Multi Image Group Upgrades to HARMAN’s JBL VTX Line Arrays and Crown I-Tech HD Amplifiers

Andy Kakas (left) and Edward Gonzalez (right).

BOCA RATON, Florida – Multi Image Group (MIG) is a full-service corporate communications company with resources to produce events worldwide. MIG supplies complete sound, lighting, video projection, digital signage, set design and technology for events ranging from 50-person sales meetings to 50,000-seat stadium concerts. The Boca Raton-based company employs 150 people and prides itself on providing its clients with nothing less than the very best—to that end, the company recently upgraded its audio system inventory with HARMAN JBL VTX Series line array loudspeakers and Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers.

Multi Image Group has been a HARMAN Professional dealer and user for nine years. “I’ve always been a fan of JBL and have used their loudspeakers since 1981,” said MIG Audio Department Manager Andy Kakas. “I’ve been blown away by their VERTEC® line arrays, especially the way they maintain a stable sonic image in a variety of situations. I really wanted to put the newer VTX line arrays through their paces because in my experience JBL loudspeaker systems just keep getting better.”

Kakas’ interest dovetailed with Multi Image Group’s need to acquire another loudspeaker system for arena events—in the last two years MIG had been doing more and more arena and stadium events along with ballroom and theater productions. Kakas had heard a VTX V25 line array system at an Orlando stadium concert and was impressed by the way it sounded, how easy it was to rig and the way the sonic image stayed intact even from 200 to 250 feet away. Soon after, JBL introduced the smaller V20 loudspeaker and Kakas knew it would be even more adaptable to the type of venues MIG services.

Knowing from his own experience the benefits of upgrading to the I-Tech HD amplifiers, Kakas believed the VTX rig would represent another major step forward. “We weren’t using Crown amplifiers when I joined the company. I didn’t agree with this because I had been using Crown since I started in the professional sound industry back in 1981 and they were always bulletproof.”

However, Kakas first had to convince MIG’s owner. Kakas pointed out that in eight years of owning VERTEC VT4888 line arrays they had almost no driver failures, and had recouped their investment on them in three years. An audition of the V20 at the recent Winter NAMM show sealed the deal: “We heard them and realized, that’s the way a PA should sound.”

Since taking delivery of the JBL VTX V20, MIG’s initial impressions have only been reinforced. “The size of the V20 is perfect for what we do, the loudspeakers sound exceptionally good and the V20 is loud for its size, so in situations where I’d normally have to bring a bigger box, I can stick with the V20,” said Edward Gonzalez, Audio Engineer and System Designer at Multi Image Group. “In a lot of the corporate events we do, I’m fighting height--I have to work around low ceilings in ballrooms, so the smaller size of the V20 is a major advantage.”

Gonzalez, Kakas and the rest of the MIG crew are impressed with every aspect of the V20’s sound, yet single out the newly refined Radiation Boundary Integrator™ (RBI) waveguide, which provides broader, more stable horizontal coverage and a more seamless transition between the high-frequency and midrange drivers. “The new HF driver throws really far and sounds incredibly clean and smooth,” Gonzalez noted. Using the V20 with the Crown I-Tech HD Series amplifiers provides another advantage—the amps’ internal processing is designed to optimize the performance of the V20 (and other JBL models) and enables the crew to carry one less piece of external gear.

“With the I-Tech HDs there is a lot of sonic detail. It has a transparent top end, which has an open and natural sound. It maintains the Crown dampening that gives you that punch in your chest. Also, the Cobranet™ integration is quite useful since we have had a need for multiple channels of AES from front of house to the stage and the amp racks,” added Kakas.

MIG controls its systems with JBL HiQnet Performance Manager™, which Gonzalez helped beta test and finds a major step forward from the previous System Architect. Performance Manager now provides pre-configured control panels instead of having to build them from scratch – a significant time saver. The built-in JBL Line Array Calculator II loudspeaker setup and calibration software is improved to the point where Gonzalez can predict the locations of where the loudspeakers should be set up and get them almost dead-on to their final placements. He also likes Performance Manager’s ability to automatically reconfigure itself. “If the number of amplifiers in the system is changed, I don’t have to manually re-address the locations of the amplifiers on the network,” Gonzalez noted. “I’m excited to mix on something that sounds so good. It’s a very high-fidelity system. It doesn’t sound like a PA—it sounds like a high-end audio system you’d have at home.”

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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From Outdated to Outstanding: Clair Brothers Updates Audio System at NYCB Theatre At Westbury with HARMAN’s JBL Professional Loudspeakers and Crown Amplifiers

WESTBURY, New York – The NYCB Theatre at Westbury is one of Long Island’s best-known music venues, growing from its less-than-glamorous origins in 1956 as an unheated outdoor tent to the premier Live Nation-owned concert hall it is today. Formerly the Westbury Music Fair, the current 3,000-seat venue was built in 1966 and has since undergone multiple renovations—the most recent being an upgrade to its audio system with HARMAN’s JBL Professional VERTEC® line arrays powered by Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers.

“The former audio system was 30 years old, was underpowered and had significant issues in many areas,” noted Dustin Goen, system designer and project manager for systems integrator Clair Brothers. The venue is a theater in the round with 360-degree seating surrounding a circular stage that rotated during most performances. The main loudspeakers, lighting and video screens were mounted on a truss ring hanging above the stage, with fill loudspeakers placed around the front of the stage and at other locations in the hall. The main loudspeakers were pointed downward but because of the design of the truss ring, they could not deliver adequate coverage to all the seats.

“To supplement the main loudspeakers, a kind of patchwork arrangement of fill loudspeakers was installed throughout the venue in an attempt to get adequate coverage,” Goen noted. “As a result, no matter where someone sat they heard a mixture of up to four different loudspeakers, all with different timings and sonic characters.” Patrons in the first row might have scored the best seats to see the show but they heard the worst audio mix—almost no sound from the PA and too much from the stage monitors and amplifiers. The low-frequency reinforcement was inadequate—only four subwoofers mounted on the overhead truss. There were a number of nodes in the room where the bass was almost inaudible.”

“On top of all that,” Goen commented, “the old system didn’t actually cover the front of house mixing position. The engineer had to walk out of the sound booth and down the aisle to hear the mix! You basically had to use your imagination to figure out how things sounded.”

It was no stretch of the imagination for Live Nation’s Dan Schartoff to know something had to be done. As vice president of production for House of Blues/Clubs and Theatres, Schartoff spearheaded the audio system renovation effort and determined that not only would an all-new sound system have to be installed, the overhead cage of trusses would have to go. Goen and crew had to complete the job in two weeks start to finish, from tearing down and installing the new truss to mounting the loudspeakers, lighting and six 80-inch video monitors.

Goen worked with Schartoff and Chris Barbee of lighting contractor Bandit Lites to design and build a new truss ring over the stage with six hangs of six JBL VERTEC VT4887A compact line array loudspeakers, powered by Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD multichannel amplifiers.

Because the theater is in the round, Goen realized distributed cardioid clusters of subwoofers weren’t going to work. “You’d get a response plot that looked like a raspberry instead of an apple,” he said. In response, Clair Brothers opted for a central cluster of six JBL STX828S subwoofers in a triangular stack, driven by three Crown I-Tech 12000HD amps.

Clair Brothers was able to use the existing front and stage fill loudspeakers, which are linked to the main system via a BSS Audio BLU-160 signal processor with digital audio bus. The VT4887A clusters can be used either as three alternating stereo pairs or in mono depending on the preferences of the FOH mixer and artist. An added benefit is that the new truss ring is smaller and doesn’t block the sightlines across the venue, making the hall seem bigger than it was before.

“We wanted every listener to hear one clear and coherent sound source no matter where they were sitting, and that’s what the VT4887A line arrays deliver,” Goen stated. “Thanks to their smooth, controlled dispersion pattern, the coverage is seamless from the first row to the back in 95 percent of the room.”

Goen considers VERTEC and Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers to be a perfect combination since the amps’ DSP incorporates VERTEC V5 preset tunings. “The V5 presets really bring the VERTECs to life and make them sound like a whole new loudspeaker.”

JBL HiQnet Performance Manager™ software is in place to calibrate and control the system. “Performance Manager helped us get everything up and running fast,” Goen said. “We had to be ready in time for a show by Lee Brice so there was no slack. We didn’t get a chance to test the wiring until two days before the show.” The system didn’t require a lot of tweaking—Goen noted that the VERTECs sounded great out of the box and that tuning was more a matter of gain shading than applying EQ. “We had two days to ring out the system, tune it and train the house engineers, and we did it.”

“Horizontal coverage is seamless all around the ring, the low end is solid and even around the room and yes, it sounds great at front of house,” Goen concluded. “In fact, front of house engineer Charlie Trantum has been working at Westbury for more than 20 years and he was very impressed when he first heard the new 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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Miller Pro Audio, HARMAN’s JBL VTX Line Arrays and Crown I-Tech HD Amplifiers Add Pop to Fun Fun Fun Fest

NORTHRIDGE, California – For the eighth straight year, Miller Pro Audio supplied a HARMAN’s JBL line array system, powered by Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers, at the Fun Fun Fun Fest in downtown Austin, Texas. The system was deployed for the festival’s main (Orange) stage, which hosted performances by Snoop Dogg, MIA, MGMT, Slayer, Television and more.

The main PA system featured a left-right configuration of 10 VTX V25 fullsize line array elements per side, with an additional six V25 elements for front fill. The system also included nine ground-stacked G28 subwoofers, with 12 S28 subwoofers hung as a center cluster. Crown I-Tech 4x3500 HD amplifiers powered the V25 loudspeakers and S28 subs, while I-Tech 12000 HD amplifiers powered the G28 subs. The system was controlled via JBL HiQnet Performance Manager™ software.

According to Oliver, the challenges of the event ranged from the large number of acts to staying within strict noise limits from the city. “We try very hard to find a happy medium that keeps everyone as happy as possible,” he said.

With offices in Austin, Dallas, Lubbock and Oklahoma City, Miller Pro Audio was founded more than 20 years ago by Danny and Leslie Miller, growing from one truck and a small shop on a dirt road to averaging well over 1,000 shows per year spanning from clubs to top 10 shed tours. “We are a turnkey company, meaning we stock a full inventory of audio, backline, lights, video, staging, truss-built roof systems and stage lines,” said Aaron Oliver, Corporate Comptroller/Corporate Trainer for Miller Pro Audio. “We also provide production management, stage management, event planning and have a thriving install department.”

This year’s Fun Fun Fun Fest marked Miller Pro Audio’s first use of the JBL VTX line array system. “We found the VTX to have great, smooth response while remaining very musical,” Oliver noted. “The output power of the V25 was killer and the subs were powerful yet smooth and punchy. We really liked the VTX system and would love to experience what it has to offer again.”

Miller Pro Audio also owns Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers and have been pleased with the products’ performance. “We utilize the I-Tech amps to power many other products we supply and all in all, we love what the I-Tech’s allow us to achieve,” Oliver said.

In addition, Performance Manager has proven beneficial to Miller Pro Audio’s business. “We used Performance Manager for the Fun Fun Fun Fest and we use it on many other shows as well,” Oliver added. “The control it provides really helps us cut back on the need for additional hardware, which means less cases, less labor and lighter trucks—all of which translate to savings in budget.”

For more information on Miller Pro Audio, please visit www.millerproaudio.com

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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CTS Audio Shows Faith in HARMAN’s JBL Professional VTX Line Arrays at National Catholic Youth Conference

NORTHRIDGE, California – Continuing a series of high-profile events using HARMAN’s JBL VTX line arrays and Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers, CTS Audio provided a HARMAN Professional audio system for the National Catholic Youth Conference at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Sponsored by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, the National Catholic Youth Conference featured a variety of spoken-word, live music and dramatic performances. Given the event’s diverse programming, CTS Audio—which has supplied the sound reinforcement for the bi-annual National Catholic Youth Conference for more than 15 years—needed an audio system that would accommodate this variety in a large stadium environment. Working with production company Declan Weir Productions, CTS Audio designed and deployed a HARMAN audio system featuring JBL Professional VTX line arrays powered by Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers.

The production was configured in the round, with the main PA system including a total of 90 JBL VTX V25 fullsize line array elements (in six columns of 15 each), with 24 S28 subwoofers flown in the center of the main PA loudspeakers in a cardioid setup. Eight VRX932 Constant Curvature loudspeakers provided additional fill. At each end of the stadium, 24 JBL VERTEC® VT4888 midsize line array elements served as delay loudspeakers. Crown I-Tech HD 12000 amplifiers powered the system.

According to Mike Taylor, Vice President of CTS Audio, the main challenges of the event included proper time-alignment of the loudspeakers. “We were faced with a complex task of achieving direct sound rather than reflections in such a large stadium,” said Mike Taylor, Vice President of CTS Audio. “And with the design, coming up with a subwoofer arrangement that was even across the room was also a challenge.”

In addition, CTS Audio configured and monitored the audio system with JBL HiQnet Performance Manager™.

“[JBL’s Associate Director, Tour Sound] Paul Bauman and [HARMAN Professional’s Application Engineer, Live Sound and Rental for North America] Raul Gonzalez helped us develop a solution utilizing Performance Manager,” Taylor noted. “This enabled us to model and program every loudspeaker in the system before even hanging a single box.”

Although CTS Audio has used VTX frequently since adding the loudspeakers to its inventory, this was the first time CTS supplied VTX for the National Catholic Youth Conference. “The event was a huge success,” Taylor said. “Two years ago we used VERTEC and this was an improvement on an already good-sounding system. VTX is a whole different animal—the enclosures and the high-frequency range are amazing.”

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets – supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson®. 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 14,600 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.5 billion for the last twelve months ended September 30, 2013.

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CTS Audio Continues Tradition of Success With HARMAN’s JBL Professional VTX Line Arrays and Crown I-Tech HD Amplifiers

NORTHRIDGE, California – Longtime HARMAN Professional customer and prominent live sound company CTS Audio of Brentwood, Tennessee recently added JBL VTX line arrays and Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers to its inventory to accommodate the needs of recent large-scale events. CTS Audio recently put its new VTX/I-Tech HD system to the test at the Delta Country Jam in Tunica, Mississippi and the Dove Awards in Nashville, Tennessee.

CTS Audio has seen its business grow in recent years, both in the frequency of projects as well as size. Eventually, the scale of the projects necessitated an addition to CTS’ inventory of audio equipment. “We started working enough large-scale events where it made sense to buy a large system instead of continuing to rent them,” said Mike Taylor, Vice President of CTS Audio.

So when the time came to add large-scale components, CTS Audio stuck with its winning formula. “We’re very committed to HARMAN,” Taylor said. “We’re deep into their line of products and are very happy with every HARMAN product we own, plus their customer service is second to none.”

CTS Audio first put its new products to the test at the 2-day Delta Country Jam, which took place outside the Hollywood Casino in Tunica and drew 15-20,000 fans each day. Performers included Billy Currington, Thompson Square, Randy Houser, Tim McGraw, Brantley Gilbert and Kellie Pickler.

The system at the Delta Country Jam featured 24 JBL VTX V25 fullsize line array elements (12 per side), supplemented with 24 VTX S28 arrayable subwoofers with 12 VERTEC® VT4886 subcompact line array elements for front fills and 12 VT4888 midsize line array elements for out fills (six per side). Crown I-Tech HD 12000 amplifiers powered the system, which was managed with JBL HiQnet Performance Manager™ software.

“The HARMAN system performed extremely well at the Delta Country Jam,” Taylor noted. “We worked with Drew Dedo of Harbor Entertainment, who produced the Delta Country Jam, and the collaboration with Drew, plus the addition of the new HARMAN gear, made the event a tremendous success.”

A couple weeks later, CTS serviced the Dove Awards, which took place at Lipscomb University's Allen Arena in Nashville with hosts Amy Grant (who also performed) and Kirk Franklin, with performances by Bart Millard, Andy Mineo, For King and Country, Newsboys, Toby Mac, Michael W. Smith and more.

The system at the Dove Awards featured 18 V25 fullsize line array elements (nine per side) with 16 S28 subwoofers (eight per side), along with 20 VT4888 line array elements for side fill and six VT4886 line array elements as a flown center cluster for front fill. Crown I-Tech HD 12000 amplifiers powered the system, which was managed with JBL HiQnet Performance Manager™ software.

“The VTX system has been very well received,” Taylor said. “It’s the first time we’ve owned a loudspeaker of the V25’s size and although we were initially concerned with running out of headroom, that has not been a problem at all. We’re finding a very present sound at the 300-foot range.”

For more information on CTS Audio, please visit www.ctsaudio.com

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 about 14,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.3 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013.

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Sound Image Tops Off Brad Paisley’s Tour With HARMAN’s JBL VTX Line Arrays and Crown I-Tech HD Amplifiers

NORTHRIDGE, California – Country music star Brad Paisley is currently in the final leg of his 2013 “Beat This Summer Tour” throughout the United States and Canada. To support Paisley’s exceptional voice and talents, Sound Image of Escondido, California, is providing HARMAN’s JBL VTX line arrays and Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers.

A total of 44 VTX V25 fullsize line array elements comprise the system on Paisley’s tour, along with 16 VTX S28 subwoofers, all powered by 40 Crown I-Tech 12000 HD amplifiers. “When I first heard the VTX system, I was shockingly impressed. I was amazed by the sound quality when we first fired it up,” according to Greg Hancock, Audio Crew Chief for the tour.

“There were specific sounds that Brad was looking for because he plays in a distinctive style. We were able to accommodate that, because with its high-frequency range, the VTX offers a lot more detail than our previous systems,” said Brendan Hines, FOH Systems Engineer.

Sound quality is not the only area where VTX exceeds expectations. It also enables extremely quick setup times, as VTX’s patented S.A.F.E. suspension system is streamlined for speed and efficiency with improved hardware for faster setup with fewer pinning operations and greater security.

“The flexibility and ease with which the VTX is set up benefits us in terms of completing the necessary system configurations to control feedback,” Hines added. “Having that much control over the feedback of those PA’s makes it much easier for tuning.”

The state-of-the-art performance of the VTX PA’s is further enhanced by the Crown I- Tech HD amplifiers, the pinnacle of advanced professional touring amplifier technology.

“The Crown I-Tech HD’s are a huge improvement, their reliability is outstanding, the sound quality is phenomenal, and the flexibility it gives you as a systems engineer is awesome,” said Hines. “We’ve taken another step in the right direction,” said Kevin Freeman, Production Manager.

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets – supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson®. 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 14,600 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.5 billion for the last twelve months ended September 30, 2013.

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Gabisom Rocks Rio with HARMAN’s JBL VTX Line Arrays and Crown I-Tech HD Amplifiers

NORTHRIDGE, California – Drawing approximately 600,000 fans over seven days, Rock in Rio was once again a rousing success, taking place at the City of Rock, a specially built venue on the site where the Olympic Village will be located for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Gabisom Audio Equipment, a longtime HARMAN JBL customer, deployed JBL VTX line arrays powered by Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers for this year’s festival, marking the first time it has used VTX and I-Tech HD at the Rock in Rio festival.

As it has in years past, Rock in Rio once again featured performances by some of the biggest names in music, including Beyoncé, David Guetta, Muse, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, John Mayer, Bon Jovi and more.

Gabisom deployed a massive live PA system, featuring a total of 152 JBL VTX V25 fullsize line array elements, 46 VTX S28 arrayable subwoofers and 24 G28 ground-stacked subwoofers. Powering the system were 122 Crown I-Tech 12000 HD amplifiers. The system was managed with JBL HiQnet Performance Manager™ software.

“We have enjoyed tremendous success with JBL VERTEC® line arrays at previous Rock in Rio festivals and we saw this year’s festival as an opportunity to capitalize on the increased power and controllability of the VTX line arrays with Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers,” said Peter Racy, Chief Engineer of Brazil-based Gabisom Audio Equipment. “The system performed exceptionally and we are confident that our HARMAN products will continue to accommodate the needs of the audience and performers as Rock in Rio continues to grow each year.”

“Gabisom has been an important HARMAN partner for many years and has trusted our tour sound products as the premiere PA system solution for the main stage [Palco Mundo] at Rock in Rio,” said Jaime Albors, Senior Director, Global Sales Operations, HARMAN Professional. “There are many options out there and having them constantly select our products is a clear sign that JBL and Crown meet and exceed the expectations of Gabisom as well as the event producers and engineers using the system. I have been at the festival many times and it is impressive to see how this PA can overcome more than 100,000 roaring fans!”

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 about 14,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.3 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013.

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Rock for Oklahoma Benefits from HARMAN’s JBL and Crown Concert Audio System

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma — Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena recently hosted Rock for Oklahoma, a benefit concert for Oklahoma tornado victims that featured Kings of Leon, The Flaming Lips, Jackson Browne and Built to Spill. Concert audio was provided by Oklahoma City live sound rental contractor Miller Pro Audio (www.millerproaudio.com). Owner Danny Miller and his crew, FOH Engineer Nick Walsh, Systems Engineer Aaron Oliver, and Systems Tech Kip Montgomery provided the PA with a system comprised of HARMAN’s JBL loudspeakers and Crown amplifiers. Proceeds from the event benefitted the United Way of Central Oklahoma May Tornadoes Relief Fund.

The system utilized for the concert included 18 JBL VERTEC® VT4889 fullsize line array elements per side for the mains, plus 12 VERTEC VT4888 midsize line array elements per side used for out fill. Side fill was provided by three VT4888 elements and four VERTEC VT4880 fullsize arrayable subwoofers per side. In addition, 36 JBL SRX728 2x18” subwoofers supplemented the system’s low end. All loudspeakers were driven by Crown I-Tech 9000 HD and I-Tech 12000 HD amplifiers.

Although the Chesapeake Energy Arena has an installed house PA system, the Miller Pro Audio team decided not to tie into it for the event, which drew more than 15,000 people. “The VERTEC arrays were more than capable of covering the venue adequately,” explained Oliver.

In deploying the VERTEC system, the crew had to deal with a number of large, hard surfaces such as signage that was located throughout the arena. In addition, because of its physical location it proved impossible to hang any speakers from a large video screen.

Oliver was able to avoid any unwanted echoes from the large, reflective surfaces and work around the video screen by using the JBL Line Array Calculator II V1.2 system setup software to determine the physical placement of the line arrays to achieve optimum coverage. He noted that the VT4889 and VT4888 are extremely versatile in their ability to achieve the best-possible coverage angles, even in difficult architectural situations like the Chesapeake Energy Arena where the arrays could not be hung in all of Miller’s preferred locations.

Miller Pro Audio chose the Crown-powered JBL VERTEC system for its ease of use, high efficiency and great sound. “The ability of the VERTEC line arrays and Crown amps to work together and take advantage of the latest V5 DSP presets enables us to deliver a level of sound quality that’s just stunning – big and powerful yet smooth and even with exceptional clarity.”

“All the performers were really happy with the performance of the PA,” Oliver concluded. “Lots of ‘thank you’s’ all around. All in all, a great day.”

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 about 14,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.3 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013.

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VER Tour Sound Perfectly Captures the Essence Music Festival with HARMAN’s JBL VTX Line Arrays and Crown I-Tech HD Amplifiers

NORTHRIDGE, California – For the 19th year, the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans hosted some of the biggest names in pop, R&B and hip-hop music, including Beyoncé, Maxwell, New Edition, Keyshia Cole, LL Cool J and Jill Scott. For the main stage in the Superdome, VER Tour Sound (VER) provided a massive HARMAN JBL VTX line array system powered by Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers.

With a ceiling height of more than 250 feet above the front-of-house position and a total volume of 125 million cubic feet, the main space in the Superdome posed some formidable acoustic challenges. “The Superdome is such a reverberant space that we had to not only ensure that we were able to cover such a large area, but that we were able to do so while tightly controlling the dispersion to ensure even coverage throughout the space,” said Jason Vrobel, System Engineer for VER Tour Sound.

The PA system on the main stage featured 18 JBL VTX V25 fullsize line array elements per side for the main arrays, with an additional 18 V25 elements on each side for side fill (hung at 45-degree angles relative to the main arrays), rounded out by another 12 V25 elements per side for rear fill (hung at 90-degree angles). For the low end, VER hung 16 VTX S28 subwoofers per side in a cardioid configuration behind the 45-degree angled arrays, along with 12 ground-stacked VTX G28 subwoofers per side. For center fill, VER hung left-right arrays of five VERTEC® VT4889 fullsize line array elements each, with six VT4887A compact line array elements on each side for front fill. The delay system featured a total of 24 VT4889 loudspeakers in four columns of six each.

No less than 154 Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers powered the system, with I-Tech 4x3500HD amplifiers assigned to the high and mid frequencies and I-Tech 12000HD amplifiers powering the lows and subwoofers. The system was controlled via JBL HiQnet Performance Manager™ software.

“We had a lot better of an outcome than I anticipated considering how reverberant the Superdome is,” Vrobel noted. “I attribute that to the VTX system and the support we received from HARMAN to help us properly configure the system and achieve uniform sound throughout the entire dome.”

“The VTX system and the Crown amplifiers performed incredibly well—the producers from the festival told me it was the best it had sounded in the festival’s 18-year history,” Vrobel said. “The support I received from [Senior Manager, Tour Sound, JBL] Paul Bauman, [Applications Engineer, JBL] Jay Fullmer and [Business Developer, Tour Sound, Crown] Eric Friedlander was fantastic and we’ll be working together a lot in the future.”

For more information on Video Equipment Rentals, please visit www.verrents.com

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 about 14,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.3 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013.

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Biggest Bar in Asia Suits Up with HARMAN Professional Audio System

HANGZHOU, China – The G+ Club, known as “the biggest bar in Asia” with an area of over 20,000 square feet, recently opened in Hangzhou, China. Even more impressive is the audio system: a full lineup of HARMAN’s JBL Marquis Dance Club Series loudspeakers, JBL Control CRV loudspeakers, JBL ASB subwoofers, Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers, AKG microphones, Soundcraft digital consoles, BSS Audio signal processing and Lexicon effects processing.

The G+ Club is decked out from top to bottom. The JBL Marquis Dance Club loudspeakers are stacked in tight spaces and also suspended from the ceiling for maximum coverage of multiple floors. The Marquis Dance Club Series is specifically designed for powerful, high-energy, high-performance entertainment venues such as nightclubs and bars.

To complement the 18 MD52 loudspeakers and the 48 MD55 loudspeakers, the club also features a total of 16 JBL ASB6125 subwoofers, six JBL ASB7118 subwoofers, 16 JBL ASB7128 subwoofers, 12 JBL Control CRV loudspeakers, 16 Crown I-Tech 4x3500 HD amplifiers and eight Crown I-Tech 12000 HD amplifiers.

HARMAN is not only renowned for its leading position in audio technology but also in systems integration solutions. The BSS BLU-800 signal processor, Lexicon MX400XL effects processor and the Soundcraft GB4 mixer are powerful additions able to support any major club environment. Two AKG DSR700 and four DHT700 wireless microphones round out the system.

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 about 14,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.3 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013.

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