dual-18-inch subwoofers, two PRX615M powered loudspeakers and two STX815M loudspeakers. The loudspeakers were powered by Crown VRACK complete, self-contained amplifier systems, which include I-Tech HD Series power amps, analog and digital connections and a globally universal power distribution system, all housed in wheeled rack with a suspension system that enables VRACK to be flown if desired.

A Soundcraft Si Expression 1 digital console with a Si Compact 16 handled the live sound mix for the Robert Johnson Stage, with a Soundcraft Si Compact 16 deployed for the Roots Blues Stage. The consoles were equipped with a Soundcraft Si Multi Digital Card to record the shows to a computer in multitrack digital audio. A selection of AKG microphones rounded out the system (Indian blues-rock band Soulmate are AKG endorsers).

The Robert Johnson Stage and Roots Blues Stage were illuminated by a complete Martin lighting setup that included RUSH by Martin MH 3 Beam, MH 1 Profile and MH 2 Wash models, plus MAC 101 LED wash and PAR 1 LED can lights. Martin M1 and M2GO consoles operated the lights for each stage.

HARMAN Professional India and students at India’s Audio Academy assisted CounterCulture in producing An Ode to the Blues. “This year through our partnership with HARMAN Professional and Audio Academy, the team not only delivered a fantastic-sounding and looking setup, but the students at Audio Academy also learned the process of setting up the system and the stage and in fact helped us a great deal,” said Somayaji. The students will go on to mix the multitracks and produce a finished live recording of the event. “From a lighting perspective, the audiences enjoyed a real treat – the Martin illumination created atmospheric, exciting and even surreal lighting experiences that took this year’s performances to an entirely new level.”

"An event of this scale requires a first-class sound and lighting setup. With multiple bands and a quick turn around required between acts, an effective and reliable sound system is an engineer’s backbone for an event of such complexity. HARMAN brands, AKG, BSS Audio, dbx, JBL, Soundcraft and Martin lighting ensured that! As an FOH engineer, I could not have asked for better technology. This was one of the best music festivals I have had the pleasure of being associated with," added Nikhil Pai, Freelance Sound Engineer.

“Without HARMAN Professional India and especially application manager, Sunil Karanjikar, none of this would have been possible,” he noted. “Each and every artist complimented us on how exceptional the JBL loudspeakers and Crown amps sounded, the clarity of the Soundcraft consoles and the AKG mics and the striking lighting provided by Martin. The audio was truly stellar, with excellent balance, presence and clarity from every location around both stages.”

Somayaji concluded, “We look forward to further such associations for next year’s An Ode to the Blues festival and other events.”

HARMAN designs, manufactures and markets premier audio, visual, infotainment and integrated control solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets. With 15 leading brands, including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson ®, the Company is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a global workforce of 15,200 people and reported sales of $5.1 billion for the last 12 months ended March 31, 2014.

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HARMAN Professional India Launches Authorized HARMAN Service Centre in Bangalore

BANGALORE, India, 13th May, 2014 — HARMAN Professional India continues to expand its world-class service network with the opening today of an Authorized HARMAN Service Centre in Bangalore (AHSC). The new service centre was opened by Blake Augsburger, HARMAN Executive Vice President and President HARMAN Professional Division, who highlighted the new facility as evidence of HARMAN Professional’s strong commitment to service and support and its determination to ‘being closer to the customer’. Staffed by highly trained technical personnel, equipped with the most advanced diagnostic and repair tools and featuring a robust inventory of spare parts, this new service centre is immediately operational and will support customers of all HARMAN Professional brands including AKG, BSS Audio, Crown, dbx, JBL, Lexicon, Soundcraft and Martin Professional range of lighting & video equipment.

The current HARMAN owned Service Centre in Bangalore will henceforth perform the role of Center of Excellence (COE). The Centre will enhance our service delivery by providing technical service trainings for the on-ground team thereby helping them tackle issues such as critical trouble shooting of products, seamless spare part flow, monitoring performance level of the service network and ensuring higher level of customer satisfaction.

Sinon Services, recognized for its strong experience in servicing leading brands in consumer electronics and professional AV, has been appointed as operating partner for the new Bangalore Authorized HARMAN Service Centre. Located at Kammanahalli with easy accessibility to the Central Business District and in close proximity to key customers in the city, the 1400 sq ft service centre will provide after sales support to both, walk-in and on-site customers.

Since the opening of the first AHSC in Mumbai over a year ago, HARMAN Professional has rapidly expanded its service footprint across New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and now Bangalore. This network compliments the pan-India toll-free customer support helpline-(1800-208-8880) which reflects the company’s determination to set benchmark in the industry for service and support.

Commenting on the opening, Blake Augsburger noted, “Across the globe, HARMAN Professional’s mission is not simply to build the most useful, reliable and innovative AV systems but also to be an organization that is very easy to work with. The opening of this new authorized service centre in Bangalore is an extension of our global strategy, is an act of confidence in our systems and a show of commitment to our customers in this region.”

“Our primary aim is to provide easy access to our walk-in customers, where one can not only purchase spare parts and accessories for their range of HARMAN Professional products, but can now ‘pick up & drop off’ products while carrying out repair activities. We look forward to further expand our footprint in India through our expansive dealer and channel partner network that includes Sinon Service in Bangalore”, said Prashant Govindan, Director –India Operations, HARMAN Professional

To serve customers in their respective regions efficiently and effectively, HARMAN India plans to expand its reach with similar additional Service Centre’s and Repair Work Shops across India, starting with an all new Authorized HARMAN Repair Work Shop (AHRW) in Pune.

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Hundreds of Audio and Lighting Professionals Attend HARMAN TechXchange Roadshows Across Northern India

MUMBAI, India – Fuelled by the booming tourism, entertainment and hospitality industries in Northern India, cities such as Jodhpur, Lucknow, Dehradhun and Chandigarh have witnessed an unprecedented rise in cultural awareness, economic growth, and general prosperity. As demands for professional audio and lighting solutions have increased with this recent surge in Northern India’s economy, HARMAN India has an exclusive interactive roadshow, “HARMAN TechXchange”, to sound and lighting professionals throughout the region.

The event has proven to be an ideal platform for sound engineers, rental companies, DJ’s and other sound professionals to interact with live and portable PA sound technology and professional lighting technology through live demonstrations, and to obtain essential training on the HARMAN Professional product range.

With the participation of Hi-Tech Audio Systems, HARMAN’s Authorized Master Dealer for North India which has collaborated with other regional HARMAN partners, TechXchange has proven to be a major success. Leading pro audio and sound rental companies and HARMAN Professional dealers in North India such as Bhawani Audio and Rajan Amplifiers in Jodhpur, Harman Electronic Engineers in Lucknow, Audio Systems in Dehradhun and Pro Solutions in Chandigarh have helped to drive participation, identify key issues, provide local support and boost interaction within their respective cities.

Elaborating on the goals of the roadshow series, Ankush Agarwal, Director of Marketing & Business Development, HARMAN Professional India, stated, “HARMAN TechXchange is the perfect platform for building awareness about the latest developments in professional audio and lighting and we have seen tremendous success in the past while covering major cities – Mumbai, Kolkata and even Goa. Thus, launching the series in Northern India was extremely crucial for the sheer potential this region has to offer.”

The efforts of all the partners involved led to an impressive number of participants in each of the regions.

“As our initiative carries both direct and indirect benefits to the participants, it has developed rapidly into very engaging formats, and as a result, we have participants from far-reaching locations attending the programs, some of whom we haven’t known or met before. This enables us to move closer to the customer and build tremendous awareness and trust in the region – both for the product performance and service capabilities,” commented Amit Saxena, Regional Sales Manager – North, HARMAN Professional India.

The Who & What of HARMAN TechXchange:

TechXchange was led by HARMAN India staff — Sunil Karanjikar, Application Manager; Sudhagar Padmanabhan, Application Engineer; and Ashish Barje, Sales Manager – Recording & Broadcast — who provided an initial overview on HARMAN India before addressing a range of basic and advanced audio topics. Topics included microphone applications, PA rigging, line array design, troubleshooting, amplifier set-up, and standard formats. The event also featured basics of lighting design and the various applications/effects in lighting and video systems, followed by a seminar and demo of HARMAN’s Soundcraft Expression, Si Compact, and Vi Series consoles.

Being an avid live sound technology enthusiast and HARMAN user, Anil Panwar, Managing Director, Rajan Amplifier, Jodhpur, said, “HARMAN is often credited for creating benchmarks and innovation in the live sound space in India. Given that Jodhpur is a cultural hub and is increasingly becoming a sought-after destination for weddings, events etc. it is imperative that we receive such crucial trainings and we look forward to continual encouragement from HARMAN and Hi-Tech Audio Systems.”

The TechXchange sessions also included technical demos such as live rigging of HARMAN JBL’s VERTEC, VRX, STX, and PRX line of loudspeakers, wired and wireless microphone systems from AKG, and the Crown line of amplifiers. Local bands from each city aided the live demonstrations. Additionally, the Martin Professional lighting range was showcased at the events in Dehradhun and Chandigarh, conducted by Venkatesh Vishwanathan, Application Engineer, Lighting, HARMAN Professional India.

“We are delighted to be associated with HARMAN for an event of this nature and pleased with the good turnout. Also we commend the efforts of the trainers to connect with the participants, while keeping in mind the preferences for local language and making it simpler for some of the participants,” commented Prabjot Karla, Owner, Harman Electronics Engineers, Lucknow.

In addition to the interactive sessions with HARMAN India’s experts, the events have included a host of special promotional deals and offers for attendees. “We are very happy with the exceptional response and encouraging sales enquiries received at the HARMAN TechXchange event in Jodhpur, with participation from various other neighboring cities like Jaipur, Udaipur, which truly added to the success of this event,” stated, Lokpal Singh, Owner of Bhawani Audio.

Speaking on the success of TechXchange in this unique multi-city format, Nirdosh Aggarwal, Director, Hi-Tech Audio Systems, said, “This event was well received in all the cities and we are very pleased to collaborate with HARMAN on a platform that has become a benchmark for imparting and exchanging best practices, and providing updates on sound technology. The event provided the tools that will enable our partners in the Northern region to familiarize themselves with the HARMAN professional range and ensure that the users get the best out of the equipment they own”.

Additionally, the HARMAN TechXchange was successfully launched for the first time ever in Dehradhun in February 2014 with the help of local dealer, Audio Systems. While logistics and participation proved to be a challenge in the area’s hilly terrain and far-flung areas of operations, Audio Systems, led by Sameer Malhotra, provided valuable assistance in organizing as well as driving enthusiastic attendee participation in the area.

“Roadshows, trainings and workshops are the cornerstone of HARMAN’s strategy in India,” summarized Prashant Govindan, Director, India Operations, HARMAN Professional. “This year, our focus is to reach cities across the country, as they hold immense value and potential for us. Given the enthusiasm and demand for such programs, we are only encouraged to extend these crucial trainings required for our users, dealer network and channel partners.”

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of infotainment and audio solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson® and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of 15,200 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $5.1 billion for the last twelve months ended March 31, 2014.

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HARMAN Professional Audio System Rolls Out at bluO Bowling Center In Chandigarh, India

CHANDIGARH, India – PVR bluO Rhythm and Bowl, a new entertainment destination concept in India, bills itself as India’s largest bowling center, with locations throughout the country. Much more than just a place to knock down pins, bluO’s newest Chandigarh location boasts 25 lanes and offers music, world cuisine, two karaoke rooms and internationally renowned DJ’s. Its lounges are the scene of regular Bollywood celebrity sightings. bluO’s striking interior features a ceiling with “rippling wave” lighting and other ultramodern design touches – and a HARMAN Professional sound system to keep the good times rolling.

“As a destination, PVR bluO epitomizes a new bowling facility standard due to its capability to infuse energy and excitement through sound. When HARMAN was approached by the management of PVR, we knew our goal was to ensure the necessary blend of quality acoustics to match the aesthetics of the venue. Upon completion of the project, we had a great sport destination with a world-class sound system, delivering a great experience to visitors,” advised Karan Kathuria, National Sales Manager, Installed Sound, HARMAN India.

Resonance Audio, a New Delhi-based system integration firm, was responsible for the design, layout, installation and programming of the bluO system.  A JBL loudspeaker complement of four STX 815M two-way 15-inch loudspeakers, four STX 818S 18-inch subwoofers, two Control 28s loudspeakers, a SB210 dual-10-inch compact subwoofer, and six Control 29AV’s which feature a rotatable high-frequency horn, enabling either horizontal or vertical mounting for added installation flexibility, cover the venue.

Audio signal processing and distribution is handled by a BSS Audio BLU-100 signal processor with digital audio bus, BSS BLU-BOB break out box output expander and a Soundcraft EPM-6 mixing console. Crown amplifiers, including one XTi 4002, one XLS 2500 and three XTi 6002’s drive the loudspeakers. Resonance Audio also supplied four AKG HT-45 wireless microphones for paging and announcements, karaoke and visiting DJs and entertainers.

“Our primary needs for this installation were good speech intelligibility and very high SPL levels with uniform low-frequency distribution and exceptional audio reproduction throughout the facility,” said Raghu Srinivasan, Managing Director at Resonance Audio. “We had a lot of ground to cover – the bowling alley itself, the lounges, the bar and restaurant and other areas, and we selected the particular JBL loudspeaker models on an application-specific basis to best cover the areas in which they were installed, and because their form factors made it easy to place them where they would not intrude upon bluO’s decor.”

Overall, the system was designed to maintain a high signal-to-noise ratio and have enough headroom to prevent clipping. “As you can imagine a bowling alley is a high ambient noise level environment, and we knew the power capability of the Crown amps, combined with the wide coverage patterns and efficiency of the JBL loudspeakers would be more than up to the task.”

Srinivasan chose the BSS BLU-100 because its flexible programming options enabled him to configure the system for optimal performance. The BLU-100 and Soundcraft console enable the system to deliver different volume levels for different zones of the venue, without being complicated to use.

“This project needed a system that staff members can easily operate without having to rely on a dedicated audio person. For this reason and because it’s constantly in use delivering high SPL on a regular basis, the audio system has to be totally reliable and foolproof. We have relied on HARMAN Professional products in all of our large-scale installations for years, and our belief in their capabilities has only been strengthened with time,” stated Srinivasan. “We are proud to have been an integral part of such a prestigious project and are more than delighted to have executed it with such extraordinary results,” he concluded.

Commenting on the installation, Bhanu Yadav, Vice President, Operations for PVR bluO stated, “This project was a major success, and we now have an amazing audio experience with a system that is both clear and powerful.”

“Our work with Resonance Audio and this particular installation underscores HARMAN India’s commitment to serving a host of vertical market applications that are now demanding higher quality audio solutions in their venues,” stated Prashant Govindan, Director, India Operations HARMAN Professional. “At HARMAN we are uniquely positioned to meet this need with our dedicated systems approach providing these users with all the elements required for a first-class professional audio system.”

HARMAN designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of infotainment and audio solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson® and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of 14,800 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.7 billion for the last twelve months ended December 31, 2013.

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Pick Of The Hits - HARMAN India in Entertainment Technology Asia

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