NORTHRIDGE, California – It’s the start of the summer festival season, and tour sound provider Thunder Audio is thinking big, with an inventory that includes more than 50 HARMAN’s JBL VTX Series V25 line array loudspeakers, dozens of S28 and G28 subwoofers and enough Crown amplifiers to shake a stadium—how about 98 Crown I-Tech HD Series I-Tech 12000 HD amplifiers for one gig alone? Thunder Audio will be providing the audio for the Movement Electronic Music Festival, the Faster Horses Festival and the Electric Forest Music Festival and tours for Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bad Company and Marilyn Manson with Alice Cooper.

“This summer is shaping up to be an extremely busy one for us,� noted Greg Snyder, Business Development Manager for Thunder Audio. “We are using the JBL VTX Series on all of these festivals and tours because we feel that it is the best suited for a multitude of reasons.�

The Movement Electronic Music Festival will take place in Hart Plaza in Detroit on Memorial Day weekend and will feature more than 100 of the genre’s biggest artists including Deadmau5, Carl Craig, Moby and more. Thunder Audio will outfit the main Red Bull Music Academy stage with 18 V25 fullsize line array elements per side and four hangs of nine S28 subwoofers on the left and right of the stage, along with six V25 loudspeakers per side for outfill. Sixteen G28 ground-stacked subs will be deployed in a cardioid configuration for front fill, and side fills will include two S28 subs with two V25 loudspeakers on top. The system will be driven by a total of 98 Crown I-Tech 12000 HD amplifiers and connected through dbx DriveRack 4800 loudspeaker management systems via JBL HiQnet Performance Manager™ software.

Rothbury, Michigan’s Electric Forest outdoor music festival (June 27–30) will feature performers in the jam band and electronic music genres including The String Cheese Incident, Pretty Lights, Passion Pit and nearly 100 other artists. For this diverse musical lineup, Thunder Audio will provide 16 V25 line array elements per side for the main left and right hangs and out-hangs of nine V25’s per side, complemented by 12 S28 and six G28 subs per side, powered by 72 I-Tech 12000 HD amps with dbx DriveRack 4800.

The Faster Horses Festival is a 3-day country music and camping festival to be held in Brooklyn, Michigan on July 19–21. The featured artists include ACM Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley and Jason Aldean who will be joined by Kix Brooks, Florida Georgia Line and many others. The main stage system will include 18 V25 loudspeakers per side, with 12 V25’s flown per side for outfills and 12 JBL VERTEC® VT4888 midsize line array elements used for center and front fill. Twelve G28 ground-stacked subwoofers, 98 Crown I-Tech 12000 HD amps and dbx 4800 processing complete the system lineup.

Marilyn Manson and Alice Cooper will be livening up the summer tour scene with dates from late May through the end of June with an all-VTX system featuring two hangs of 14 V25’s per side and nine S28’s per side on the ground, all driven by 22 Crown I-Tech 12000 HD amplifiers per side. Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bad Company will also be hitting the road this summer and they’ll be packing a VTX system with two left and right main towers with 14 V25 loudspeakers each, along with two out-hangs of eight V25’s each, eight ground-stacked S28 subs per side and 22 Crown I-Tech 12000 HD powering each side.

“One of reasons we’ve used VTX for the past year is the sheer horsepower of the speakers and subs,� Snyder noted. “The extended low-end response of the S28 and G28 is incredible and the clarity of the V25 both outdoors and indoors rises above any other line array out there.� Snyder finds that the 15-inch woofers in the V25 make “a world of difference� and that the capability to change its crossover points from 80Hz to 60Hz enables Thunder Audio to optimize a VTX-based system for rock, electronic, country, jazz or any other type of music.

“After more than a year in the trenches using JBL VTX at a diverse number of events, I feel that VTX is a system that has established itself as something that’s going to set the standard for a long time,� Snyder concluded.

HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of audio, lighting and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson®, and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. 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 14,300 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.4 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012.

THOUSAND OAKS, California, May 21, 2013 – Memorial Day barbecues herald warmer weather and bring families together to enjoy the best backyards in the neighborhood. Don’t sacrifice the sun for the sake of the big game on TV or family photo slideshows—a SunBriteTV all-weather television brings outdoor entertainment to your patio.

“A SunBriteTV is as much a social device as it is a television,� said Tom Dixon, VP of Marketing, SunBriteTV. “Families want to show off their backyard during the summer and a SunBriteTV becomes an immediate conversation-starter. Being able to simultaneously watch your favorite sport and lounge under the sun is like getting the best of both worlds.�

As a new outdoor haven for the kids by day and family home theater under the stars by summer night, a SunBriteTV continues to impress long after the big party. What’s more, the Signature Series comes with a family-friendly price tag: $1,495 for a 32� $2,795 (46�), $3,995 (55�) and $6,995 (65�).

All SunBriteTV models withstand temperatures from -24°F to 122°F and completely resist rain, humidity, salt corrosion, dust, and insects. Anti-glare screens are specially designed to deliver bright high-definition images in any outdoor climate, any time of day or night.

Every SunBriteTV includes a two-year warranty, a weatherproof remote, and 20 watt built-in speakers.
Optional accessories include a variety of wall-, ceiling- or pole-mount installation solutions, dust covers and FM Radio.

For more information on SunBriteTV please visit www.sunbritetv.com.

About SunBriteTV
SunBriteTV’s all-weather televisions have been time-tested in home installations, outdoor sports arena, restaurant and hotel patios and even on military vehicles participating in field operations. All models are available through SunBriteTV’s network of Authorized Dealers. To inquire about becoming an Authorized Dealer, contact SunBriteTV at 866.357.8688, or visit the Dealer Inquiry page at www.sunbritetv.com.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – HARMAN’s dbx today announced it is offering a mail-in rebate program for its DriveRack PA+ Complete Loudspeaker Management System, DriveRack PX Powered Speaker Optimizer, 266xs and 166xs Compressor/Limiter/Gate. Customers who purchase these products from a participating dbx dealer can receive a $100 mail in rebate from dbx on the DriveRack PA+ and DriveRack PX, $75 mail in rebate on the 266xs and $50 on the 166xs. The program is effective May 1, through June 30, 2013. Please see www.dbxpro.com for redemption details.

“The DriveRack PA+, DriveRack PX, 266xs and 166xs are four of our most popular products for their ability to significantly improve the performance of a live sound rig or studio recording, and our mail-in rebate program gives customers the opportunity to purchase these products at unbeatable values,� said Noel Larson, Market Manager, Portable PA, Tour, Recording at HARMAN Signal Processing.

The best selling dbx DriveRack PA+ enables a loudspeaker system to be quickly and accurately optimized for any venue with features like Auto EQ™, Auto Level™, stereo feedback elimination, classic dbx input compression, built-in preset tunings for JBL loudspeakers and Crown amplifiers and more. The DriveRack PX Powered Speaker Optimizer is the first processor specifically tailored for powered speakers and offers Auto EQ, Advanced Feedback Suppression (AFS™), dbx’s patented Subharmonic Synthesizer™ and many additional features.

The #1 selling dbx266xs and dbx166xs gives users more dynamic control over their live sound and studio recordings to create a more polished, professional sound. Adding compression to the audio chain evens out levels, adds sustain to guitars, gives added presence and provides additional benefits, while limiting and gating provide additional dynamic control and noise reduction.

HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of audio, lighting and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson®, and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. 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 14,300 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.4 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Ash Milton and Dan Goudie have been close friends since their school days and followed similar paths as professional musicians ultimately finding their way into the studio. Today that work together continues as one of the UK’s premier production and songwriting teams, Laconic. The duo works with well-known UK pop bands creating albums, EPs and songs, using HARMAN’s Lexicon 480L and PCM Native Reverb Bundle.

“We’ve been using Lexicon for around 10 years and in every studio we’ve worked in there have always been Lexicon products,â€� said Ash. “Lexicon effects always seem to give us real depth but tend not to muddy a mix in the way others might. Having the option of both hardware and software that we can rely on and is also easy to use means we can focus on the music.â€�

Laconic’s recent work includes the Barbados/UK band Cover Drive, whose first album saw great success in 2012, producing three top-10 singles in the UK (including a No.1). Laconic is also working with X-Factor’s District 3 on its debut EP as well as bands from ITV’s The Big Reunion. The guys have previously worked with Lawson, Katy B and The Saturdays and collaborated with companies such as Sony and Amnesty International on ad campaigns and computer game music.

Although the PCM Native Reverb Bundle offers seven exclusive Lexicon reverbs and effects and hundreds of studio presets, Dan is drawn to the Vintage and Chamber plates. “The sound is so smooth. It’s great that Lexicon reverb hardware units and the software bundle cover all bases but don’t skimp on quality. It’s all of the highest standard,� said Dan. “We love the vintage plate, especially on vocals. We’re also big fans of the chamber plate, which we prefer on guitars and synths as it gives us a more unique character.�

“Laconic’s diverse production portfolio is a testament to just how versatile the Lexicon hardware and software can be in studio applications. We appreciate hearing about long-term users such as Laconic having successfully transitioned from our hardware to software platforms because they believe in the sonic integrity of our reverb plug-ins,� stated Noel Larson, Market Manager, Portable PA, Tour and Recording for HARMAN Signal Processing.

The Lexicon PCM Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle is designed to work with popular DAWs like Pro Tools and Logic, as well as with any other VST®, Audio Unit™ or RTAS®-compatible platform. Compatible with Windows® Vista, XP and 7 and Macintosh® computers, it offers seven unique Lexicon’s plug-ins including Vintage Plate, Plate, Hall, Room, Random Hall, Concert Hall and Chamber, along with hundreds of presets including classics from Lexicon’s extensive library of sounds.

For more information on Laconic please visit: www.laconicmusic.co.uk.

HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of audio, lighting and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson®, and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. 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 14,300 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.4 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012.

NORTHRIDGE, California – HARMAN’s JBL Professional today announced that it is the Official Speaker Provider for The American Pavilion at the 66th Cannes Film Festival, which takes place May 15–26 in Cannes, France. The American Pavilion is the center of activity at the Cannes International Film Festival for the American film community, offering membership for professionals, provocative and insightful programming, immersive student programs, the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase and more.

JBL is providing four CBT 70J-1 column loudspeakers for The American Pavilion, which is located within the International Village. Because of the CBT 70J-1′s studio-grade drivers and JBL’s exclusive CBT pattern control, the loudspeakers provide the American Pavilion with superb sonic fidelity and even coverage throughout the space. The system includes four JBL CBT 70J-1 column loudspeakers instead of the 20 distributed loudspeakers that had previously been considered.

The CBT’s “Asymmetrical Progressive Gradient Coverage” sends more sound to the far area of the listening space than to the close areas. This allows sufficient sound to reach the far listeners without overwhelming listeners that are positioned closer to the loudspeakers.

The very wide 150-degree horizontal coverage allows more area in the pavilion to be covered from fewer loudspeaker locations and to ensure that off-axis listeners still hear the same quality of sound as on-axis listeners. Two of the speakers are located at the edge of the tent area, allowing them to also cover the listeners on the deck, who were not covered in previous years. In addition, the low-profile design of the CBT Series provides the pavilion with world-class sound while maintaining a visually discreet appearance.

With the ability to cover the area with fewer speakers, the entire system is driven from a single powered mixer, as opposed to the complexity of a rack system. With the power available from the existing powered mixer, each speaker is powered with 125 Watts.

“We are honored to be named as the Official Speaker Provider for The American Pavilion at Cannes,� said Brian Divine, Director of Marketing, JBL Professional. “JBL has a storied history in cinema, and this year attendees at The American Pavilion can look forward to enjoying the powerful, immersive and nuanced sound that JBL is known for.�

“We are thrilled to have the cutting-edge technology that JBL Professional brings to the table, which will give our members a sound experience beyond compare for all our programming this year,” said Julie Sisk, Founder of The American Pavilion at Cannes.

HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of audio, lighting and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson®, and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. 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 14,300 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.4 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN PAVILION
Celebrating its 25th year bringing professionals and emerging filmmakers together, The American Pavilion is the center of activity for the American film community at the Cannes International Film Festival.

Since its debut at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival, The Pavilion has served as a hospitality and communications hub for the thousands of Americans attending the Cannes Film Festival and Marché, providing an impressive array of facilities and services, including membership for the international film community, provocative and insightful programming, the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase, immersive student programs, and more.

For its corporate sponsors, scores of American participants, and hundreds of exhibitors and office holders, The American Pavilion accommodates the need for information, orientation and recreation, providing both a dynamic business environment and an opportunity to relax in comfortable surroundings for the duration of the Festival.

With a panoramic view of the Bay of Cannes and just a few steps from the Palais des Festivals, where all the major Festival films are premiered, The American Pavilion is now a permanent fixture on the Cannes landscape, proving to be the perfect place to transact business, share ideas and effectively reach the thousands of affluent international travelers who attend the Festival every year.

For more information, visit www.ampav.com.

MILAN, Italy – Italian state broadcaster, RAI, has taken delivery of its first four Studer Vista 9 digital mixing consoles from Italian distributors Leading Technologies (LT) — including a production console for the control room at the famous La Scala Theatre in Milan (Teatro alla Scala). All formed part of a single tender resulting from a unilateral decision to move up to Studer’s Vista 9 platform.

The new console has been installed in the RAI control room at the theatre, replacing the previous Vista 8, and will be used for live broadcasting for radio and TV, as well as recording of operas and classical concerts. This will meet the venue’s wish for upgraded facilities within the Vista architecture, with the emphasis on 5.1 production.

According to LT’s Studer product manager, Mauro Bucchia, the RAI sound engineers were keen to maintain working with the Vistonics interface. “The TFT based metering in the Vista 9 has provided additional facilities but a further advantage for them was the SCore Live engine, which doubles the DSP capacity, and which the existing Vista 8 doesn’t have.�

The desk is configured with 64 Mic inputs from the stage plus Line and AES I/O for local effects and machines and two MADI interfaces for multitrack recorders.

This is one of four Vista 9s supplied by the Studer distributors, who over the years have provided Studer solutions for all four RAI production centres — in Milan, Rome, Turin and Naples.

A further Vista 9 has been installed in the RAI auditorium in Turin, supplied along with a Vista Compact Remote Bay to work in parallel. Replacing the venue’s previous digital console, this will be used for live broadcasting or the recording of classical music, since Turin is the base of the RAI National Symphony Orchestra.

The state broadcaster took the decision based on the success they had enjoyed with earlier Vistas, and their familiarity with the desk ergonomics.

The other stand-out features which defined this decision were the TFT metering and the HISTORY mode, which records events such as overloads in the audio path of each channel, and highlights them in red on the channel waveform. This enables the operator to review which channel had such an event, up to 30 seconds after the event has occurred.

The Vista 9 is configured with 88 Mic inputs plus Line and AES I/O for local effects and machines and two MADI interface for multitrack recorders.

At their Rome broadcast facilities, RAI has similarly upgraded its former digital desk to a Vista 9 in the radio production centre of a general purpose studio, which is predominantly used for live music, talk shows and drama. Once again, the HISTORY mode and TFT metering features will future proof the studio’s needs.

This Summer, another studio, identical to the first one, will be upgraded with the second Vista 9 assigned to Rome. Both Vista 9 consoles have the same configuration, with 48 Mic inputs plus Line and AES I/O for local effects, and MADI link to the studio’s monitor mixer.

This is the latest in a long list of Studer desks supplied by LT to Italy’s state broadcaster. Aside from the four Vista 9s, this includes two Vista 7 and a Vista 5 (for radio), as well as two Vista 8s and three Vista 5s for television broadcast.

HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of audio, lighting and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson®, and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. 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 14,300 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.4 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012.

VIENNA, Austria – On the same stage where Elvis Presley set the Las Vegas record for consecutive sold-out shows, a collection of classic rockers from decades past are revisiting rock music 1,000 years in the future for “Raiding The Rock Vault� at the Las Vegas Hotel (LVH). Boasting “the greatest set list ever,� the show is exclusively miked with HARMAN’s AKG handheld, wireless and in-ear monitoring systems for the perfect sound to pay homage to rock’s greatest bands and songs.

Written by GRAMMY®-Award-winning producer David Kershenbaum and John Payne of Asia, “Raiding The Rock Vault� takes the audience back to Earth, which was destroyed by a meteor. A search team, whose families were saved by a lottery system centuries before, are searching for time capsules left behind by today’s humans. They quickly stumble on the “Rock Vault� and an energetic flashback ensues with music from the 1960s through the ‘90s.

The all-star rocker cast is comprised of Howard Leese [guitar] (Heart), Tracii Guns [guitar] (LA Guns, Guns n’ Roses), Robin McAuley [lead vocals] (MSG, Survivor), John Payne [lead vocals and bass] (Asia), Paul Shortino [vocals] (Rough Cutt, Quiet Riot), Jay Schellen [drums] (Hurricane, Asia), Andrew Freeman [lead vocals and guitars] (Lynch Mob, The Offspring) and Michael T. Ross [keyboards] (Lita Ford, Hardline, Angel).

A full range of AKG microphones and wireless systems are deployed throughout the entire stage. Sixteen channels of AKG DMS700 V2 wireless run through the venue for all of the guitars, which are connected through PT700 V2 transmitters. WMS4500 wireless systems are used for vocalists – 12 channels in all – with HT4500 D5 and D7 capsules for the singers and PT4500 transmitters for the four actors. Twelve channels of IVM4500 are used for in-ear monitoring, with AKG’s new HELICAL antennas for transmission.

“We’ve been impressed with the entire line of AKG, especially the wireless systems. We have a multimedia show here and AKG is the perfect choice for every application,� stated Keith Marks, production coordinator for Rock Vault. “With our intricate setup and the amount of frequency traffic in Las Vegas, the AKG systems are seamless, easy to scan and provide us with a fantastic sound. AKG makes it easy – anything you put into them will sound great!�

Lesse’s mics include two AKG D40 microphones and a D7; Guns uses two D40’s and a D7; Payne’s guitars are miked with C214’s and C4500’s, with a D7 mic for vocals; Shortino uses the HT4500 D5 capsule and McAuley and Freeman rely on the HT4500 D7 capsule for vocals.

Schellen, who mixes his own mics and in-ears for his performances, has been a member of the AKG family for 20 years. He wanted to continue ensuring his sound was nothing short of perfect when he signed up for the show. “It’s a true drum sound through the mics,� he said. “That’s why I’ve been with AKG for so long.�

Schellen’s mics include two D112’s for outer kicks, two D12 VR’s for inner kicks, six D40’s on toms, a D40 on the timbales, two C214’s for overheads and a C214 on the hi hat.

“I’ve been a lover of AKG as both a producer and performer, touring for the last 30 years, while experimenting with a myriad of other, less-impressive microphones,� stated Payne. “This show is an educational experience – a ‘rockumentary’ of sorts – and it’s important to express the significance of the music of each era with an amazingly developed sound rig. These songs are the inspiration to rock and roll and AKG has been essential, helping us pay tribute to our colleagues and friends.�

For more information about AKG, please visit http://www.akg.com and http://www.youtube.com/AKGacoustics. For more information on “Raiding the Rock Vault,� please visit http://www.raidingtherockvault.com

HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of audio, lighting and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson®, and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. 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 14,300 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.4 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012.

LONDON, England – Over the years, London based live production company ARC Sound has produced many corporate functions in the Underglobe, the events space situated beneath London’s famous Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. But since the reconstruction in wood of the original Elizabethan playhouse on the Thames South Bank, a full production set up has never been allowed, or indeed attempted, in the main theatre space itself.

However, all that has now changed. To celebrate the Bard’s birthday this month, a concert audio production set-up was allowed into the 1500-capacity space for the first time. As James Dougill’s company has a long standing contractor relationship with the venue, they were asked to plan and produce a working solution which would meet both the technical requirements of the performances, whilst also being sympathetic to the unique nature of the building.

Billed as ‘an evening of music and magic’ ARC Sound dipped into their extensive inventory, and deployed a JBL VerTec line source array loudspeaker system and Soundcraft Vi series digital mixing consoles as the key sound reinforcement components.

“This production was unique, as The Globe hasn’t allowed anything this ambitious to take place previously,â€� confirmed Dougill. “I am certain eyebrows were raised initially when all these flight cases started appearing in a venue made entirely out of wood. But the fact we were able to achieve this without creating any noise pollution was down to the detailed pre-production planning we undertook before the event.â€�

They also ensured that the main loudspeaker system complied with the maximum weight load of no more than a ¼-tonne to the oak beams in the theatre’s ceiling.

Headlining were The Magic Numbers, supported by singer songwriter Johnny Flynn, along with magicians Barry and Stuart, Piff The Magic Dragon and Chris Cox. With the exception of the Magic Numbers all other performances took place on an oval thrust, which was in front of the main loudspeaker array hangs.

For the main PA, ARC Sound suspended two symmetrical hangs of six JBL VERTEC® VT4887A compact line array elements, with two pairs of JBL VT4880A subs recessed under the stage apron. Each driver was individually addressed to provide alignment delay in a mini-cardioid configuration. Added to this were two fill clusters, each comprising three JBL VRX928LA Constant Curvature loudspeakers.

The ARC Sound director explained the rationale behind the design. “Although the throw distance was quite small, the coverage we required was steep—and since we were unable to suspend any further weight from the theatre ceiling, we opted for sharply angling back the VRX clusters. The key criteria here was the vertical coverage required to distribute sound evenly from the downstage edge right up to the third tiered balcony.�

The system was set up using a combination of the VERTEC LAC2 (JBL’s dedicated line array calculator) and Smaart field analysis, coupled with the company’s own extensive experience of deploying and using the products.

With a thatched open roof, James Dougill was mindful of the potential hazards of sound spill encroaching onto the Thames. “I wanted to get the boxes up into the air, focussed downwards, rather than on the ground pointing up,� he said. “Monitoring the volume during the show was more a question of using common sense than the SPL metering and LAeq measurement equipment we’d set up.�

At front of house ARC Sound fielded their Soundcraft Vi4, with 64-channel software upgrade, while down at the stage Raghav Narula was responsible for all of the onstage monitor mixes (also operating at near 64-channel capacity on one of the company’s Soundcraft Vi1 consoles).

James Dougill mixed the house sound, before creating a generic FOH set up (and an external rack of FX) for The Magic Numbers’ sound engineer Max Bisgrove — but instead, Max preferred to use all the desk’s internal reverbs and FX.

Summing up, Dougill said the quality of the amplified sound could hardly have been better. “The full range of VERTEC and VRX loudspeakers we stock gives us a very broad tool set to work with, and can be consistently relied upon to deliver. Their profile was ideally suited to this application, and if the glowing comments we’ve received about the sound quality are anything to go by, we got it right.

“It was a huge privilege to have been involved in this project — and The Globe were so delighted they are already talking about the next event.�

JBL and Soundcraft products were originally supplied to ARC Sound by HARMAN’s UK distributor, Sound Technology Ltd.

HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of audio, lighting and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson®, and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. 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 14,300 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.4 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012.

LONDON, United Kingdom – HARMAN’s Soundcraft helped The London Community Gospel Choir (LCGC) into the Guinness Book of Records last weekend when experienced sound engineers Raphael Williams and monitor engineer Nikoma Bell specified 96- and 64-channel Soundcraft Vi6 consoles respectively to mix the largest gospel choir ever assembled on a stage.

The event was to celebrate LCGC’s 30th anniversary—with a 3-day series of performance and workshops at London’s South Bank over the Bank Holiday weekend. The highlight was the concert at the Royal Festival Hall on the Sunday, and since this was being multi-tracked for a live album and DVD, recording engineer Simon Changer also had a third, remote 96-channel Vi6, isolated in the back control room.

In order to beat the previous record of 1,138 voices singing together in concert conditions, LCGC invited 30 other gospel choirs from across Europe to participate, so that the front tier stalls of the hall also became a performance area for the extended choir (leaving the audience to occupy the balcony/under-balcony seats and upper tiers). The show included X Factor runner-up Jahmene Douglas and Magic FM DJ Angie Greaves — and the existing record was broken thanks to an ensemble of 1169 vocalists performing simultaneously.

All the sound equipment was provided by Richard Nowell Sound Systems (RNSS), who have also installed a series of Soundcraft Vi series digital desks into the South Bank venues. The choice by Williams and Bell to use the Vi6’s was a no-brainer as both are staunch devotees of the platform, and have previously used this winning combination on tour with TinieTempah.

“In fact it was Nikoma who first introduced me to the Vi6,� exclaimed the FOH engineer. “Since then I’ve become a Soundcraft man through and through.�

With a strong background in church music, he had been contacted by the Choir “because they knew I had an understanding of their requirements.� He started out with a minor role back in 2010 before choir principle, Rev Bazil Meade, earmarked him for the lead role for this project.

While the choir itself, directed by Becky Thomas, features 50 singers, the prospect of micing up nearly 1200 vocalists created a number of logistical pressures as he set about providing a large inventory of industry standard close and ambient/overhead mics from the RNSS inventory.

Raphael, who also acted as overall technical adviser, explained the challenge he faced in compacting his line inputs. “First of all I put together a complete list of what could happen in a perfect world; we started at 150ch consisting of band, acoustic section and vocals, with 40 direct mics, and a further 48 dotted around the hall. But closer to the time I reined it in and made it more realistic in keeping with the 96ch desk count, with nine direct mics for the main members of the choir and 12 large diaphragm mics for the remainder. These are dotted around the stage for the choir to look more artistic.�

He ended up filling his Vi6 to capacity with 30 band and 21 LCGC mics, plus four radio and 24 mics for the extended choir, eight ambient mics within the room and some playback tracks from the hard disc recorder.

“What I like about the Vi series is ultimately the sound, which is clear, crisp and clean. The gain structure allows you enough headroom, in a sense the more you put in the more it gives out.�

“I also like the usability — it’s very easy to move around on and because of the Vistonics [interface] each screen is independent and so you can do two things at once — it makes things flexible.�

With the channel count that was required to handle the recording workflow of 96ch to a MADI device, he had to think carefully about his card configuration. “To get all 96 ins and 96 outs I had to swop some of the cards to get more MADI outs,� he explained.

Raphael’s solution was to design a 4-card MADI card configuration based on 64ch In, 32ch Out (Card 1); 32ch In, 0ch Out (Card 2); 64ch In, 64ch Out (Card 3); 24ch In, 32ch Out (Card 4).

This provided 184ch In workflow (but only 96ch active at any one time), and 128ch Out workflow (but only 96ch active at any one time).

However, after considering his dilemma, Raphael acknowledged with a smile, “Nikoma probably had it tougher than me, mixing monitors down at the stage.�

The monitor engineer himself commented, “The Vi6 is always my desk of choice; there are other great desks out there but I can configure and use the Vi with my eyes closed, often getting 80% of the mix sorted via the offline software before even switching the desk on. It sounds amazing too!

“The ability to configure the show offline really helped on this occasion due to the channel count. I was using every input and output, seeing 64 lines from stage then 12 return lines from FOH, as well as my effect returns and local inputs. But as I could configure the console on the train to rehearsals it saved a lot of time, allowing the band to get on with what they needed to do.�

The final word came from Musical Director/Production Manager, Ayo Oyerinde. “The Soundcraft Vi6 was the central hub that enabled us to break the world record for the largest choir ever. From FOH, monitors to multi-track recording, the Vi6 took care of it all with the highest quality sound.�

The event was promoted by LCGC with MVLS Music.

HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of audio, lighting and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson®, and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. 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 14,300 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.4 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012.

Thousand Oaks, California, May 6, 2013 – This Mother’s Day, help Mom bring the family together for summertime parties with an all-weather outdoor SunBriteTV.

SunBriteTV’s are designed for permanent outdoor use and starting at just $1,495, creating a modern outdoor entertainment area is now practical and affordable. Family movie nights under the stars, graduation parties, backyard BBQs- any outdoor get-together is complemented by the addition of a SunBriteTV.

“There’s no better way to thank a mother than with a gift that will get the whole neighborhood talking,� said Tom Dixon, Vice President of Marketing, SunBriteTV. “SunBriteTV’s are discussion-starters that will have your friends and family anxious to come back for the next party!�

All SunBriteTV models withstand temperatures from -24°F to 122°F and completely resist rain, humidity, salt corrosion, dust, and insects. Anti-glare screens are specially designed to deliver bright high-definition images in any outdoor climate, any time of day or night.

Every SunBriteTV includes a two-year warranty, a weatherproof remote, and 20 watt built-in speakers.
Optional accessories include a variety of wall-, ceiling- or pole-mount installation solutions, dust covers and FM Radio.

For more information on SunBriteTV please visit www.sunbritetv.com.

About SunBriteTV
SunBriteTV’s all-weather televisions have been time-tested in home installations, outdoor sports arena, restaurant and hotel patios and even on military vehicles participating in field operations. All models are available through SunBriteTV’s network of Authorized Dealers. To inquire about becoming an Authorized Dealer, contact SunBriteTV at 866.357.8688, or visit the Dealer Inquiry page at www.sunbritetv.com.