Premier Production & Sound Services (PSS Sound) of Baton Rouge, LA, recently delivered a turnkey audio system with a range of Harman Professional components at the 325-seat Manship Theater (also in Baton Rouge) for the Manship Red Carpet Gala Fundraiser featuring Grammy-winning Rick Springfield.
Specifically, PSS ground-stacked three JBL Professional VTX V25 line array loudspeakers per side on top of three VTX S28 subwoofers in a cardioid configuration, joined by a VTX V25-VT vertical transporter per side, to deliver coverage to all three of the theater’s three levels. In addition, four JBL VerTec VT4886 subcompact line array loudspeakers served as front fills, with four more VT4886s on top of three VT4883 subcompact subs per side in cardioid configuration serving as side fills. Additional VT4883 subs with VT4886 handled drum fill, joined by 16 JBL SRX712M stage monitors.
All loudspeakers were powered by 36 Crown Audio I-Tech 12000HD and nine I-Tech 4x3500HD amplifiers, and mixed with a Soundcraft Vi6 digital console.
“Due to building constraints, we were unable to suspend the arrays, but thanks to the versatility of the VTX Series, we were able to get coverage for the entire room with such little gear,” says Brian Gordon, co-owner and head audio engineer of PSS Sound. “After calculating for vertical dispersion, the front fills were enough to cover half of the first level, with the three VTX V25 loudspeakers covering the rest of the house. We are pleased that the ground-stacked configuration gave us the vertical coverage and sound quality that the artist demanded.”
In another application, the Our Lady Of the Lake Foundation held its 29th Annual Gala at the Baton Rouge River Center, hosting a show for the regional Our Lady of the Lake hospital, starring Hall and Oates. PSS delivered sound reinforcement with eight JBL VTX V25 and four VT4886 down fill enclosures and six S28 subs in a cardioid configuration per side, supported by four VerTec VT4888 mid-size line array loudspeakers and four VT4886 per side for down fill per side, with four VT4886 loudspeakers for front fill.
“We wanted to run all the signals through the Vi6 before they hit the PA system, to avoid compromising on sound quality and to have control of the Gala function before the band took the stage,” notes Russ Bryant, co-owner and director of operations for PSS. “The cardioid configuration of the JBL loudspeakers was vital for this particular show, because it eliminated the low-end frequencies that the artist was very sensitive to.”
“The D2 driver is the most amazing thing I’ve ever heard, virtually eliminating half-order distortion, greatly reducing 2nd-5th harmonic distortion, and virtually eliminating modal-breakup to beyond the limits of human hearing in the extreme high-end frequencies,” adds Gordon.
The system was again powered by 36 I-Tech 12000HD and nine I-Tech 4x3500HD amplifiers, while the Soundcraft Vi6 served as the master control console. “With Crown amplifiers we have been very happy with the rock solid stability of the I-Tech HDs,” Bryant says.“The improved filters and V5 presets have made the combination unstoppable and we have been equally impressed with the newer 4x3500HD amplifiers which allow us to greatly diversify amp racks to do many different configurations.”
Another recent applications, the Groovin’ on the Grounds concert at Louisiana State University, allowed PSS to showcase its ability to put out a tremendous amount of power through JBL loudspeakers, which included 12 VTX V25 loudspeakers per side and nine S28 subwoofers per side, with eight VT4886 loudspeakers as down fills. All units were flown, except for four VT4886 loudspeakers and six SRX728 subwoofers on the ground functioning as front fills.
All 39 of the company’s Crown I-Tech 12000HD and 15 I-Tech 4x3500HD amplifiers were used to power the system, while the Soundcraft Vi6 console was used for FOH and monitors. For all three shows, JBL HiQnet Performance Manager and Harman HiQnet Audio Architect were used to design and adjust the system configurations.
“When using the software, we started with the V5 presets and moved forward with further tweaks based on the room and venue. This allowed us to be flexible in our design, even though the concert moved from the originally planned outdoor environment into an arena setting,” Bryant says. “The technological leap that the JBL D2 drivers made for high end clarity allowed us to deliver clear sound at these high powered venues, without distortion or feedback.”