LOS ALTOS, California — The David and Lucile Packard Foundation was created in 1984 by Hewlett-Packard co-founder David Packard and his wife Lucile to provide grants to improve the lives of families, children and communities and to restore and protect our planet. The Foundation recently inaugurated its new headquarters in Los Gatos, which is the largest Net Zero Energy building in California. The building is equipped with a host of state-of-the-art amenities including a HARMAN BSS Audio Soundweb™ London conferencing system.

The system was installed by San Jose, CA-based Integrated Communications Systems (ISC), a communications contractor/integrator with a client roster that includes some of the best-known names in Silicon Valley. The BSS Audio system features two BLU-800 devices and eight BLU-160 devices, and includes six Soundweb London Telephone Hybrid Cards and 14 Soundweb London AEC (Acoustic Echo Cancellation) Cards. The BSS Audio devices are complemented by 32 JBL® Control 26CT in-ceiling speakers, six Control 128W in-wall and four Control 126W in-wall speakers installed in the Foundation’s six videoconferencing rooms and throughout the facility.

“Everything about the new Packard Foundation building is top quality and we wanted to install a system to match,� said Mark Berlo, Project Manager at ICS. “We chose the Soundweb London conferencing system because of its superior sound quality, especially its Acoustic Echo Cancellation. The AEC adapts very quickly. We have had nothing but compliments on the sound quality.�

The BSS Audio components and other A/V equipment are located in one of four intermediate distribution frames that send the audio and video to the six conference rooms, and divisible meeting room. In addition, audio can be fed to the building’s center courtyard. The system is used primarily for conferencing and presentations.

“It’s a testament to how well thought-out the system is that the setup and commissioning went quite smoothly,� Berlo noted. “The system is versatile, works perfectly in keeping everyone connected both in the building and in remote locations, and the client is very happy with the sound quality.�

“I should point out that the David and Lucile Packard Foundation building is an LEED Platinum Certified Building, which is the highest rating given by the USGBC, the US Green Building Council. We’re proud to have participated in this project.�

For more information about Integrated Communication Systems please visit www.ics-integration.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 13,900 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.4 billion for year ended June 30, 2012.

CORK, Ireland — Faced with a busy summer of sporting and music event production, Irish OB specialists Television Mobiles Ltd (TVM) decided to boost its fleet with the commissioning of its first 3D-capable OB. The fully-featured, 30-camera HD 3G truck, offering monitor capability of 1080/60p signals, upholds the company’s long relationship with HARMAN’s Studer Vista consoles, with the first Vista 9 in Europe to incorporate backstop PFL at the heart of the audio control.

The 52-fader console is configured with 760 Input Mono Equivalent Signals and 680 Output Mono Equivalent Signals, with 16 channels of audio embedded in an Evertz hybrid router.

“The new unit had to be fully 3G capable and audio embedded,� explained TVM owner Bart Arnold. “As for backstop PFL, this was part of the original spec — if you are used to fader-controlled backstop PFL it is hard to do without, and provides a more elegant fade solution.� Studer implemented this now standard Vista option for TVM.

“We also like the layout of the Vista 9 — particularly its ease of use for someone moving from analogue to digital, and we like the optical fibre options of Studer’s D21m and new Compact stage boxes. The desk itself has some nice innovative features, such as FaderGlow™.� This last feature provides the operator with an instant overview of the console status by illuminating each fader in one of eight freely-assignable colours.

TVM has enjoyed a relationship with Soundcraft Studer dating back to their first truck in 1986, which featured early Soundcraft 200, 400 and 800 consoles. In 2007 they embraced their first Studer Vista console, installing a Vista 5 in OB3 and later a Vista 8 became a central component in the fast track fit of OB7. Soundcraft still retains a presence at TVM, with an Si3 handling the audio mix in OB4 and a new Si Compact 16 specified as a sub-mixer/grams mixer in the new OB8, sending MADI and AES signals to the main desk.

But this time, confirms Arnold, they had a much longer lead time to design their first 3D truck, and after an 18 month gestation, coachbuilders A Smith Great Bentley Ltd. delivered a vehicle that provided TVM with a flexible studio environment. The design was a particular challenge to their Senior Design Engineer, Bob Hanks, but he came up with an innovative solution to meet the requirements. “This included separate Tx / comms areas — and a very large sound production room with the digital mixer placed in a quiet environment where it is not exposed to the clutter of comms and line checks, and leaving the engineer to focus on the sound mix. This concept works well and the truck is adaptable to our work model.�

One innovation, he emphasised, was having all the audio embedded in the video signal, accessed via the hybrid router. “There are no separate audio feeds found on the truck, resulting in a massive reduction in wiring,� Bart Arnold confirmed.

He adds that OB8 has justified the large investment as the Co. Cork-based company continues to work alongside providers such as Visions, SiS-Live, CTV and Telegenic, generally on sports and music production. With the latter they covered the Isle of Wight Music Festival in 3D and have also been mixing in 5.1 for Premiership football, the Open Golf Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes and Heineken Rugby, for clients such as ESPN, Sky and BBC.

The Vista 9 can cope comfortably with all requirements. From surround input channels with an intuitive input balance section to stereo input channels with a 5.1 up-mixing panner to automatic down-mixer processes for outputs, everything is integrated — including dual speaker group 7.1 control room monitoring connectivity.

“We are fortunate in being supported by a great after-sales team from Studer, and that is very important to us and a key factor in our decision making,� concluded Arnold.

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 13,900 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.4 billion for year ended June 30, 2012.

NORTHRIDGE, California – The recent Arsch Huh music festival in Cologne, Germany was one of the largest of the year, with 85,000 people enjoying performances by more than 25 bands including BAP, Bläck Fööss, Brings, Tommy Engel and other notable German artists. The concert, organized in 1992 to stand against racism, celebrated its 20th anniversary with spectacular sound courtesy of Sirius Showequipment AG and an audio system featuring HARMAN’s JBL VTX Series line arrays.

“We were one of Europe’s first users of the JBL VTX Series and knew from previous experience that they are remarkably clear and powerful, especially for their size and they would be ideal for this big outdoor festival event,� said Wolfgang “Schabbach� Neumann of Sirius. For the main PA the company deployed two left and right towers with 15 VTX V25 fullsize line array elements and eight S28 subwoofers per side. In addition, several delay towers were set up, with the main (first delay line) towers each containing seven V25 line array elements.

The speakers were driven by 30 Crown I-Tech 12000 HD amplifiers, and Neumann and his crew used HARMAN’s JBL HiQnet Performance Manager™ software to set up and tune the system.

“We had more than 25 bands and artists going on and off the stage and a number of different front of house engineers using this VTX-based system for the very first time,� Neumann said. “Some of them performed only two or three songs. As a result there was not much time to get the sound right for each act. We also had the added pressure of knowing that the entire 5 1/2-hour show was being broadcast live on German television.�

“However, using the new JBL VTX Series is easily explained,� Neumann continued. “You switch it on, you power up your desk, you push the faders up and the sound is already there, sounding really great right from the start.�

In addition, Neumann noted that the Crown I-Tech 12000 HD amplifier is an ideal match for VTX. “It’s the most powerful amp on the planet,� Neumann said. “We’ve experimented with other amplifiers including 4-channel models but I would say that 2-channel amplifiers, especially the I-Tech 12000 HD, have more power when you push the masters to ’11.’ It also helps that the VTX Series and Crown amps work hand in hand with Performance Manager, which works very well and is easy to operate.�

“Achim Schnall, front of house mixer for headliner BAP told me it was ‘an easy to mix on system,’ and our front of house ‘babysitter’ engineer Daniel Schindler told me that for him the system was ‘unbelievably powerful and easy to operate,’� Neumann added. “Without a doubt, the JBL VTX Series are the most efficient and best-sounding loudspeakers we have ever had in our inventory.�

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 13,900 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.4 billion for year ended June 30, 2012.

CHULA VISTA, California, November 27, 2012 — Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California, recently updated a number of its Hitachi CP-WX4021N projectors with the new Hitachi Solutions connectivity products. The projectors are now being used with the Hitachi MS-1WL Wireless Multifunctional Switcher, which comes equipped with a transmitter and receiver.

Saddleback College currently has more than 40 CP-WX4021N 3LCD projectors, which were purchased in early 2011. “We purchased them because we found them be above and beyond other projector models in terms of performance, the image quality was better and they were more cost-effective,� said Will Lakow of Saddleback College’s Multimedia Department. “We also found the HDMI connectivity to be a huge advantage.�

Saddleback College recently equipped four of its projectors with the MS-1WL Wireless Multifunctional Switcher. These projectors are located in a collection of classrooms known as The Village, with each classroom in close proximity to each other.

According to Lakow, the MS-1WL has proven advantageous in a variety of ways. “As far as installation goes, it’s very convenient because it’s allowing us to eliminate a lot of cabling, plus the install time is quicker,� he said. “Overall, the entire system is now more efficient and easier to operate.�

The Hitachi Solutions Products include the MS-1WL Wireless Multifunctional Switcher with receiver, the MS-1 Multifunctional Switcher and CS-1WL Wireless Switcher with a document camera, all of which enable expanded wireless connectivity between data and video sources and compatible Hitachi LCD projectors. The transmitter, which is built into the MS-1WL Wireless Switcher, connects to a video source such as a laptop and the receiver connects to a projector, enabling wireless transmission of a variety of video formats up to 1080p HD over a distance of up to 22 feet. The transmitter supports HDMI mandatory 3D video formats, eight bits-per-color HDMI video transmission and up to six Mbps audio.

“Installing the MS-1WL was seamless, quick and easy. And to the end user, the entire system is transparent,� Lakow concluded.

Saddleback College is a fully accredited community college, offering more than 300 associate degrees, certificates and occupational skills awards in 190 program areas taught be a faculty renowned for its expertise, experience and commitment to student success. The College’s rich academic traditions and strong reputation make Saddleback College an ideal place for students seeking associate degrees and certificates, transferring to 4-year colleges and universities, preparing for the workforce, or pursuing lifelong learning opportunities.

For more information on Saddleback College, please visit www.saddleback.edu

For more information on Hitachi visit www.hitachi-america.us/digitalmedia

Follow Hitachi on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hitachi-Projectors/131067323636829

Follow Hitachi on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/HALProjectors

About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 320,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2011 (ended March 31, 2012) consolidated revenues totaled 9,665 billion yen ($117.8 billion). Hitachi will focus more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes information and telecommunication systems, power systems, environmental, industrial and transportation systems, and social and urban systems, as well as the sophisticated materials and key devices that support them. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at http://www.hitachi.com.

NORTHRIDGE, California – Delivering world-class audio to the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal City in California, Escondido, California-based Sound Image recently upgraded to Crown I-Tech HD power amplification and added the new V5 presets to the Amphitheatre’s HARMAN JBL VERTEC® line array system.

Originally built as an outdoor venue in 1972, the Gibson Amphitheatre was converted in 1982 and is now the third-largest indoor theater in California, seating approximately 6,000 people and has won several Pollstar awards as Venue of the Year. The Amphitheatre hosts a variety of events including concerts, performances, as well as occasional award shows. The existing PA system at the Gibson Amphitheatre includes 24 VERTEC VT4889 fullsize line array elements (12 per side) and 24 VT4880 fullsize arrayable subwoofers, with six hung per side plus six stacked per side. The system also features five VT4888 midsize line array elements on each side of the stage for additional outfill and two JBL DrivePack® VT4888DP enclosures per side for flown downfill.

The upgrade of the system with the V5 settings also included the addition of 54 Crown Audio I-Tech 12000 HD amplifiers. System control is provided via HARMAN’s HiQnet System Architect™ platform with an extensive custom control panel interface that was developed by Gary Sanguinet of Sound Image.

The new and improved V5 settings provide the Gibson Amphitheatre with a significant improvement in sound quality. This includes greater horizontal coverage, improved system response to equalization, and improved interaction between arrays. Paul Bauman, Senior Manager of Tour Sound at JBL Professional, commented, “The Gibson Amphitheatre has provided an important proof of performance test bed throughout the development of V4 and V5 presets and it has been a pleasure to work with front of house engineer George “Barney� Barnes, Mark Sidlow, Rick Merrill and the Sound Image team to really dial in the system—it’s a great-sounding venue that really highlights what is possible to achieve with VERTEC V5.�

“The biggest improvement for me is the increase in usable midrange information as well as vastly improved headroom,� Barnes said. “Being an ‘in house’ rig, protection is a must and great improvements have been made in that regard with no problems.�

The system has been greatly accepted by prestigious engineers and bands such as Rush, Jason Aldean, No Doubt, Dukes of September and Dream Theatre.

For more information on the Gibson Amphitheatre, please visit www.gibson-amphitheatre.net

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 13,900 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.4 billion for year ended June 30, 2012.

NORTHRIDGE, California – The Black Keys, Foo Fighters, Neil Young and Crazy Horse and many others rocked out recently in New York City’s Central Park for the Global Citizen Festival, a free concert highlighting the effort to combat poverty around the world. New York-based Firehouse Productions provided the live sound reinforcement system for the event, which featured HARMAN’s JBL VTX line arrays.

While the Global Citizen Festival was free, the estimated 60,000 concertgoers were only allowed to attend after accumulating points by watching videos on globalcitizen.org about various issues dealing with poverty. In addition to the musical performances, celebrities including K’Naan, John Legend, Katie Couric and economist Jeffrey D. Sachs delivered speeches during equipment changes.

For the main PA system, Firehouse provided 36 (18 per side) JBL VTX V25 fullsize arrayable line array loudspeakers, 32 (16 per side) VERTEC® VT4880A fullsize arrayable subwoofers, with two VT4888 midsize line array loudspeakers for front fills. In addition, 48 (four clusters of 12) VT4889 fullsize line array loudspeakers provided delay fill along with 24 (12 per side) VT4880A subwoofers. Crown I-Tech HD 12000 amplifiers powered the entire system.

“This event was straightforward from a sound design standpoint, as with outdoor concerts many of the obstacles of filtering sound are eliminated, since there are no columns or walls that we have to worry about,� explained Mark Dittmar, Lead Design & Integration Engineer at Firehouse Productions. “The VTX line arrays continue to give us the sound quality and smooth coverage that we rely on and we’ve never had a problem.�

“The light weight of the VTX made the load-in and setup process a breeze,� Dittmar added. “The combination of VTX with the Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers is the best solution out there for live sound applications of all sizes and scopes.�

For more information on Firehouse Productions, please visit: http://www.firehouseproductions.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 13,900 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.4 billion for year ended June 30, 2012.

PORTLAND, Oregon — HARMAN’s Soundcraft continues its successful “Mixing with Professionals� (MwP) series with two sessions in Portland, Oregon on Tuesday, December 11. Hosting the sessions will be James Lawrenson, front of house engineer for Foster the People and a Soundcraft Vi6 user.

Lawrenson will provide formal training on the Soundcraft Vi Series consoles while discussing his experiences working with Soundcraft equipment. Participants will be given a USB stick so they can save their settings and take them on the road for their next gig, or continue working on their settings using the Soundcraft Virtual Vi offline editor, which is available free on the Soundcraft website.

“The Vi6 has been a pleasure to work with on this year’s Foster the People tour, as the product’s top-notch performance, combined with Soundcraft’s dedicated customer support, made it a perfect fit,� Lawrenson said. “I look forward to sharing my impressions of the Soundcraft Vi Series with the attendees at this MwP session, and hope that I can also provide a valuable educational experience in the process.�

The MwP sessions will be held on December 11 at Pro Sound & Lighting on 3511 SE Belmont, Portland, OR 97214.

Two time slots will be available from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm and from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. The course is free to attend but registration is required and space is limited. Details are available at usa.soundcraft.com and participants can register via e-mail at Soundcraft-usa@harman.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 13,900 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.4 billion for year ended June 30, 2012.

POTTERS BAR, United Kingdom — Having become synonymous with The Noisettes in recent years as their long-term FOH engineer and production manager, this summer Bryony October took to the road with British singer songwriter (and Chase & Status collaborator), Delilah. In so doing she became an early adopter of the new HARMAN Soundcraft Si Performer digital console—which not only builds on the successful Si platform but is the first desk to incorporate a DMX lighting interface.

Bryony knew she would need a minimum of 31 inputs and that she would also be mixing the 5-piece band’s monitor in-ears from front of house. But her chosen console also needed to be compacted into a small footprint in order to fit into a splitter van (along with IEM rack and mics).

Knowing that this tour would not warrant full production support October had earlier contacted Soundcraft to see if they had any new consoles in prospect. “The timing couldn’t have been better as the Si Performer was just being released,â€� she said.

With something of a history of mixing female vocal-led pop October quickly discovered that having worked the Soundcraft magic so successfully with Noisettes’ lead singer Shingai Shoniwa on a Vi1, the Performer also ticked all the boxes on her wish list.

Offered the role by tour manager Tim Boardman she went straight into production rehearsals and was soon mixing Delilah’s soulful voice and 5-piece band with no induction necessary.

As for features, the Si Performer’s FaderGlow and colour backlit name displays on every channel proved a godsend. “It has screens on each channel, so you can see the compressors and gates, and the FaderGlow changes colour so you never make a mistake when moving from FOH to monitor mixes,� October said. “It also turns the system EQ red so you can clearly see the graphic.�

“The touch screen is easy to get around quickly, with the one-touch easy mix with buttons across the top of the faders,� October added. “Finally I love the magnetic iPad notes pad which is very handy.�

The entire show mix is placed on the desk’s top layer, with October sub-mixing the drums to a group buss and also Delilah’s vocals and some of the drums to the Lexicon effects.

As for Delilah’s personal monitor mix, she said, “It’s all about the vocal level, reverbs [the desk contains four stereo Lexicon effects engines] and a low mix of everything else. It’s about creating an open and ambient sound so that the artist feels part of the show and can interact with the audience.�

Sonically, she believes, the desk could scarcely be improved—and although October has not had the opportunity to use the DMX interface, the sound engineer notes that “every single venue I arrived at knew that this was the desk with DMX.�

Summing up, October stated, “The Si Performer has been a pleasure to work on. It is an easy desk to navigate and has enabled me to deliver the five monitor mixes and house sound with ease.� She confirms that she would have no hesitation specifying this as her go-to console on any upcoming club venue splitter tour.

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 13,900 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.4 billion for year ended June 30, 2012.

RIGA, Latvia — UBS (Universal Baltic Sound) of Latvia has purchased the first new HARMAN Soundcraft Si Performer console in the Baltic region.

The rental company had originally been invited by Soundcraft’s Latvian distributor Audio AE to test the Si Compact 24 console on the recent tour of top local rock act Brainstorm, as the FOH mixing console for support band, The Sound Poets.

After using it on various shows they were highly impressed with the feature set. Although USB senior sound engineer Maris Liepa had never previously worked on the desk he was surprised at how easy it was to navigate. “I instinctively knew how to use it without referring to the manual,” he smiled. “The tour was a great test for a new product and we were able to run both FOH and monitors from a single Si24.”

They were all set to purchase the desk and add it to their extensive inventory of Soundcraft analogue boards…until the Si Performer hybrid desk, which is based on the same platform, was announced.

“When we learnt of the Performer 3, we were particularly impressed with the bigger channel count, the two option slots, which allow I/O expansion…and the more attractive appearance,â€� said Maris. “And so we didn’t hesitate to place the order for this instead.â€�

As touring veterans, experienced in running Soundcraft legacy consoles, they are familiar with the legendary signature audio and desk ergonomics. They have seen how easy it is to retain the feel of analogue within a digital board—a tradition that continues with the Si Performer 3.

The Si Performer is the first digital audio mixer with integrated DMX for lighting control. With a total possible capacity of 80 inputs, it takes the popular Si Compact platform as its base but provides almost twice as much DSP power and increased functionality. The Si Performer 3 itself offers 32 mic and eight line inputs, offering 14 aux/group mix busses, as well as four FX return channels; and with the aforementioned input cards it is possible to patch up to 80 inputs.

In addition, the integration of a DMX512 port offers core lighting control, with the initial release of software providing four scene masters (A-D) with associated slave channels on the ALT fader layers. This makes the desk thoroughly unique.

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 13,900 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.4 billion for year ended June 30, 2012.

NORTHRIDGE, California – Music Inc. of Louisiana is a music store in Gonzales, Louisiana that offers a complete selection of instruments, gear and services, from guitars, amps and PA systems to music lessons and more. Music Inc. owner Brandt Bourque (who purchased Music Inc. in January 2012) has had strong ties to the community going back to the store’s founding in 1969 and has seen first-hand the hardships caused by the weather and environmental disasters the Gulf Coast region has experienced. To better serve those in need, several leadership groups recently built a custom mobile kitchen, in which Music Inc. installed a pair of HARMAN’s JBL EON510 powered speakers to function as the vehicle’s mobile PA system.

“Some of the people on the project come from organizations that have helped feed victims and workers in the aftermath of the oil spills along the Gulf, after Hurricane Gustav and after the recent tornadoes in Alabama,� said Scott Duplechein, head of the Leadership Ascension Response Kitchen project. “While spending a lot of time at the ground zero points of these disaster areas the teams were faced with many challenges. Working out of the backs of trucks and cargo trailers, we found that simply preparing and serving hot meals to relief workers and victims was extremely difficult. The issues we faced led to the idea of creating a mobile disaster relief kitchen.�

The coalition pooled its resources and raised the funding to create a custom kitchen on wheels. “The kitchen is built on a 28-foot-long gooseneck trailer and is equipped with a griddle, stove, two deep fryers, a full-size refrigerator and a freezer,� Bourque noted. “It is set up to run on gas or generator power. We also decided to outfit the trailer with a pair of JBL EON510 powered PA speakers.�

The trailer was first used in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac in flooded areas of south Louisiana’s St. John parish. “In addition to providing hot meals, the addition of the EON510 speakers allowed the trailer to serve as a central source of information and to provide important announcements,� Bourque said.

“We chose the JBL EON510 because it met some very specific requirements,� Bourque continued. “We needed speakers that were durable, portable and could be set up and operated easily. The speakers needed to be able to be set up, torn down and stored quickly. Also, the speakers needed to be able to handle the high humidity of south Louisiana and the molded shell of the EON510 make them ideal for this environment. They also had to sound good, with clear speech intelligibility over a wide area.�

“The trailer has two side cargo doors that give access to the storage above the gooseneck portion of the trailer. These doorways provide a clean and secure place to put the speakers when the trailer is stationary. We can also easily move the speakers to another location if the situation requires a portable public address system—the EON510’s built-in microphone and line level inputs and amplifier make this really easy. We also have a permanently mounted mixer and CD/iPod player inside the trailer that we can use to send audio to the speakers. The system sounds great and has been working perfectly.�

“Our area in Louisiana has a rich tradition of food and music,� said Bourque. “Some of our volunteers are world-champion chefs that have won the Jambalaya World Championships held in Gonzales. For everyone involved in the mobile disaster relief kitchen, providing a great meal and playing some great music can really brighten someone’s day and give them hope if they’ve been hit by a natural disaster.�

For more information on Music Inc., please visit www.musicinc.com

For more information on the Leadership Ascension Response Kitchen project, please visit www.ascensionchamber.com/leadership.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®, 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 13,900 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.4 billion for year ended June 30, 2012.