Southfield Jazz Orchestra Upgrades to HARMAN’s Soundcraft Vi1 For Jazz Ensembles

SOUTHFIELD, Michigan – Having founded the sound reinforcement company EBR Providers LLC. in 2012 to support regional events in Michigan, Eric Rayford recently purchased a HARMAN’s Soundcraft Vi1 digital console for local acts such as the Southfield Jazz Orchestra, which began in 2010 in collaboration with the City of Southfield Parks and Recreation Department. The Vi1 will serve as a powerful upgrade that not only fits into the budget of the orchestra, but also the modest spaces of its venues.

The Southfield Jazz Orchestra performs mostly as a jazz ensemble playing tunes such as “In The Mood”, “Teach Me Tonight”, “Love For Sale”, and many more. Privileged to have saxophonist George Benson and vocalist Barbara Ware perform in the band as artists-in-residence, Rayford wanted to move into the digital age with the Vi1 console.

“Sixteen channels are sufficient for what we need and the Vi1’s size is ideal for the small venues that we play in,” said Rayford. “The ability to control some venues remotely on the iPad is great, because sometimes we don’t have enough room for a board near the stage. With the Soundcraft ViSi Remote App, I am able to keep the system in a protected area when performing in a bar, out of harm’s way from the audience.”

Moving away from the analog consoles he used previously, Rayford appreciates the familiar analog-like controls on the Vi1. Every knob and button correspond to only one function, eliminating the layering of controls. Although it is the smallest member of the Vi Series, the Vi1 console still packs the intuitive Soundcraft FaderGlow™ for color-coded illumination of the motorized faders, and the Vistonics™ touchscreen user interface for all other surface controls. The Southfield Jazz Orchestra also uses JBL Professional EON Series portable loudspeakers for many of its performances.

“This board is so well-designed and packed with so many functions, I won’t ever need a larger one for this act,” said Rayford. “The dedicated buttons for EQ’s and effects are very useful, and the layout is not cluttered at all. I can finally put EQ on an individual channel, which is great!”

Besides generating more success for the band with the brand new digital console, Rayford also assists with managing the sound at three different church sites under the Third New Hope Baptist Church, one of which is equipped with a 32-channel Soundcraft Vi1. He also would like to see the remaining two locations to be outfitted with Vi Series consoles as well.

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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Q-Sound Doubles Up on HARMAN Soundcraft Vi1 Following Success in Two Cultural Events

THESSALONIKI, Greece – Greek rental company Q-Sound was the force behind the success in two recent cultural events, employing HARMAN’s Soundcraft Vi1 audio consoles supplied by Bon Studio S.A. to ramp up the sound performance. The events included a festival organized by a well-known political party, plus a symphonic orchestra performance at Thessaloniki Concert Hall.

The symphony was a tribute dedicated to legendary Greek poet Kavafis, and all 64 input channels on the Soundcraft Vi1 were utilized during the show. Needless to say, both the audience and the supporting team from Q-Sound were impressed with the sound quality of the console, which has the smallest footprint in the Soundcraft Vi Series. In addition, the Vi1 has the largest touchscreen in its class and features FaderGlow™ color-coded illuminated faders.

“We could not have imagined better results from a Soundcraft console of this size. Our mission was to be able to support venues of this magnitude, while also creating the exact level of sound that the orchestra needs. We are glad to say the Vi1 helped us achieve this goal and exceeded our expectations,” according to Mr. George and Chris Paraskevopoulos, owners of Q-Sound.

“The recent shows were such a success that we decided to acquire a second Soundcraft Vi1! The portability, combined with the amazing yet easily controlled sound system, is a huge advantage for the variety of events that we manage. From political gatherings to cultural events, nothing seems to be a problem for the Vi1,” claimed George Paraskevopoulos.

In 2013, Bon Studio S.A. has already sold 28 Si Expression consoles, seven Si Performer consoles and nine Vi1 consoles in the Greek audio market.

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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HARMAN Soundcraft Vi1 Speeds Up Training Times for Royal Holloway University of London

EGHAM, United Kingdom – The Student Union at the Royal Holloway University of London host a variety of events at a multifunctional venue, which include live music, clubs, conferences, theaters, trade shows, etc. Its technical crew is responsible for approximately 10 different productions a week, and recently purchased a HARMAN Soundcraft Vi1 in order to train more students in front of house (FOH) audio mixing.

“I purchased a different brand of digital console 18 months ago for our FOH training. My staff here consists of students and it was taking them quite a while to learn on that console, so we started looking at the Soundcraft Vi Series for a replacement. After working with the Vi1 I knew instantly that the user interface was far more straightforward and more intuitive for the crew to learn,” said Karl Travers, Technical Manager of the Students Union, who purchased the console through UK-based Arc Sound.

The highly praised Vi1’s UI became popular due to its widescreen Vistonics™ interface, which retains the same ‘walk-up’ user-friendliness of the other Vi consoles. It displays all parameters for 16 channels side by side, on a single 22-inch Vistonics touchscreen. Also, the Vi1 includes built-in Lexicon effects as well as GEQ’s on all output busses, eliminating even more hassles such as additional sound equipment.

“I’ve found that the console UI is very user-friendly with a short learning curve, which has enabled me to get my staff trained in a short amount of time. This in turn leads to quick and confident operation during shows,” said Travers.

The Soundcraft Vi Series is the ultimate console for people who need a fast setup and an easy-to-use experience. It is the perfect solution for running shows with multiple acts or back-to-back events such as those that Travers is responsible for.

“In the last few weeks we’ve done about seven club nights, a few bands, live PA acts with MC’s and several conferences. So far, the Vi1 has performed extremely well, and the user-definable pages make setup for different shows very easy. On top of that, its gain structure is sweet and requires little work to achieve the desired results,” Travers added.

Soundcraft is distributed in the UK by Sound Technology Ltd.

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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Fitz and the Tantrums Monitor Engineer Finds HARMAN’s Soundcraft Vi1

POTTERS BAR, United Kingdom – This past summer, indie pop band Fitz and the Tantrums has enjoyed a successful string of live concerts throughout the United States, either headlining its own bills or opening for Bruno Mars for several dates. For every show, monitor engineer Aaron Glas has relied on HARMAN’s Soundcraft Vi1 as his monitor console.

Glas is no stranger to the Vi1 and the Soundcraft Vi family. “A few years ago, I was looking for a small-format digital console that could handle 24 outputs and there aren’t many,” he said. “The Vi1 looked perfect. I’ve toured with it for several years now and I’m thrilled to continue mixing on the Vi1 for Fitz and the Tantrums.”

Although Glas has a wealth of experience working with the Vi1 and other Soundcraft Vi Series consoles, his work with Fitz and the Tantrums marks the first instance in which he has used the cue/snapshot feature of the Vi1—something he has found to be a tremendous advantage.

“Using the snapshots with the Vi1 has been a great learning experience,” Glas noted. “We’ll always have the full band at sound check and it’s nice that I can recall what we’ve done the previous night and tweak the mixes based on the band’s requests. With the snapshot feature, I’m able to fine-tune the sound more specifically with each successive performance.”

In addition, the snapshot feature enables Glas to quickly and easily adjust to any changes Fitz and the Tantrums make from show to show. “My cues can change with the set list and all the levels can be recalled nightly so it makes for a pretty consistent performance each time,” he said. “The band has a great comfort level knowing they can achieve the same quality audio night in and night out.”

“The level of support from Soundcraft has also been exceptional,” Glas concluded. “Whether it’s Tom Der or Rick Morris, they’re always very helpful and very responsive.”

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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HARMAN’s Soundcraft® Vi1 Digital Console Can Mix Sound Anywhere In LA County’s New Grand Park Using Unique Fiber-Based A/V System

LOS ANGELES, California – Opened in 2012, Grand Park is a 12-acre oasis of lawns, courtyards, fountains and plazas located in the heart of Los Angeles County. The new park is host to music, performances and entertainment year-round, under the auspices of The Music Center, one of the world’s largest premier arts destinations. Performances can be held in a number of Grand Park’s multi-use stages, spaces and lawns, thanks to a unique system of “media hydrants” connected by fiber optic cable and a HARMAN Soundcraft Vi1 digital live sound console that can be quickly moved into place to any location where it’s needed.

Matt Saltzman, Grand Park’s event manager, noted that the entire park is wired with fiber optic cable, buried underground and running to media hydrants located throughout the park that are linked to the main control room. The media hydrants provide digital audio and video connections via a Riedel light pipe data network and are terminated with Cat 5e for audio, video and control. The media hydrants are embedded in concrete and the connectors face outward horizontally for durability and waterproofing. The units are locked with a steel gate when not in use.

“In planning the A/V system for Grand Park, the County wanted to ensure live music and entertainment would be accessible in the widest variety of areas throughout the park,” said Saltzman. “They devised the underground fiber optic system to enable us to do this, rather than have to restrict performances to the stage area. However, to make this idea work we needed to be able to move the mixing console to each area. The Soundcraft Vi1’s digital connectivity enables us to do that.”

With its compact footprint, the Vi1 is relatively easy to move from place to place—and it’s easy to connect the Vi1 to the audio system using a Soundcraft Compact Stagebox. The Vi1 connects to the Compact Stagebox using a single Cat 5e cable, and the output from the Stagebox is then plugged into a media hydrant via Cat 5e. Saltzman notes that this arrangement eliminates the need for anywhere from 15 to 30 XLR cables. In some instances, Saltzman doesn’t even have to move the board—he or one of his staff will use an iPad to control front of house mixing from a remote location.

The Vi1’s built-in processing, reverb, compression and comprehensive EQ and effects eliminate the need for outboard effects racks, further adding to the mobility of the setup. Saltzman notes that all the Vi1 draws very little power, as much as a laptop. “All we need at front of house is literally a single power strip,” he said.

Saltzman points out that the Soundcraft Vi1’s comprehensive control and configuration flexibility make it comfortable for both the in-house staff and visiting sound engineers to use. “It can be set up to ‘feel’ like a traditional analog console, or you can use its tremendous amount of processing and flexibility to take advantage of all of its digital features, like assigning input groups and saving cues on the console’s cue/snapshot system.”

In fact, Saltzman discovered an unforeseen advantage of the Vi1 minutes before one particular performance. “Ten minutes before show time I accidentally pulled the AC power to the console at the end of sound check—without bothering to save my settings. Luckily for me the Vi1 had backed everything up and recalled all my settings. The show went off without a hitch.”

Photo Credit: Javier Guillen

HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of audio, lighting and infotainment 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 14,300 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.4 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012.

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