SALT LAKE CITY, Utah –
Following six months of successful real-world beta system testing and
refinement, HARMAN Professional today announced the market availability of JBL
HiQnet Performance Manager™ sound reinforcement system design software. JBL HiQnet Performance Manager version 1.0 is
a highly evolved, application-specific iteration of the category-leading HARMAN
HiQnet System Architect™ configuration and control software application for
professional-grade audio system integration, specialized for touring and live
performance venue sound reinforcement systems.
“JBL HiQnet
Performance Manager is the product of considerable research, a comprehensive
engineering and design effort and equally committed beta program that included
60 audio professionals drawn from the tour and theatrical communities ” noted
Adam Holladay, Market Manager, HARMAN System Development and Integration Group.
“As a result of today’s introduction, our customers in the marketplace can
deploy an easy-to-use yet eminently powerful tool that allows them to be more
effective and efficient at designing high-performing, consistent sound systems
for an array of applications.”
Winner of a 2011
PLASA Award For Innovation and a 2012 InAVation Awards finalist, JBL HiQnet
Performance Manager provides a comprehensive, step-by-step workflow that
directly corresponds to real-world system configuration, taking the workflow
paradigm introduced in System Architect 2 to a higher level of functionality
for any live performance audio application. It is fully integrated with JBL’s
Line Array Calculator II loudspeaker configuration and acoustic modeling
software.
“Performance Manager
is an integral part of Harman Professional’s turnkey system solution for the
recently-released JBL Professional VTX Series and provides an ideal simulation
and control environment that allows system engineers to fully leverage the
power of VTX and Crown Audio VRACK”, commented Paul Bauman, Sr Manager - Tour
Sound, JBL Professional. “The workflow approach is consistent with what has
been taught throughout VerTec training for the past 6 years and there is an
exciting roadmap ahead for additional product and optimization integration into
Performance Manager. I’d like to personally thank all of the beta testers who
provided invaluable input as well as the SDIG software team for doing a
fantastic job on the software development side”.
JBL HiQnet
Performance Manager version 1.0 is available for $399 per license at http://hiqnet.harmanpro.com. Volume discounts are available. An in-depth series of online training videos
can also be viewed and a public Performance Manager training session will be
held during the PLASA tradeshow in London, England in September. Visit http://hiqnet.harmanpro.com for more information.
The Performance
Manager workflow forms the very foundation of the software with an
appropriately- tailored user interface for each and every stage. The user begins by loading templates of the
speaker arrays used in the system, and then runs Line Array Calculator II for
each array as part of the initial sound design task of determining how many and
which type of loudspeakers are required to cover a given venue. For each array,
Performance Manager automatically loads the passive VERTEC or powered VERTEC DrivePack
DPDA line array configuration into the main application workspace – the first
of many automated design processes native to the software application.
Loudspeakers can also be manually loaded into the templates if desired.
Once the user defines
the required amplifier parameters for the passive loudspeakers within the
arrays, Performance Manager automatically loads the correct number of Crown
Audio VRACK or other user-determined amplifier racks into the audio system. The
software then associates the amplifier outputs with the bandpass crossover
inputs for the selected array and programs the amplifiers with the correct JBL
preset data, as well as gain shading and JBL Line Array Control Panel
equalization parameters that are determined in JBL’s Line Array Calculator II
as part of the modeling process to optimize sound pressure level and frequency
response over the defined audience geometry.
Representations of
the bandpass inputs for each loudspeaker section are overlaid onto the arrays,
enabling the user to easily visualize the array configuration, whether JBL
DrivePack-powered or driven by external Crown power amplifiers. Performance Manager software also
significantly simplifies system-networking configuration – the user can simply
drag and drop devices discovered on the network onto the pre-configured devices
within the Performance Manager workspace to synchronize all addressing and
parameter values.
In addition, the
Performance Manager graphic interface provides embedded control panels for
array calibration, time alignment and system EQ which utilize input section
digital signal processing resources available in either Crown I-Tech HD (and
legacy I-Tech) power amplifiers or JBL DrivePack-powered loudspeakers with DPDA
digital audio input modules. Input attenuation, equalization, delay settings
and bandpass controls are all readily accessible directly within the main
application workspace along with flexible grouping and comprehensive solo/mute
functionality for system testing.
Once system tuning is
complete, Performance Manager’s Show Mode display is optimized for the actual
live performance, offering appropriate adjustment control ballistics for
equalization and dedicated monitoring interfaces for levels, speaker loads,
thermal conditions and AC power requirements. The workspace for all stages of
Performance Manager’s workflow has a common design motif, with monitoring
functions overlaid on top of the same loudspeaker bandpass representations within
the workspace, making visualization easier and more consistent across various workflow
screens.
HARMAN HiQnet™ is the world's first connectivity and control protocol
that integrates all product categories in the signal chain for professional
audio systems of all types, size, and applications. HARMAN HiQnet no longer
requires the user to manage multiple disparate operating systems or be
responsible for programming individual signal processors, speaker controllers,
wireless microphone systems, and mixing consoles. HiQnet was developed by
engineers from across HARMAN’s Professional Division and is coordinated by the
System Development and Integration Group (SDIG), a team of dedicated systems
specialists based in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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