Highlighting a return to the California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) campus for the school’s spring commencement, San Diego-based Meeting Services, Inc. deployed a JBL VerTec line array system for the class of 2011 celebration.
More than 20,000 graduates, faculty, staff, family and friends were in attendance for the University’s 20th commencement, which had returned to the University’s campus after having been staged at local fairgrounds over the past decade.
Meeting Services, Inc. was contracted to supply a complete audio solution for an outdoor event taking place in the middle of a quarter-mile athletic track on campus, that would not only impress those in attendance, but also those watching the event via live multimedia content streaming on the University’s website.
JBL VERTEC VT4889 fullsize line array elements, hung in left-right arrays of 10 per side, were precisely aligned for optimal coverage of the audience area. JBL Control 30 loudspeakers were used to provide VIP front fill coverage, while an AKG D5 microphone was clipped to the main podium. The event was mixed at the front of house position with a Soundcraft GB2 console.
“Being an early adopter of JBL’s VERTEC, I continue to rely on it as the go-to system in my inventory,” stated Ken Freeman, Technical Director for Meeting Services. “We have never owned a sound system that has lasted as long as our 10-year-old VT4889’s. I have put them through a lot over the years and they continue to impress.”
For the CSUSM commencement, Freeman once again relied on VERTEC to provide the ideal sound reinforcement solution.
“Not only did we have to make this first graduation on campus in a decade a huge success, but the event also had to give some sort of tangible return for the families and the students to symbolize the final chapter of their college careers,” Freeman said.
“As the event was streamed live, we had to make sure that the broadcast feeds were as pristine as was the sound in the venue. It was important to go out on a high note.”
Utilizing VERTEC to channel the voices of the students, faculty and administrators from stage to outdoor audience was an easy choice for Freeman, as the system is easy to set up and manage, regardless of audience size.
“The VERTEC system gave us tremendous results,” Freeman continued. “From ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ to the Valedictorian’s speech, the audio mix was evenly and accurately distributed throughout the large outdoor crowd.”
