Drummer Taku Hirano Relies On HARMAN’s AKG For European Percussion Clinics

VIENNA, Austria – Trained in multiple aspects of rhythm, ranging from classical, Afro-Cuban and Brazilian to West African, Middle Eastern, Japanese and Indian, percussionist Taku Hirano, while touring with the internationally acclaimed Cirque Du Soleil – Michael Jackson: THE IMMORTAL World Tour, is utilizing his down time to host drum clinics throughout Europe.  Traveling with a complete HARMAN AKG microphone set, Hirano relies on the functionality and clarity of AKG to provide first-class instruction and an unforgettable experience, while teaching the fundamentals of his art.

In addition to his current world touring schedule with the MJ Immortal tour, the award-winning Hirano has played with musical legends on tour and in the studio, including Fleetwood Mac, John Mayer, Lindsey Buckingham, Lionel Richie, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Usher, Jay-Z, LeAnn Rimes and Shakira, among multiple other world-renowned acts. 

During his clinics, Hirano’s percussion set is mic’d with two C214’s for overhead capture, a P2 for the Cajon, one P17 for the artist’s signature ‘Handbale” – the timbale played only by hand, one P3 on a stand for speaking during the clinics, a P4 for the Bongos, and C518M’s clipped on his congas. 

During live performances on tour and in the studio, Hirano also utilizes the classic C414 for overheads.

“I’ve been part of clinics in the past where a lot of time, the artist or performer is subject to use whatever equipment the backline companies provide,” said the percussionist.  “My AKG mics came straight out of the box and provide a pristine sound.  With AKG, my sound actually gets better as I’m able to hear every nuance I play.  The gear is working out great as I continue to delve further into playing for the students and prospective percussionists.” 

Hirano’s clinics will take place in every major European city the Immortal Tour lands, including London, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Hamburg, Berlin, Madrid, Moscow, Prague and Barcelona. 

For more information about AKG, please visit http://www.akg.com and http://www.youtube.com/AKGacoustics. For more information about Taku Hirano, please visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Taku-Hirano/137428229609597

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 about 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.3 billion for the twelve months ended March 31, 2012.

Queensland University Of Technology Relies on HARMAN's AKG DMS700 Digital Wireless Microphones

VIENNA, Austria – In need of a technology upgrade for its lecture halls, which host more than 50,000 students during the academic year, Australia’s Queensland University of Technology’s (QUT) Audiovisual Projects Department installed a campus-wide digital wireless solution to replace its existing analog system. Supported by Len Lotz and Shane Palmer of Videopro, the Queensland-based technology integrator, QUT now has more than 400 educational spaces across multiple buildings channelled with HARMAN’s AKG DMS700 digital wireless solution.

QUT’s wireless channels were already crowded, nearly reaching its capacity, which put constant stress on the channels and brought interference to lectures throughout campus. Recently, with a decision to advance campus technology and expand the CBD area, QUT would require additional channels of wireless, which would not be supported by their previous analog system. AKG’s DMS700 was selected, as it offered a tactical answer, addressing all of the issues related to overcrowded bandwidth and completely eliminating interference. DMS700’s ultra-wide tuning range also offered the greatest degree of flexibility to work around uncertain frequency allocations in the future, as the Australian government redistributes allocations of UHF spectrum.

AKG’s DMS700 is designed to deliver the highest quality and operability to users. DMS700 allowed QUT to provide a significantly larger number of channels, in addition to the clarity and reliability of the digital signal. Its quick and easy setup allows anyone within the university, from the technical team, to professors and students to easily turn on and distribute their audio throughout QUT.

“The lecture halls and teaching spaces have improved, in terms of the audio clarity and reliability, dramatically with the integration of AKG’s DMS700 wireless system,” stated John Vikstrom, QUT. “AKG and its Australian distributor, Audio Products Group, were instrumental in this installation, working tirelessly with Videopro and QUT’s AV team to design a complete system that would span the entire campus and offer user friendly ability for the professors in each room.”

With the project continuing into 2012, Videopro and Audio Products Group, have already deployed more than 300 channels for QUT.

“QUT is pleased with the AKG system, as the improvement is clearly heard when in a room that was previously plagued with interference,” said Lotz. “AKG’s work on producing a university-wide frequency allocation plan allows QUT to take a holistic approach to managing its entire fleet of wireless microphones.”

For more information about AKG, please visit http://www.akg.com and http://www.youtube.com/AKGacoustics.  For more information on Videopro, please visit http://www.videopro.com.au. For information about Audio Products Group, please visit http://www.audioproducts.com.au.

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 about 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.3 billion for the twelve months ended March 31, 2012.

V&P Sound Heats Up Lamb of God Concert In India With HARMAN’s JBL VERTEC® Line Arrays With V5 Presets

NORTHRIDGE, California – Rapidly gaining the reputation as the ‘Metal Capital of India,’ Bengaluru has hosted some of the world’s most popular bands, including Lamb of God’s second appearance in the country. A stunning sound and lighting system highlighted the performance, featuring HARMAN’s JBL VerTec® line arrays, loaded with V5 DSP presets.

The JBL VERTEC line arrays, deployed by V&P Sound of India, supported the massive sound output required for the concert. The use of V5 tunings during this concert is one of the largest in India since its introduction. The concert was held in the Clarks Exotica Resort, located in the outskirts of Bengaluru.

The Lamb of God concert was organized under the ‘Nokia Alive’ series, promoted by Overture India, a popular event management company. The 7,000-plus fans in attendance reinforced the true metal spirit of Bengaluru and the need for a powerful audio system.

The entire crowd was electrified during the hours of intense, high-performance sound, which featured an audio system of 20 JBL VT4889 fullsize line array elements and 16 VT4883 compact arrayable subwoofers for the center and mosh pit fills. Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers powered the system.

“We love the V5 presets and their performance—they offer a true sound with great magnitude,” stated Vishnu P., owner of V&P Sound. “The VT4889 has excellent long-throw capabilities and V5 offers significant improvements in horizontal coverage in the high-frequency and low-mid ranges. We also like the changes that have been made to the low frequencies with V5. Overall, we are very pleased with the performance of the system.”

Vishnu P. continued, “We are now using new V5 DSP presets and did not have to use much EQ on the system. V5 has undoubtedly given new life to our existing VerTec system. We would like to congratulate Paul Bauman and his team for this fantastic product.”

“With sophisticated 3-stage limiting, including long-term thermal protection allowing for higher peak and RMS thresholds, the power translated into increased SPL output and rock-solid limiting. This makes the V5 presets more impactful, adding pristine clarity to the sound output” added Mallesh T., mix engineer for V&P Sound.

To provide the best microphone solutions for the stage, AKG microphones were deployed, including the AKG Drum SET II and AKG Rhythm Pack, as well as D40’s for the two separate drum kits. A portion of the concert’s acts were mixed with the Soundcraft Vi6 console at FOH.

"As a rental sound partner who has always led the way in adapting the latest technologies introduced by HARMAN, V&P Sound has created yet another yardstick for live sound in India,” said David McKinney, Senior Director- India Operations, Harman Professional.

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 about 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.3 billion for the twelve months ended March 31, 2012.

HARMAN’s Soundcraft and SCV Audio to Host “Mixing with Professionals” Seminars at Festival d’Avignon

AVIGNON, France — At this year’s Festival d’Avignon in France, HARMAN’s Soundcraft and its French distributor SCV Audio will host “Mixing with Professionals” seminars from July 23-26. Sessions will be held each day from 10:00 AM-5:00 PM. Registration is free.

The “Mixing with Professionals” sessions will be held at the ISTS (Institut Supérieur des Techniques du Spectacle), a center for training in the techniques of performing arts. The sessions are open to professionals wanting to learn more about the Soundcraft Vi Series digital consoles, those making the transition from analog to digital consoles, new engineers and others.

Founded in 1947 by Jean Vilar, the Festival d’Avignon is today one of the most important contemporary performing arts events in the world. Every year in July, Avignon becomes a city-theater, transforming its architectural heritage into various performance venues, welcoming tens of thousands of theater-lovers (over 130,000 admissions) of all ages.

Registration is online at http://www.scv.fr/index.php?page=http://www.scv.fr/news/wordpress/?page_id=2780

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 about 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.3 billion for the twelve months ended March 31, 2012.

HARMAN’S JBL Professional VTX Line Arrays Grace the Stage at Hove Festival

Frontlite provided a JBL VTX line array system for
the Hove festival in Tromøya, Norway.

NORTHRIDGE, California – Oslo-based production company Frontlite recently supplied HARMAN’s JBL VTX line arrays for main stage coverage at one of Norway’s predominant annual summer music events, the Hove Festival. The event took place on the island of Tromøya, outside Arendal, and was promoted by Festival Republic.

Having been caught up in the buzz surrounding the launch of JBL’s new high-directivity line array, Frontlite’s Per Marius Larsen met product specialist Espen Andersen of JBL’s Norwegian distributor, LydRommet, at the 2011 PLASA Show in London. By the following spring he was back in contact, realizing this major event was coming up in June, and taking the decision to try out the PA. “Although we had not considered JBL previously, we know Espen and LydRommet well and have always had a great relationship. After speaking with our client we were happy to go forward with this.”

This enabled Frontlite to reinforce the sound for an all-star cast, including Snoop Dogg, Skrillex, Lostprophets, Lana Del Rey, Emeli Sandé and Ed Sheeran, with Espen Andersen acting as system tech for the duration of the 4-day event.

Site measurements were taken to assess coverage requirements, with the VTX system optimized using a combination of EASE predictions and JBL Line Array Calculator acoustic modeling. As a result, 12 elements a side of JBL VTX V25 line array loudspeakers were flown from each side of the stage with four VERTEC® VT4886 subcompact line array loudspeakers suspended below the hangs to provide down fill.

Two further clusters of four VT4886’s, operating as front fills, and eight of the new VTX S28 arrayble subwoofers were ground-stacked on each side of the stage.

The system was powered by 12 Crown VRacks (six a side), with I-Tech HD 12000 amps running the system in High Power Mode. Two tops and two subs were assigned to each rack and the four remaining channels in the spare racks drove the VT4886 speakers.

Although this was Frontlite’s first encounter with JBL, LydRommet has been supplying the company with Soundcraft digital consoles over the years. The Vi platform was in evidence here, both in the marquee and on the main stage, where a Vi2 acted as a matrix, enabling visiting production engineers to plug in their desks and have AES-EBU signal distribution from the matrix. Explained Espen Andersen, “Sound engineers could choose how they wanted to assign their mix via AES-EBU, running analog as backup in parallel.”

Frontlite project manager, Per Marius Larsen, remarked that the VTX had left him and visiting sound engineers with a very favorable impression. “From our point of view the result was excellent and we are proud to have supplied our client with this level of sound production,” he said. “Espen was a great asset all week and made sure that the PA sounded fantastic, so that we received nothing but praise from the visiting artists.”

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 about 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.3 billion for the twelve months ended March 31, 2012.

APM Music Installs HARMAN’s AKG CS5 Conferencing System In Kazakhstan’s Palace Of The Republic

VIENNA, Austria – Asian Pro Music (APM) has carried out a complete audio/visual upgrade of the Palace of the Republic in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city. With more than 16 years experience, APM is on the government tender list required under Kazakhstani law, and won a competitive bid for the contract “to completely equip The Palace with high-end AV technology, from A to Z,” according to the company’s sales coordinator, Kamila Seidemetova.

Built in 1970 — with a 3,000-seat flat auditorium situated under a tented roof, with no balcony tiers — the structure was recently completely renovated. At the same time its technical infrastructure has been boosted as part of a complete AV fit out by APM Music, which includes a high performance HARMAN AKG CS 5 Digital Conference System.

The Palace is mainly used as a large concert hall that can also be adapted to host various film festivals, awards, conventions and big annual meetings. It sets out to be one of the most technologically advanced concert halls in Central Asia, and when the Mayor of Almaty spoke through the CS5 during the City’s annual report presentation, the AKG conference system passed its evaluation test with flying colors.

By this time the system was already on APM Music’s specification list. The requirement was for synchronized translation for 3000 people spanning seven languages, with a conference system that would serve 20 people. In addition it needed to be sufficiently versatile for use during festivals, certain movie screenings and musicals.

As the official distributor of HARMAN Professional brands, APM had earmarked AKG as far back as February 2011. “There was never any doubt about using it for this particular project,” said Mr. Seidemetova. “Furthermore, our partner and friend Thomas Giczy of AKG recommended this particular system as being best fit for purpose — largely based on the quality of the audio.”

APM CEO, Maxim Vostrov endorsed this move. “We decided that AKG Acoustics would provide the best high-end conference and synchronized translation system. This was proved justified, as once the installation was complete, the high quality and simplicity of operation were immediately noted. Correct placement of the infrared emitters allowed us to obtain crystal clear sound on all eight channels of synchronized translation.”

The modular, expandable AKG CS 5 covers any application from a small discussion setup to large, complex conference systems, built around very few components, yet maintaining maximum flexibility and outstanding price/performance.  It guarantees optimum intelligibility as well as intuitive, fatigue-free use.

The mic stations, designed to be shared by two persons, will not only reduce costs significantly, but also occupy less space on conference tables.

The system in Almaty for 20 delegates combines the CS 5 BU base unit with CS 5 BOB breakout box, to provide an additional 16 analogue channel output, CS 5 VU voting units, CS 5 DU delegate units, CS 5 IU interpreter units, GN 30 CS and GN 50 CS (30cm and 50cm) goosenecks, plus various infrared transmitters/receivers and headphones.

The AKG specification was the highlight of a multiple HARMAN-brand installation, which included the integration of JBL cinema loudspeakers (including 4732 three-way screen array, 4642A subs and 8350 surrounds), Crown CTs 2000 amplification (with IQ3USP3CN PIP module), dbx and BSS processing and Soundcraft MH3 and Vi6 digital mixing consoles.

In addition to the design and provision of the AV systems, APM were also responsible for the stage mechanics, architectural acoustic optimization and large LED screens.

For more information about AKG, please visit http://www.akg.com and http://www.youtube.com/AKGacoustics. For more information about APM Music, please visit http://www.apm.kz/.

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 about 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.3 billion for the twelve months ended March 31, 2012.

House of Blues Enjoys Continued Success With HARMAN’S Soundcraft Vi Series Consoles In Top Venues

The Bangles perform at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California.

NORTHRIDGE, California — The House of Blues (HOB) has 13 venues throughout the United States and is dedicated to offering the best in music and entertainment. As part of this commitment, HOB has contracted Sound Image of Escondido to upgrade its front-of house mixing facilities with a combination of HARMAN’s Soundcraft Vi4 and Vi6 digital mixing consoles in its New Orleans and Anaheim locations, and a Vi1 console in use at the HOB Mandalay Bay venue in Las Vegas.

“Saying that the tour sound business is competitive is like saying that LeBron James is a good basketball player,” said Jason Schmidlapp of Sound Image. “Top-tier venues like the HOB know they have to keep up with the latest and greatest in sound reinforcement technology in order to stay current and desirable to artists and customers.”

The House of Blues has been standardizing its sound reinforcement systems in order to be more accommodating to artists and attract a higher level of performers, which explains the decision to install the world-class Soundcraft consoles. “The Soundcraft Vi6 is a tour-friendly console and an industry standard,” Schmidlapp noted. “There are times when acts will come through and I can see the look of relief on a visiting front-of-house engineer’s face when he or she sees that they’ll be mixing on a Vi6.”

“Engineers are familiar with Soundcraft consoles and like the fact that they can get consistently excellent sound from venue to venue and even use their same console configurations and settings,” Schmidlapp continued. “It saves time, makes life easier and reduces the stress of mixing a live show.”

Sound Image completed the most recent House of Blues upgrade at the Mandalay Bay hotel, which is also home to the world’s first installation of JBL’s new VTX line array loudspeakers. The installation coincides with a 2-year residency by Carlos Santana, who is performing his “Greatest Hits Live: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” show through 2014.

In addition, the Houston and Boston HOB locations each feature a Soundcraft Vi6 at the front-of-house and monitor positions.

“The more consistency we can get in the sound reinforcement systems in House of Blues and elsewhere, the better it is for everybody—the management, the staff, the performers and especially the customers. It just makes practical and economic sense.”

For more information on Sound Image, please visit www.sound-image.com

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 about 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.3 billion for the twelve months ended March 31, 2012.

HARMAN’s Soundcraft® Announces Vi Series Console Control on Soundcraft ViSi Remote iPad App in Addition to Si Compact Digital Consoles

HERTFORDSHIRE, United Kingdom - HARMAN's Soundcraft has updated the Soundcraft ViSi Remote iPad app to allow control of the Vi Series range of consoles in addition to the Si Compact range released last month. The new version of the app is available free of charge on the iTunes store. ViSi Remote enables a single iPad to control multiple consoles from the Soundcraft Vi Series or Si Compact range on a single wireless network.

Soundcraft ViSi Remote allows users to roam around a venue and not only adjust input channel levels and mutes, but also adjust aux send levels and matrix sends, and level and graphic EQ settings on bus outputs. The Soundcraft Vi Series consoles controllable by ViSi includes all variants of Vi1, Vi2, Vi4 and Vi6.

A single ViSi Remote app can now control a mixed network of consoles from the Vi and Si Compact series, a feature not found on many competitive systems. Anyone can download the free app and get familiar with its operation, even if they do not own one of the consoles.

The app uses HARMAN's HiQnet™ architecture to connect the network of consoles to a wireless router, which communicates with the iPad.

For even more flexibility, multiple iPads may be used on the same network, even on the same console, so that individual artists can control their own monitor sends, for example.

App Store, Apple, iPad and iTunes are trademarks of Apple, Inc., registered in the U.K. and other countries.

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 about 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.3 billion for the twelve months ended March 31, 2012.

HARMAN Professional and the Producers & Engineers Wing® Of The Recording Academy® Host First “From Mic to Mix” Event With Nathaniel Kunkel at Conway Recording Studios

(Left to right): Joseph Wagoner, AKG; Mike Clink, Producers &
Engineers Wing(r) of the Recording Academy(r); Maureen
Droney,Producers & Engineers Wing of The Recording Academy;
Nathaniel Kunkel, Studio Without Walls; Peter Chaikin, JBL
Professional; and Gregory Butler, Lexicon.

Photos Courtesy of The Recording Academy(r)/Wireimage.com (c)
2012
Photographed by: Rebecca Sapp

NORTHRIDGE, California - On June 27, HARMAN Professional and the Producers & Engineers Wing(r) of The Recording Academy(r) hosted their first-ever "From Mic to Mix" event at Los Angeles' Conway Recording Studios. Open to The Recording Academy members and industry professionals, "From Mic to Mix" featured a live acoustic recording session by the pop/soul group Elaine Faye & Company, engineered by 2-time GRAMMY(r) winner Nathaniel Kunkel, and showcased the latest recording products and technologies from AKG, JBL Professional and Lexicon.

Nathaniel Kunkel is the owner of Studio Without Walls, offering location and in-studio recording services to top music clients. He has earned GRAMMY Awards for his work with B.B. King and Robin Williams, received an Emmy(r) for "A&E In Concert: Sting: Sacred Love" and has recorded a "who's who" of top artists including Brian Wilson, Stevie Nicks, Ringo Starr, Zooey Deschanel, Cobra Starship, Lyle Lovett, Linda Ronstadt and many others.

The surround sound recording session took place in Conway's large Studio C using a variety of AKG microphones and headphones, including a C12VR, P820Tube, C414XLII, C214, C451 and a pair of C414XLS. The attendees were able to listen to Kunkel's mix with 24 AKG K271 and K240MKII headphones placed around the studio. In the control room, Kunkel monitored using a JBL LSR6328P system in a 5.1 surround sound configuration. Ambience and reverb were provided by a Lexicon PCM96 Surround system. In a separate control room, Lexicon demonstrated PCM96 and MX400 reverb processors as well as the I-O U42S USB audio interface. Nathaniel Kunkel gave attendees insight into his approach to micing, studio monitors and use of effect processing.

"The sounds came together in a very short amount of time," Kunkel said. "For several years, I have relied on JBL studio monitors for their accuracy. I never have to second-guess my mix. While the AKG C414 and C12VR have been go-to mics for me, I was pleased to try AKG's new Perception mics and headphones on this session. The Lexicon PCM96 Surround system was the only reverb I used and it added polish that put the mix over the top. The session went smoothly and I'm really pleased with the end result using the great HARMAN gear."

"The P&E Wing evening at Conway was a great opportunity for us to meet with the engineers and producers on the front line shaping today's recording landscape," said Peter Chaikin, Senior Marketing Manager, Recording & Broadcast, JBL Professional. "Elaine Faye's performance and Nathaniel's stunning sounds coming across on our speakers made P&E Wing members smile."

"We wanted to show attendees how well AKG microphones and headphones, JBL studio monitors and Lexicon reverb and effects processors perform in a real-world setting, and how they can help engineers make better recordings from the moment the sound hits the mic to when they're putting the finishing touches on the final mix," said Joe Wagoner, product marketing manager for wireless, tour and install, AKG.

"We had a great time hearing countless stories about all the hit records that have been made with Lexicon, JBL and AKG equipment while talking shop with so many talented and creative people. A legendary studio like Conway was the perfect place to hold 'From Mic to Mix' and we are incredibly appreciative of all those who joined us and made the evening such a success," said Gregory Butler, Segment Director, Lexicon.

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(r), Harman Kardon(r), Infinity(r), JBL(r), Lexicon(r) and Mark Levinson(r). 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 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.3 billion for the twelve months ended March 31, 2012.

HARMAN Adds Volume to the Voice of Rio +20

Photo Credit: Cyro Cormack Neto

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil  - Live sound provider Hoffmann deployed a HARMAN audio system to support the debates of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio +20, held in the city of Rio de Janeiro from June 13-22. Hoffmann was responsible for the deployment of the system, which included HARMAN's AKG microphones, JBL EON510 portable powered loudspeakers and a Soundcraft Vi1 console.

The biggest event ever held by the United Nations (UN), Rio +20 set the global sustainable development agenda for the decades to come. With an audience almost triple that of Rio 92, the conference attracted more than 45,400 accredited individuals, including members of delegations from various countries, representatives of non-governmental organizations and civil society, media professions and security contingent.

With 25 years of experience in the market, Hoffmann is a company dedicated to providing high-tech equipment to the events sector. Today, it is a world leader, especially in providing complete service to the audiovisual industry in Latin America with branches in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Salvador, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Brasilia and Buenos Aires.

For more information on Hoffmann, please visit: http://www.hoffmann.com/ingles/index.html

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(r), Harman Kardon(r), Infinity(r), JBL(r), Lexicon(r) and Mark Levinson(r). 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 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.3 billion for the twelve months ended March 31, 2012.

Story Sound Powers Emporium Music Festival with HARMAN's JBL VTX Line Arrays

Story Sound deployed its brand-new JBL VTX
line array system at the massive Emporium
festival in the Dutch city of Nijmegen.

NORTHRIDGE, California - Netherlands-based production company Story Sound BV recently deployed its new HARMAN's JBL VTX line array system at the Emporium dance festival in the Dutch city of Nijmegen. The Festival, which this year drew 30,000 people (and 120 DJ's), embraces every genre of dance music from trance/progressive to hardstyle.

For the festival, Story Sound deployed almost 350 JBL loudspeakers, including 138 of the new VTX V25 full-range enclosures, powered by 190 Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers. This was the eighth edition of the popular event, which is held annually on the recreational area 'De Berendonck' just outside Nijmegen-and Story Sound has been there since the beginning.

Headlining on the largest stage was Sander van Doorn with 12 V25 loudspeakers per side, and a further six per side providing outfield coverage. The main stage also had two delay points, each containing six more VTX arrays, while the VIP section of the tribunes featured two further delay points, each containing six JBL VERTEC(r) VT4887A compact line array elements.

The stage sizes then reduced from area to area, with the smallest containing five V25 loudspeakers per side.

Taking into account three wind directions, Story Sound installed a wireless measuring device to monitor the sound levels (which were restricted to 85dBA at 100 meters), set 100 meters behind three of the stages. "Since VTX is highly focused and offers us more controllability we could produce a higher overall sound level for the audience," he explained.

Story Sound provided a sound technician to supervise each stage, with wireless laptop communication back to the central network control position in the production village, overseen on the HARMAN HiQnet(tm) platform by Story Sound's Barney Broomer. "We could listen to the measuring microphone on the same network while we also had a range of Soundcraft desks-Vi6, Vi4, Vi1, Si Compacts on the smaller stages-so we could control the input of the DJ and monitor feeds, as well as the MCs' microphones, using the dynamics of the desk," said Story.

Each DJ was provided with two JBL VRX932 loudspeakers per side as high-class reference monitoring so they were not mistaken in thinking that the lack of sound bleeding back onto the stage was an indicator that their levels were too low.

In summary, Story believed the event was a massive success. "JBL's Performance Manager(tm) is definitely an upgrade from System Architect, where we would have had to design so many custom panels [to achieve the same effect]. This has full input / output metering and thermal monitoring so that we could measure the temperature of the amps, side hangs and run a diagnostic," he said.

The network had been rock-solid throughout, he confirmed. "It was a very fast and the stability of the Crown amps was very good. All DJ's were extremely happy with the sound and the promoters were very happy-noting immediately the upgrade in sound quality."

For more information on Story Sound, please visit www.storysound.nl

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(r), Harman Kardon(r), Infinity(r), JBL(r), Lexicon(r) and Mark Levinson(r). 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 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.3 billion for the twelve months ended March 31, 2012.

Ready to Make History Again: Peltrix Installed HARMAN's JBL VERTEC(r) Line Arrays in Howard Theatre

Peltrix recently installed JBL VERTEC line arrays
for the audio system at the restored Howard
Theatre in Washington, DC.

NORTHRIDGE, California - Not long ago, the historic Howard Theatre in Washington, DC was slated for the wrecking ball. Built in 1910 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, the Howard Theatre went from being a showcase for artists like Sarah Vaughn, Buddy Holly, Sammy Davis Jr., James Brown and Duke Ellington to its abandonment in 1980. By the time a non-profit citizens group called the Howard Theatre organization formed in 2006 to raise the $29 million needed to revive the theatre, it was almost in total ruin.

In September 2010 the restoration began, which was completed in April 2012 in a venue of elegance and beauty inside and out. Washington, DC's Martinez + Johnson Architecture and Marshall Moya Design were responsible for the theatre's design, architecture and restoration. Systems contractor Peltrix (www.peltrix.com) of Purdys, NY handled the A/V design and installation, which includes a large-scale HARMAN's JBL VERTEC(r) line array system. Richard Talaske (www.talaske.com) of Oak Park, IL was brought in as the acoustical consultant.

"The inside of the Theatre was a complete disaster," said Amit Peleg of Peltrix. "The roof was caving in, a pile of debris was in the middle of the floor and it was clear that everything would have to be completely gutted. However, we knew of the Theatre's past glories and that there was the potential for magnificence buried amid the wreckage."

The restoration plans had to combine and reconcile historic architectural elements with modern attributes including the A/V wiring, rigging, HVAC system and other aspects that were not present in the original construction. "Although the construction crew wound up tearing down almost everything to the bare walls and even dug a new basement, we had a lot of historical guidelines that we had to conform to, as the Howard Theatre organization wanted to retain the charm and distinctive look and feel of the original venue as it was back in 1910," Peleg noted.

"Obviously, we couldn't completely hide a system that included more than 50 JBL loudspeakers," Peleg continued, "but we worked closely with the Howard Theatre team, the architects and Talaske to strike the best compromise between the placement and performance of the speakers while ensuring the structural integrity of the installation and intruding as little as possible on the interior design."

The main system includes 20 JBL VERTEC VT4888DP-DA powered midsize line array elements, flown 10 on each side of the stage, along with six VERTEC VT4880ADP-DA fullsize, arrayable powered subwoofers. Four additional ASB7128 subwoofers are placed at ground level. The system also includes two VERTEC VT4887ADP-DA powered compact line array elements for center downfill and two VRX928LA compact Constant Curvature loudspeakers for delay fill under the mezzanine.

The Howard Theatre's impressive stage monitor system consists of 13 JBL VRX915M floor wedges, two VP71215/95DPDA for side fills and a VP7215/64DPDA powered loudspeaker and ASB7118-DPDA powered subwoofer to deliver the drum mix.

"As I mentioned, we didn't have the luxury of putting all the speakers exactly where we might have wanted them," Peleg said. "We couldn't place any delay speakers in the mezzanine, for example, but on the other hand we were able to install bigger line arrays than we had first envisioned. We also placed some of the side fill speakers on custom moveable brackets so they can be easily moved in and out of the way when the lighting truss is moved into and out of place for different shows. Because the room isn't that large, we didn't have to worry about having enough speakers to ensure adequate sound or trying to fit too many speakers into the room."

"The result is absolutely stunning," Peleg concluded. "The Howard Theatre is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen and I'm really proud of the fact that by making some intelligent placement decisions and working closely with everyone involved, our team was able to install an exceptional speaker system that does not detract from the interior design."

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(r), Harman Kardon(r), Infinity(r), JBL(r), Lexicon(r) and Mark Levinson(r). 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 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.3 billion for the twelve months ended March 31, 2012.

Crowne Centre Auditorium At Pensacola Christian College Upgrades With HARMAN's Studer Consoles and BSS Audio Processors

PENSACOLA, Florida - Florida's Pensacola Christian College recently received a major audio upgrade to its 6,200-seat Crowne Centre auditorium with two HARMAN Studer Vista 9(tm) digital audio consoles, nine BSS Audio Soundweb London BLU-160 signal processors and five BLU-BIB break-in boxes. Architecturally striking with its tall, jewel-like faceted glass front sections and ultramodern curved interior featuring a 110-foot rotating stage and dual wedding chapels, the Crowne Centre is used for services, concerts, weddings and special events.

The Crowne Centre was built in 2001 but the sound system recently began showing its age. The auditorium is used almost daily, and while it proved very reliable overall, after 11 years of constant use the mixing console and other components began to exhibit failures and glitches. Commercial audio contractor All Pro Sound was chosen to bring the audio system back to the high-quality standards required by the college. 

"We didn't just want this to be a glorified repair job-we wanted the system to be more powerful and user-friendly, to be future-proof and to provide many years of reliable service," said John Fuqua, Vice President, All Pro Sound.  "We have worked with Pensacola Christian College for over 25 years and have a great understanding of their expectations for quality and function.  As the original system designer and installer, All Pro Sound was able to provide a comprehensive plan that met both function and timeline."

"The Studer Vista 9 is a significant upgrade from the previous console," Fuqua stated. "We chose it for its large input and output capability, its flexible configurability and its superior sonic quality."

The Crowne Centre uses two Vista 9 consoles for front of house and in the broadcast suite. Both have 42-fader mixing surfaces and are running a total of 212 inputs with 32 main outs, 48 matrix sends and 32 aux sends. The broadcast console is programmed for dynamic automation, which is required for remixing the musical portions of the church services and concert events.

"The Studer Vista 9 fits this installation perfectly," Fuqua continued. "We needed consoles that could handle both live sound and broadcast mixing needs, and the Vista 9 is versatile enough to be optimized for both applications. It makes life much easier to have the same brand and model of console, especially since both are networked together."

The inter-compatibility of the two consoles and the BSS Audio Soundweb London components was an especially crucial-and practical-aspect considering the time frame Fuqua was under. "We had a 3-week window to remove the old gear, change all the system programming, pull all-new fiber optic cable between locations and take delivery of, install and program a large Studer mixing system. We started the process with Studer engineers in early March for the install date to begin on May 25, so we could be completed by June 15. This was, at best, very tight for the Studer system to be built, tested and shipped to the site. We took delivery of the first Vista 9 on June 1 and the second on June 4."

"The fact that the Studer and BSS Audio components are literally made for each other was a tremendous advantage in ensuring we did not go over deadline," Fuqua added. "The system uses HiQnet(tm) London Architect programming interface and its drag-and-drop functionality really sped up the configuration process. Our lead systems designer Dennis Ryan created a custom GUI that allows for complete function control and monitoring for all types of events held in the Crowne Centre. The wide variety of signal processing options provided by the Soundweb London BLU-160 enabled us to precisely optimize the sound and performance of the system."

"The Crowne Centre staff is extremely pleased with the sound quality and more intuitive user interface of the Vista 9 and the capabilities of the entire system," Fuqua concluded. "The sound quality of the new BSS Audio Soundweb London components coupled with the Vista 9 consoles was evident from the first sound checks."

For more information on All Pro Sound please visit www.allprosound.com.

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(r), Harman Kardon(r), Infinity(r), JBL(r), Lexicon(r) and Mark Levinson(r). 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 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.3 billion for the twelve months ended March 31, 2012.