EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN – NOVEMBER 2012: Football is central to the Michigan State University experience, and nearly 80,000 students and alums pack its Spartan Stadium at home games. Wearing green and white, they arrive electrified with school spirit and roar in a collective voice that, in most cases, drives the MSU Spartans to victory (they win nearly seven out of every ten games that they play at Spartan Stadium). Consistent with its importance to the school’s soul, MSU has regularly expanded the facility since it was first constructed with just 14,000 seats in 1923. This year, Spartan Stadium received a multi-million dollar audio/video systems upgrade, which included the Big Ten’s largest video board (5,412 square feet) at its south end, two auxiliary video boards at its north end, and a sound reinforcement system centered on Danley Sound Labs loudspeakers and subwoofers. Apart from fills, just six Danley Jericho J3s provide all of the new system’s full-range coverage with point source fidelity, excellent pattern control, and tremendous return on investment.

Led by Director of Audio Engineering Larry Lucas, Anthony James Partners conceived and designed Spartan Stadium’s new sound reinforcement system. Pro Media/UltraSound installed it under the guidance of Senior Designer and Engineer Demetrius Palavos, who managed the project from the germ of an idea to system commissioning and beyond. “There is definitely a shift occurring at the collegiate level that follows the shift that has been underway at the professional level for some time,� noted Palavos. “Everyone is recognizing that fans are routinely exposed to high-end home entertainment systems and car stereos. Even headphones and iPods offer a full-frequency experience. Such experiences have raised expectations for game day. School officials are now recognizing the need to meet those expectations at the collegiate level.�

At the same time however, budgets remain tight given the stark economic realities of shrinking endowments, state-mandated austerity measures, and charitable gifts that are, well, less charitable than they might have been a few years ago. “Danley systems have a lot to recommend them,� said Lucas, “but their most obvious advantage is an unprecedented return on investment for the client. Danley fidelity and coverage would be excellent at any price, but the actual price tag is tremendously low relative to that kind of performance. We were lucky at MSU because the Danley Jericho J3 had just become available during the designing stages.� Danley Sound Labs pioneered the Jericho series as a point-source alternative to the ubiquitous line array. Using Tom Danley’s unique insights and approaches, the J3 delivers appropriate SPL by distance while completely sidestepping the destructive interference that regularly degrades line array fidelity.

Whereas Spartan Stadium’s previous sound reinforcement system resided in the south end zone, Lucas designed the new system to fire only from the north end. “Previously, additional energy spilled out of the north side and into the community of East Lansing,� explained Lucas. “By placing all of the loudspeaker elements at the north side, we could be sure that any excess energy would spill out onto the campus instead.� Lucas’ design used the two smaller scoreboards on the north side as rigging points for the Danley Jericho J3s and Danley TH-812 subwoofers that support them. The scoreboards are approximately 200 feet apart, and the coverage from each effectively splits the stadium in two. “Firing 500 to 600 feet to the south end zone seating was the most complicated and difficult throw,� said Palavos. “It’s a balancing act to get that right and to still get even coverage and SPL at mid-field, beneath the clusters and the upper deck.�

The system affixed to the northeast scoreboard is a mirror image of that affixed to the northwest scoreboard. On each, a pair of stacked Danley Jericho J3s handle the far throw, whereas a single J3 handles the intermediate throw for the near- and medium-sideline stands. On each scoreboard, three vertically-stacked Danley TH-812 subwoofers collapse the low-frequency beam to provide throw. Ten smaller Danley SH-46 loudspeakers provide fill for areas on the north side of the stadium that are in the “shadows� of the larger boxes, such as very near the scoreboards and under the near balconies.

The system’s front end is straightforward. A Yamaha LS9 provides user control of input source selection and volume. Its output feeds a pair of Peavey MediaMatrix NION processors with Dante cards, which in turn feed HP ProCurve network switches over fiber. At each scoreboard, Lab.gruppen 7000- and 9000-series amplifiers power the Danley TH-812 subwoofers (with crossovers provided by the MediaMatrix NIONs) and the Danley SH-46 full-range loudspeakers. Prior to amplification for the Danley Jericho J3s, signal first enters a Danley DSLP48 processor. “In its processor, Danley has optimized the crossovers and processing necessary to get the very best performance from the J3,� explained Palavos. “You can’t really recreate that in another manufacturer’s processor.� All rack equipment is housed in environmentally-controlled conditions, which include both air-conditioning and heat. “Michigan starts its season humid and hot and ends it cold and snowy,� observed Palavos. An analog backup over fiber allows the system to operate even if the MediaMatrix NION or its Dante network go down.

Although never easy, tuning the new system at MSU was less challenging than it might have otherwise been because the Danley products are honestly specified and sound good out of the box. “In such a complex environment, having a well-designed and engineered product is essential,� said Palavos. “Danley does a good job of engineering up front, which means there is less time required at commissioning to get the system optimized. One of the surprises to the MSU staff was that the quality of their source material needed to be improved! With the previous system, they couldn’t hear what was lacking. But with the new Danley system, it was obvious.� Early reports indicate that the system measures +/- 3dB to each of the nearly 80,000 seats, a testament both to the Danley Jericho J3’s accuracy and to the skill of Lucas, Palavos, and their colleagues.

ABOUT DANLEY SOUND LABS Danley Sound Labs is the exclusive home of Tom Danley, one of the most innovative loudspeaker designers in the industry today and recognized worldwide as a pioneer for “outside the box” thinking in professional audio technology. www.danleysoundlabs.com

TEMPE, ARIZONA: The Wells Fargo Arena is the home of Arizona State University’s basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, and wrestling teams. At six stories high and with over 10,000 seats, it also hosts concerts, graduation ceremonies, and other events. Over its nearly forty years of service, the Wells Fargo Arena has had several sound reinforcement systems, all of which lacked power and were unintelligible to one degree or another. But that changed recently, when the school raised funds for a whirlwind renovation project that resulted in a new system centered on Danley Sound Labs full-range loudspeakers and subwoofers. The new system conveys impressive bass and highly-intelligible speech.

“From conception to commissioning, this job spanned a mere three weeks,� said Ron Klaus, design engineer with Phoenix-based Audio Video Resources (AVR). AVR had worked with Arizona State University on a number of projects in the past, and so the school trusted the firm to guide the project to a successful completion – even on such a compressed timeline. Anthony James Partners (AJP) served as the project consultant, and AVR partnered with the Arizona contingent of Clearwing Productions on the installation. Under the guidance of Project Manager Jared Bigelow, AVR managed the project and procured the equipment, whereas Clearwing Productions provided all of the speaker rigging, rack building, and cabling. Engineers at Danley Sound Labs designed the system in consultation with Anthony James Partners, Director of Audio Engineering, Larry Lucas.

The new system is comprised of a primary ring, together with a delay ring, for the upper tier. Twelve two-box hangs form the primary ring. On each, a Danley SH-69 delivers 60- by 90-degree coverage for the closest seats, whereas a narrower Danley SH-60 delivers 60- by 60-degree coverage for the mid-level seats. Twelve Danley SH-100s form the delay ring that covers the “nose bleed� section. Four Danley TH-118 subwoofers, one in each corner situated above a two-box hang, supplement the main boxes with generous low end. “The Danley engineers took the wire frame of the arena and optimized loudspeaker choice and placement in EASE,� explained Klaus. “The experts at Clearwing Productions turned those plans into reality, a process that was expedited by their familiarity with the rigging at the Wells Fargo Arena. Clearwing Productions is frequently contracted to do the staging for events at the Wells Fargo Arena.�

Everyone involved in the project, including Lucas and engineers from Danley Sound Labs, was present for the system commissioning. “The guys from Danley were very thorough,� said Klaus. “For example, they went into the processor and custom tuned the attack, release, and thresholds on the limiter for each box. It was well done.� Only two days after the booms were removed, the school was already sanding the floor to paint on new stripes for the rapidly approaching fall season.

“It’s an impressive system,� summarized Klaus. “Even when the arena is empty and its reverb time is hovering around five seconds, the direct sound coming from above is full and highly intelligible. Then you look up and realize that that big sound is coming from a couple of relatively small boxes. Moreover, the low-frequency extension is impressive, despite the fact that the system only possesses four subwoofers.� The Wells Fargo Arena marks the second largest Danley installation in the Grand Canyon State; further south, the University of Arizona’s football stadium employs four of Danley’s massive Jericho Horns to efficiently and effectively cover 52,000 seats.

Noted Mike Hedden, Danley Sound Labs’ president, “Using the current design trend, many design engineers would have chosen the line array approach. In comparison, the Danley Synergy Horn/Tapped Horn subwoofer solutions yield vastly better pattern control and frequency response in a fraction of the cabinets for substantially less money. Plus, from the time Danley Sound Labs received the order to the product being on the job sight was less than three weeks. Cutting edge technologies, delivered in extremely short time frames, at a very competitive price, these are some of the reasons Danley is enjoying such incredible growth.�

ABOUT DANLEY SOUND LABS Danley Sound Labs is the exclusive home of Tom Danley, one of the most innovative loudspeaker designers in the industry today and recognized worldwide as a pioneer for “outside the box” thinking in professional audio technology.
www.danleysoundlabs.com

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.

NORTHRIDGE, California – The House of Blues Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay hotel is one of Las Vegas’ premier concert venues—and it just upped the ante with the installation of HARMAN’s JBL VTX Series line array. The House of Blues hosts major touring acts and will be home to a 2-year residency by Carlos Santana, performing his “Greatest Hits Live: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow� through 2014. Sound Image of Escondido, California, designed and installed the JBL VTX system under the direction of Jason Schmidlapp, with support from Dave Kaiser of Sound Marketing West, HARMAN Professional’s regional sales rep firm.

The system includes two 13-box hangs of 10 VTX 25 line arrays and three VERTEC® VT4880A fullsize arrayable subwoofers on each side of the stage, complemented by six ASB7128 subwoofers under the stage and six VERTEC VT4886 subcompact line array elements for upper balcony fill. In addition, a JBL AC18 compact 2-way loudspeaker and ASB6112 compact 12-inch subwoofer are installed in each of the VIP suites.

“The House of Blues Las Vegas had gotten to the point where it really needed to upgrade its sound system,� said Dan Schartoff, VP of Production for House of Blues Entertainment. “The VTX boxes were a bit larger than the previous system so the suspension points had to change, and we also had to work around the room’s upper balcony. We had to move the array stacks slightly upstage and offstage to keep the sight lines to the stage clear. As it turned out, this enabled us to give patrons a better view of the stage since previously some of the speakers were stacked on the stage underneath the flown speakers. The better, more focused coverage of the VTX line arrays enabled us to eliminate the on-stage speakers while delivering much better sound.�

The upper balcony was a large hurdle to overcome, Schartoff noted. “The two array hangs are fairly close to the balcony, so we decided to install the subwoofers in the middle of both arrays. Six VTX V25 provide balcony coverage with three VT4880A flown in the middle of the array and four V25 for floor coverage,� he said. “The 13-box arrays were carefully designed to fit the available space and the bottom V25 enclosure of the balcony section is at the same elevation as the first row of the balcony, providing excellent off-axis coverage. The subwoofers are in the middle and close to the balcony surfaces, which helps to reduce reflections while at the same time allowing for improved under-balcony penetration since the lower V25 enclosures have line of sight coverage to the back of the room.�

The loudspeakers are powered by Crown IT 12000HD and XTi Series amplifiers. Loudspeaker management is performed via dbx DriveRack® 4800 speaker management systems. A Soundcraft Vi1 digital live sound console handles some front-of-house mixing duties. “We used HARMAN HiQnet System Architect™ software to do the setup and installation,� said Schmidlapp, “which really streamlined the whole process.�

“We were eager to do an installation with the new VTX line arrays as soon as we’d heard about them, and we bid on the House of Blues job, which would give us a great setting as a showcase room,� Schmidlapp noted. “If you’re going to go big, what better place to go big than Las Vegas? At the same time we were contracted to do the install, Carlos Santana was looking for someplace with a younger, hip clientele for his upcoming residency and chose the House of Blues. The timing wound up being perfect for us.�

The installation makes Sound Image the first company to install a JBL VTX system. “What a perfect deal—now, Santana is being showcased with the newest pro rig on the market,� Schmidlapp said. “I think Santana’s pretty impressed with it. Wait until you hear it!�

“Carlos Santana performing through a VTX line array system at the House of Blues Las Vegas is a match made in heaven,� said Paul Bauman, Senior Manager, Tour Sound for JBL Professional, who was instrumental in providing onsite support during the installation. “This project was truly a team effort under the guidance of Dan Schartoff and his team at Live Nation, coupled with Sound Image’s expert design and implementation and outstanding support from Sound Marketing West.�

“I can honestly say JBL hit the nail on the head with VTX—I can’t say enough about how good this box sounds,� said Rob Mailman, Touring Operations Manager for Sound Image and FOH engineer for Santana. “It is very transparent, solid throughout all bands and does really well not leaving me fatigued at the end of a long and loud show.�

For more information on the House of Blues Las Vegas, please visit http://www.houseofblues.com/venues/clubvenues/lasvegas/

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.

Vernal and Paris loudspeakers deliver music across 15,000-square-foot backyard

BOSTON, November 7, 2012 — The picturesque Long Island Sound waterfront has turned many visitors into homeowners. The area recently caught the attention of one Connecticut family looking for a new house. The family discovered the perfect home and embarked on an ambitious renovation from the ground up, building a new 13,000-square foot home complete with a backyard entertainment system featuring 13 Technomad weatherproof loudspeakers.

“The homeowners bought the property, knocked down the existing house, and built the new one to their specifications,� said David Kepke, owner of the NY-based Multimedia Resource Group, who spearheaded the installation. “This was a three-year project and the Technomad loudspeakers were the final touch, completing the outdoor entertainment system. Technomad delivers crisp, clear audio, and you never have to worry about weather damage. That’s why I keep coming back to them: stellar construction, versatility, and overall excellent sound quality.�

Multimedia Resource Group provides premium custom electronics systems for the home, office, and other private spaces such as yachts. Kepke worked closely with the homeowners and their architect, and designed the system to provide audio throughout the 15,000 square foot backyard.

“It’s a large open space, so to ensure smooth coverage across the entire yard I divided the area into three zones: the veranda, lawn area, and pool area,� said Kepke. “Each has its own group of Technomad loudspeakers, chosen to deliver even audio coverage at just the right output level.�

Kepke installed six Vernal loudspeakers in the veranda ceiling, four Paris loudspeakers beneath the veranda for the lawn area, and two Paris models with one Soho subwoofer for the pool area. He knew Technomad was the ideal fit based on his past experiences with the company, having used them extensively on a 280-foot luxury yacht and many other projects.

“This house is located right on the Long Island Sound waterfront, so the loudspeakers had to fully withstand moisture, rain, salt, and snow,� he said. “Technomad loudspeakers also come in a variety of sizes, colors, and output levels to fit virtually any application, so I had a lot to choose from. There was no doubt in my mind that Technomad was the only choice for the job.�

The six Vernal loudspeakers installed in the veranda ceiling, are mounted with custom stainless steel brackets that are also weather resistant. “The custom brackets allowed the Vernal loudspeakers to be mounted in such a way that they are recessed behind a trim ring. This allowed the architect to achieve the clean look they desired, and I was able to use a high-performance, completely weatherproof loudspeaker.�

According to Kepke, the lightweight Vernal was the sensible choice for the long, narrow veranda as it measures just 9.1 inches x 6.1 inches and weighs only 8.5 pounds. Kepke mounted the four Paris lawn zone area loudspeakers underneath the elevated veranda decking. The final two Paris loudspeakers and the Soho subwoofer were installed in a planting bed next to the pool.

“The integrated fly points, standard on all Technomad loudspeakers, made mounting under the veranda a very simple task,� said Kepke. “The homeowner didn’t want them visible in the pool area zone, so installing them in the planting beds made perfect sense. They face the lounge area and pool deck, and deliver full, rich, detailed sound.�

The system provides brilliant sound quality, plenty of flexibility and tremendous ease-of-use, thanks to a centralized control system. Crestron touch screens throughout the house offer the ability to control source and volume in any audio zone from anywhere inside or outside the house. This bodes well for entertaining a variety of guests.

“The homeowners can change the volume and select the source of music, using an iPod, iPhone, Sirius radio, Pandora, ReQuest music server or something else,� said Kepke. “They have several iPod docking stations strategically located throughout the home, and can use any one as a music source in any of the 24 zones. It’s simple to use, and the flexibility really appeals to them. Overall, the homeowners are extremely pleased, and they plan on entertaining in their outdoor space for years to come.�

ABOUT TECHNOMAD
Technomad LLC, founded in 1995, designs and manufactures loudspeaker systems for the professional audio and security/military technology industries. The company invented the first reliable full-range weatherproof loudspeaker and now offers nine models ranging in power from 60-watt loudspeakers to 1250-watt subwoofers — most available in Turnkey PA System packages featuring amplifiers, mixers and other signal processing equipment in pre-wired racks. The company also manufactures a variety of audio infrastructure and communications equipment including playback and recording systems, weatherproof power amplifiers and turnkey remote audio systems. Contact Technomad at 617-275-8898 or visit www.technomad.com for more information.

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Sharon Hill, PA, October 2012… Since its founding in 1891, Holy Spirit Catholic Church has held a special place in the hearts of Philadelphia-area residents. In the early years of the twentieth century, the church forged a reputation as one of the few non-segregated churches and parochial schools in the region.

Dedicated in 1961, Holy Spirit’s current sanctuary is a unique and welcoming space, resplendent with ornate woodcarvings, wrought iron, and magnificent stained glass, including perhaps one of the only works commemorating John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s inauguration as the country’s first Catholic president.

But the same elements that make the sanctuary so beautiful to behold also make it a rather acoustically challenging space. As Tony Albano of Avondale, PA-based Naamans Creek Audio Video explains, the room’s configuration is anything but ordinary.

“It’s a very different type of room,” says Albano. “The chapel itself is surrounded by smaller sub-chapels. The walls are largely brick, and the ceiling is about 30 feet high at its peak. It’s a complex space, and very reflective, and they’ve always had problems with intelligibility.”

To address the room’s sonic issues, Albano designed an audio system comprising four Community ENTASYS column line array loudspeakers. Two more ENTASYS columns provide delay toward the back of the room. A Crown CTS-4200 four-channel amplifier drives the system, with Rane RPM-88 providing system DSP.

“Their previous system had been pretty problematic,” says Albano. “Parishioners complained about loud volume but low intelligibility, particularly along the center seating areas. The ENTASYS columns were the ideal solution for focusing the sound away from the walls and windows and into the seating area where it belongs. Several of the church’s long-time parishioners have said that it’s the first time they could actually understand the priest’s sermon.”

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Community Professional Loudspeakers is a manufacturer and supplier of professional audio equipment.  Since 1968, Community has led the pro-audio industry with technological innovations which have become industry standards. Today, Community offers over 150 professional loudspeaker products, including installed loudspeaker systems, weather-resistant outdoor loudspeaker systems, ceiling loudspeakers, high level voice paging systems, and portable entertainment systems.  Visit www.communitypro.com for more information. 

NORTHRIDGE, California – Premier Production & Sound Services, LLC (PSS) of Baton Rouge, Louisiana is one of the region’s biggest sound companies, and on October 25 the company proved it, providing HARMAN’s JBL, Crown, dbx and BSS audio gear for no less than 14 locations throughout the area. The day gave PSS the chance to put its newly purchased JBL VTX Series line arrays into play at the “Le Plur/Red Bulletin� stage at the Voodoo Experience festival, which featured Skrillex, Die Antwoord, Dave Stewart, Thomas Dolby and other top artists performing for more than 100,000 fans at City Park in New Orleans.

“We recently purchased a number of the new JBL VTX Series V25 fullsize line array elements and S28 arrayable subwoofers, and the Voodoo Experience was the perfect proving ground because the Le Plur/Red Bulletin stage was inside a tent, which limited the height that was available to fly the main left and right clusters,� noted Brian W. Gordon, Co-Owner of PSS.

For the main PA system at the Le Plur/Red Bulletin stage, PSS hung six V25 elements per side and placed six S28 subs per side on the ground in a cardioid configuration. PSS also used four JBL VERTEC® VT4886 subcompact line array elements for front fill, 16 JBL SRX712M monitor wedges and three stacks each of two VERTEC VT4883 subcompact arrayable subwoofers plus four VT4886 loudspeakers for side fill. The speakers were powered by two racks that each housed 18 Crown IT 12000HD amplifiers, plus six IT 8000 amps for the monitors and three IT 4×3500 HD amps for the side fills. A Soundcraft Vi6 digital console was used for front of house mixing.

“This was the second year we provided sound for the Le Plur/Red Bulletin stage and even though we were more limited in the available space where we could deploy the speakers, the system had more horsepower and sounded fantastic, thanks to the VTX line arrays,� Gordon said.

For the Voodoo Le Carnival stage, PSS flew left-right arrays of four JBL VERTEC VT4888 midsize line array elements, four VT4886 line array elements and three SRX728S subwoofers on each side. Additional near-field left and right stacks included four VT4887A compact line array elements and three SRX728S subwoofers. Four VT4887A speakers also provided front fill, while PSS also provided 12 SRX712M stage monitors, one STX835 with two VRX918S subwoofers as side fill, and one STX835 with two VT4883 subwoofers as drum fill.

While the Voodoo Experience would qualify as a full weekend of work for any sound company, it was merely the tip of the iceberg for PSS. “We’re a big company and we’re used to doing things on a big scale, but the weekend of the Voodoo Experience was just crazy,� said Russ Bryant, Director of Operations and Co-Owner of PSS. “In addition to the Voodoo Experience, Harry Connick, Jr. at L’Auberge Casino and Hotel in Baton Rouge, the Live After Five concert series in Baton Rouge and the Belle of Baton Rouge Casino concert series, we also provided sound for events at Tulane University, the Sheraton Galleria, Sullivan’s Steakhouse, the Roux House, Los Diablos, a private show and inside and outside the Station Sports Bar and Grill. Altogether we took out more than 700 loudspeakers, amplifiers and other pieces of gear—not counting cables!�

“We also brought in the VTX line arrays for a very different situation—Harry Connick, Jr. at the L’Auberge Casino in Baton Rouge,� Bryant noted. “For this show we used six V25 mains and three S28 subs per side, along with four VT4886’s per side and four more for front fills, all driven by Crown I-Tech HD Series amps. This was a very different situation than the Voodoo festival, a quieter and more intimate indoor setting where clarity and nuance were paramount as opposed to rocking out 100,000 people. Again, the system sounded superb.�

How was PSS able to handle 14 stages and rooms in three days? “We have 20 engineers on staff,� said Russ Bryant, Co-Owner and Director of Operations for PSS. “We pride ourselves in providing systems for any application from a huge festival to an intimate club.�

“Using HARMAN’S HiQnet System Architect™, JBL HiQnet Performance Manager™, JBL’s Line Array II Calculator system setup software and the VERTEC V5 preset tunings makes it a lot easier and faster to set up our systems and make them sound great in any venue,� Gordon added. “In fact, we had an unusual situation at the Voodoo Le Carnival stage. The stage had both an inside and an outside area, with 1,000 people between the stage and the set of left and right stacks that were 25 feet from the stage. Because of the unconventional tent construction and location, those stacks were sort of like a hybrid between a front fill, a really powerful main system and a set of delay towers that were only 25 feet from the stage. The fact that all the HARMAN loudspeakers, amps and software all talked to each other really helped us sort out and optimize this unusual acoustic situation.�

For more information on Premier Production & Sound Services, LLC, please visit www.psssound.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.

The first full-range speakers to be accorded SVS’s lauded Ultra designation, this exciting new speaker lineup delivers stunning looks, unparalleled build quality, and a world-class audio experience.

Girard, OH – October 31, 2012 - SVS, a worldwide leader in high performance home audio products, proudly announces the launch of the Ultra series of full-range loudspeakers, designed to deliver uncompromised audio performance and boasting unsurpassed build quality and cost-no-object performance at a price that the average audio consumer can afford.

The SVS Ultra Series loudspeakers were designed for audio enthusiasts, by audio enthusiasts with over fifty years combined experience in the high-end audio arena, with a relentless passion for designing a stunning, acoustically impeccable loudspeaker that convincingly conveys the emotion of live music and home theater. The SVS Ultra series delivers a deep, detailed soundstage with incredible resolution, absolute transparency, and amazingly rich and articulated bass, outperforming speakers two and three times their price.

To achieve that goal, award-winning lead designer Mark Mason and his team began work on the lineup-which includes a gorgeous 45-inch tall upswept trapezoidal tower, a bookshelf speaker, center channel, and a truly unique and flexible surround speaker-by performing finite element analysis (FEA) on all of the proposed components in a sophisticated computer program that simulated the internal forces of each speaker and allowed for advanced engineering before the first prototype was ever built. As gorgeous as the speakers are, every angle, every surface, every dimension was tweaked with one ultimate goal in mind: pure acoustic perfection. Even the speaker grille design was subjected to this rigorous FEA to ensure the utmost in sonic transparency.

Once prototypes were constructed-with many parts being custom tooled exclusively for the Ultra series-further development was conducted at the world-renowned National Research Council (NRC) facilities in Ottawa, Canada, where each speaker underwent hours of anechoic chamber measurements and subsequent revisions to perfect the design. Final voicing was performed in the NRC’s famous IEC 268-13 standardized listening room, where Mason and SVS President Gary Yacoubian refined their performance in a real-world environment.

The result is a level of performance that even drastically more expensive loudspeakers cannot match. From top to bottom, the Ultra Tower that stands as the flagship of the lineup boasts top-grade components and high-end design features configured to deliver uncompromised, dynamic, distortion-free audio, with open, airy highs and the deep, tight, linear and powerful bass for which SVS is famous. Its unique SoundMatch 3.5-way crossover is designed so that only the top of the two 6.5-inch composite glass-fiber midrange drivers crosses over to the tweeter, while the bottom midrange driver works to ensure that off-axis performance is smooth and even, with a wider sweet spot and a more consistent sound across the entire room.

The Ultra Tower also employs SVS’s proprietary ForceFactor woofer array, with two 8-inch drivers horizontally opposed to eliminate cabinet vibrations, for reduced distortion and cleaner, tighter bass response. Since the Ultra Tower’s trapezoidal shape results in non-parallel surfaces-which serves to reduce standing waves within the cabinets themselves-each of the four UltraSonic woofers also fires in different directions into the room, reducing frequency response deviations throughout the listening space, and ensuring more consistent, powerful and accurate bass performance no matter where you sit.

Every other speaker in the Ultra series has been designed to complement the performance of the Ultra Tower, with flush-mounted drivers to reduce diffraction and improve on-axis high frequency response, along with rear-mounted bass reflex ports (on the Tower, Bookshelf, and Center) for phenomenal bass output and extension and minimal frequency response degradation.

The Ultra Center features vertically aligned midrange driver and tweeter for improved uniformity in horizontal dispersion and a consistent frequency response at all listening positions within a typical home theater environment, along with dual woofers for increased bass output and power handling. The Ultra Surround also promises to deliver an incredibly immersive and flexible multichannel sound experience. Designed with dual isolated crossovers for each tweeter and woofer, the Ultra Surround can operate in either bipole, dipole, or in SVS’s unique Duet configuration, which creates two separate speakers within one cabinet. In Duet mode, each speaker’s two discrete channels means that listeners can implement a true 7.1-channel surround sound experience using only two Ultra Surround speakers instead of the typical four.

“SVS has always been about delivering an unsurpassed audio value to people who, like us, are enthusiastic and passionate about great sound,” said Gary Yacoubian, SVS president and managing partner. “The Ultra series speakers also embody value because our team was meticulous in choosing build materials, design elements, and testing to achieve uncompromised performance, yet with pricing for a mainstream audio fan.”

SVS sells online, direct to the end user, and via select retailers. Pricing for the SVS Ultra Tower $1999 pair; SVS Ultra Bookshelf $999 pair; SVS Ultra Center $699; SVS Ultra Surround $1199 pair. The Ultra series speakers will begin shipping on November 20. The SVS Ultra series will be demonstrated this weekend during the Rocky Mountain Audiofest in Denver, Colorado.

For more information, please visit www.SVSound.com or like them on Facebook.

Glen Ellen, CA––For the last 26 years, the B.R. Cohn Winery and Olive Oil Company has held a Charity Fall Music Festival in the heart of the Sonoma Valley wine country.

Owner Bruce Cohn, who also manages the Doobie Brothers, is the guiding force behind this star-studded musical event that benefits a host of local charities. This year the bill featured the Doobie Brothers with Michael McDonald and Friends, Kenny Loggins, Buddy Guy, The Turtles, Dave Mason, War, Lara Johnston and others over a two-day period.

Sacramento Production Services provided audio and staging for the first time this year, largely on the recommendation of John Procaccini, Production Manager for the Festival and Doobie Brothers FOH Engineer Gary Hartung. Gary had worked with Martin Audio in the past and was familiar with the W8LC line array system and knew it would work well for the festival to provide better coverage and SPLs throughout the venue.

“The event was a real success,� explains SACPS’ Keith Wackford. “It’s the first time in 26 years that every act was on stage, on time. Kenny Loggins actually got onstage three minutes early! The crews and staff on both sides were great and we did a lot of hard work to make sure we had what we needed to pull this event off.�

According the Wackford, the main stage speaker system consisted of 9 Martin Audio W8LCs per side for the main hangs; 6 W8LCs a side for out fill; 14 ground-stacked W8LS subwoofers; two W2s for front fill; two WT3s for drum fill, 14 LE12J stage monitors and a pair of W8Cs with S218X subs per side for side fill.

Separate consoles were brought in for the festival; a pair of Yamaha PM5Ds at FOH and a pair of PM5Ds for Monitors. Three racks of Lab Gruppen PLM20Ks powered the system.

Crew for SACPS included Keith Wackford (FOH), Dwayne Wise (System Engineer), Rick Stansby (Monitor Engineer), and Evan Drath (Asst. Monitor Engineer). Rick Santell (Huey Lewis) was Stage Manager.

Asked about reaction to the Martin Audio system, Wackford enthuses “Everyone loved it. Fans at the Festival thought this was the best sounding year ever. The Doobie Brothers’ FOH and Production Manager said it was one their best years yet. At the end of the night when the trucks were loaded, John Procaccini said ‘you hit the ball out of the park’.�

For more about Martin Audio, please click to www.martin-audio.com.

About Martin Audio®
Founded by audio engineer David Martin in 1971, Martin Audio pioneered the use of all-horn-loaded bass designs in world-class touring loudspeaker systems for groups such as Pink Floyd, ELP and Supertramp. Located outside of London, Martin Audio now embodies a sophisticated mix of acoustic design, research, mathematical modeling and software engineering for a wide range of products in the installation, cinema and touring sound markets.

Sound Image's K1 system at St. Louis' Fox Theatre

ESCONDIDO, California — The Dukes of September Rhythm Revue — perhaps better known as Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs, along with a seasoned nine-member backup band — has now closed the final chapter on a very successful 43-show North American tour. The outing was a combined effort between Detroit-based Thunder Audio, which supplied the monitor package for Fagen, and Escondido’s Sound Image, which handled monitor packages for McDonald and Scaggs as well as provided FOH control and a full L-ACOUSTICS K1 system for the duration. more