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| Flag Systems recently deployed its new JBL VTX line array system at Jazz Fest West in San Dimas, California. |
NORTHRIDGE, California – Flag Systems is a top southern California sound contractor
that supplies systems for everything from major outdoor festivals to private
corporate events and the Santa Ana-based company recently joined the growing
list of sound providers who have added JBL’s new flagship VTX Series line array
loudspeakers to their inventory. Flag Systems put its V25 line arrays and S28
subwoofers to the test at the recent Jazz Fest West and Hard Summer outdoor
concerts—two musically diverse events that spanned the musical gamut from
smooth jazz to bass-heavy hip-hop.
“We
have been long-time JBL users—we bought our first VerTec®
line array system in 2001 and have seen
the quality of JBL line arrays improve steadily since then,” said Dave Forney,
Flag Systems’ Owner. “In fact, even before the VTX Series came along we saw a
big improvement in the performance of our VerTec line arrays by upgrading our power amplifiers to Crown
Audio IT12000HD amps, which allowed us to take advantage of their built-in
VerTec V5 presets.
Everywhere we tried V5 we heard amazing results, including at the permanent
installation we run at the Hollywood Palladium. So when JBL announced the
introduction of the VTX Series you might say we were all ears.”
“We
looked at our upcoming summer concert schedule and determined we could support
a major new equipment buy,” Forney added. “We had already bought the Crown I-Tech
HD amps, which are optimized for use with VTX line arrays, so we were already a
good part of the way there.”
Flag
Systems purchased 24 VTX V25 fullsize line array elements and 16 S28 arrayable
subwoofers. “Depending on the venue, we’ll use some or all of our VTX boxes for
a concert,” noted Forney. “We can do a 4,000 to 5,000 person show using two
left and right hangs of four V25’s each along with six S28 subs per side, or
we’ll go all the way up to the full rig of 24 V25’s and 16 S28’s for large
outdoor events.”
“The
sound quality of the V25 is just stunning,” Forney commented. “The first thing
that struck me is how in-phase everything seems to be. It really doesn’t sound
like you’re listening to multiple drivers; it sounds like all the sound is
coming from one source instead of a bunch of 15-inch and 8-inch drivers and
tweeters.”
According
to Eric Williams, Chief Systems Engineer for Flag Systems, the clarity of the
V25 is exceptional. “At Jazz Fest West, all of us at Flag and a number of guest
front-of-house engineers were marveling at the sound,” he said. “We had to
re-check all of our reverb settings as the system was so revealing that the
quality of the reverbs came through much more clearly.”
“After
firing the system up, I realized it didn’t need any EQ,” Williams pointed out.
“I mean, none. I’d never had this happen before—typically,
a line array system will always need some EQ. During Chaka Khan’s performance, Anthony
Jeffries, her mixing engineer, added a little bit of EQ but after that we went
back to flat—and except for a little touch here and there, no one else EQ’d the
system for the rest of the weekend. I kept telling myself, ‘This is not
normal!’ In fact, it actually felt a little scary…we had to get used to it!”
“I
mixed the first three acts at Jazz Fest West and it was effortless,” Williams
continued. “During guitarist Marc Antoine’s set, I could feel every nuance of
him playing the strings, the snare was punchy and fat, and the cymbals had
shimmer and complexity. We went from console to console depending on what the
acts specified on their rider, and everyone was able to get consistently excellent
sound from the V25’s and S28’s.”
“The new VTX
rig is like a Maserati—it is a thrill to drive and the performance is
outstanding,” said Pamela Forney, Production Manager for Flag Systems. “I have
now used VTX at three festivals and it is wildly efficient. It throws forever
and the clarity and warmth are never compromised. Congratulations to JBL as
they have definitely crossed over this time with VTX!”
Flag
Systems’ VTX rig can go from subtle to seismic, as demonstrated at the HARD
Summer Festival in Los Angeles, which featured the immensely popular electronic
artist Skrillex. “At HARD Summer, we mixed Skrillex at 125dB in an outdoor
space that was about 200 feet by 500 feet. The system did an amazing job of
getting there, staying there and doing it well,” Williams added.
Flag Systems uses JBL
HiQnet Performance Manager™ control software for the VTX line arrays and Crown
amps. “Performance Manager makes it extremely quick to set up the system and
get the amps on line, but maybe even more important, it gives us real-time
monitoring and reporting,” Williams said. “I know what’s going on with every
speaker and amp. Performance Manager is the one piece of software I start with
at the beginning of the day, and it’s the last thing I shut off at the end of the
day.”
“The
quality of the JBL VTX Series is so good that engineers are going to have to
re-think what their sound systems are capable of,” Williams concluded. “We now
need to realize that we’re going to have to mix to what we’re capable of
hearing—not to what we’re used to hearing.”
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