Cult Classic Enhanced with
Optimal Sound from the Leading Provider of Professional Audio Solutions
LONDON – Audio technology from HARMAN
Professional Solutions is playing a starring role in the six month Dutch
touring production of the hit musical Hair, inside a JBL rig supplied by Story
Sound.
Known for its immortal songs such as Let
The Sunshine In, Aquarius and I Got Life, this timeless hippie classic
has been reimagined under the direction of Carline Brouwer and is, according to
Story Sound Managing Director, Michael Story, a wonderful piece of
story-telling; so getting the balance of dialogue intelligibility and full-on
concert sound was imperative. Working
for major international company Stage Entertainment, Story was offered this
sound design challenge by technical producer, Ed Wielstra, based on his success
in the past. “I said I was happy to do it, but wanted to provide my own sound —
to prove that JBL would be outstanding for this kind of production,” he said,
specifying the VT4886.
A long time advocate of JBL’s
premier line arrays, Story has given the JBL/Crown VRack combination a unique
opportunity to flex its muscles in the theatre world. The design for Hair is based on a
conventional L/R proscenium hang of 12 VT4886 elements per side, with four
VT4883 dual 12in Subcompact — also flown. This has been supplemented by five
VT4886, stacked a side to bring the image down to the first few rows — and a
pair of ground-stacked VT4880A to reinforce the four-piece band in the low
frequencies.
With 22 in the cast of this
energetic action packed production, the challenges are many. “There is a lot
going on but if the sound isn’t handled properly people get fatigued. A big
challenge is the intelligibility — but that is never a problem with JBL,” states
Story.
“We have created so much space
in the sound, that we have been able to maintain a good band level — getting
sufficient vocal volume from the headset mics, which isn't always the case. At
the same time audiences have been able to experience the dialogue. With so much
dynamic room and projection from the JBL system, you can play it loud and still
hear the intelligibility of every lyric and spoken word.”
“The FOH engineer was in
heaven, with the audience telling him they could hear every word for the first
time. And with the projection this good you can put a band in the mix and
no-one is blown away with excessive volume.”
Most importantly, he says,
“when you optimise the sound you can see the whole frequency range, with no
loss of midrange. The Tools provided in Performance Manager make it possible to
shape the beam over the width of this range.”
Michael Story adds that the
power and DSP capacity of their VRacks will make it possible to implement
further improvements to the Performance Manager software going forward. “This
will ensure a great return on investment for us,” he concludes.
ABOUT HARMAN
HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers
connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises
worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products,
enterprise automation solutions, and connected services. With leading brands
including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and
Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment
venues where they perform around the world. More than 25 million automobiles on
the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. The
Company’s software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that
are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home
to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 29,000 people across
the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $6.9 billion during the 12
months ended June 30, 2016. The Company’s shares are traded on the New York
Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE:HAR.
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