Backstage Pass to 8 Pro Audio & Lighting Shows Rocking Live Entertainment

After a challenging couple of years, live music is back in full force. Tours, residencies and festivals are returning and filling venues to capacity. Iconic HARMAN Professional brands like JBL, Martin, Crown, AKG, BSS and Soundcraft are providing touring artists and suppliers as well as live venues everything they need to deliver electrifying fan experiences in any performance space from clubs to stadiums. Leading entertainment teams, AV integrators, lighting designers and industry publications shared how HARMAN technologies are being integrated to craft unforgettable moments.

“… JBL VTX loudspeakers and subs and Crown I-Tech HD amplification to provide a sweeping 270 degrees of coverage.”

JBL and Crown Power Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin on Tour
When Latin pop superstars Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin joined forces for a 26-date co-headlining North American tour, the fiery double bill called for a PA system that could bring the heat in every venue. Tour supplier Sound Image met the challenge by designing a rig based around JBL VTX loudspeakers and subs and Crown I-Tech HD amplification to provide a sweeping 270 degrees of coverage.

“…The house rig was based around JBL Professional dual-12 VTX A12 loudspeakers, which on average were flown 24 cabinets deep per side in the main arrays left-and-right along with nine VTX S28 subwoofers…” Courtesy of Live Sound International, February 2022. Learn more.

Eric Church and Martin MAC Ultra Performance Shine a Light on the Fan Experience
In fall 2021, Eric Church set out on the Gather Again tour in support of his new triple album, Heart & Soul. For the lighting team, the challenge was to design a rig that covered both the audience and the band in a way that reinforced the intimate nature of the shows while providing arena-scale coverage. The crew selected Martin MAC Ultra Performance LED moving-head profile fixtures, making the Gather Again tour the first to feature the lights.

Explore how MAC Ultra Performance moving-head lights support Eric Church’s return to the road.

“Eric wanted to do an in-the-round style tour because it’s a more communal experience,” said lighting director Gavin Lake. “So when it came to lighting, we wanted it to be good from every direction … We put the [Martin MAC] Ultras into the design before seeing them, but when we finally saw the demo, I knew we’d made the right choice.” Learn more.

Watch this video to see why the legendary Ryman Auditorium selected JBL for an upgrade of its iconic sound.

Nashville’s Iconic Ryman Auditorium Gets a Sonic Refresh With JBL VTX
For more than 125 years, Nashville, USA’s Ryman Auditorium has built a reputation as being one of the world’s most beloved music entertainment venues. Since 1994, the Ryman has chosen JBL loudspeakers, again and again, to ensure that artists sound their very best from every seat in the house. For the latest refresh, the Ryman team wanted to improve sonic consistency, especially in under-balcony sections that suffered from limited sight lines and uneven coverage.

“We greatly improved the under-balcony experience for clarity,” says Opry FOH engineer Les Banks. “It’s not so much volume; it’s definitely coverage. You want everyone who bought a seat to have the same experience. That was the goal.” Learn more.

Martin VDO Sceptron and VDO Dotron fixtures created a stunning hangar-like environment for the Aairport Festival.

Martin VDO Sceptron and Dotron Put on a Dazzling Show at Denmark’s Aairport Festival
Aairport Festival is Denmark’s first music festival dedicated exclusively to electronic dance music. Aairport organizers hired Sound & Light and its resident lighting designer Mikkel Stoklund Moltzen to provide visual design. With the help of Danish lighting provider LiteNordic, Moltzen used Martin VDO Sceptron and Martin VDO Dotron fixtures to create a stunning hangar-like environment to match the festival’s airport-inspired theme. Fixtures were programmed using Martin’s innovative P3 System Controller to bring visual content to life.

“We chose (Martin VDO) Sceptron and Dotron fixtures because of how simple and easy they are to use, along with their ability to plug and play with the Martin P3 System Controller. The festival’s production team and I were extremely satisfied with the way the (Martin VDO) Sceptron and Dotron fixtures integrated…” Learn more.

To meet the Los Bukis tour’s needs, AV integrator Sound Image turned to JBL VTX V Series speakers and Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers.

Mexican Music Legends Los Bukis Tap JBL VTX and Crown I-Tech HD for Reunion Stadium Tour
Founded in 1975 by cousins Marco Antonio and Joel Solís, Los Bukis are one of the most beloved Latin music groups of the 20th Century. In August 2021, Los Bukis embarked on their first tour in over two decades, performing in stadiums across North America for a multi-generational fanbase. To meet the tour’s needs, AV integrator Sound Image turned to JBL VTX V Series speakers and Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers.

“Martin has been a brand that we have trusted and kept in our inventory since the inception of Music Matters.”

“The V25 is a really good box for this kind of music because of its low range and really good throw characteristics,” says Sound Image systems engineer Cameron Whaley. “This is my first tour with the V25, and I’ve been pretty impressed with the compression rigging. It’s been going very quickly for us, so I’ve been happy with the speed and the logistics as well.” Learn more.

Martin MAC, ERA and RUSH Fixtures Illuminate Atlanta’s The Eastern
Atlanta, USA concert venue The Eastern boasts 37,000 square feet of performance spaces, including a 2,300-seat main stage. The Eastern required a lighting system that was visually striking but also cost-effective and adaptable. After many trials with numerous brands, Music Matters Productions built The Eastern A rig featuring Martin MAC, Martin ERA, and Martin RUSH Series lighting fixtures.

“The request from Zero Mile was to make it adaptable, but also visually stunning without the need to sub-rent additional fixtures,” says Nauman Lalani, Director of Special Projects, Music Matters Productions. “We saw the full rig turn on for the first time recently; it was visually a sight to see with your own eyes … Martin has been a brand that we have trusted and kept in our inventory since the inception of Music Matters. We work with these fixtures all the time and think that they are an optimal fit in this venue.” Learn more.

“We were trying to keep the volume low and have a nice distributed system for even coverage so everybody could hear everything––the (JBL) VRX932 is a good box for that.”

JBL Compact Line Arrays Support Star-Studded 2021 MTV Movie and TV Awards
After a pandemic hiatus, the MTV Movie and TV Awards welcomed a small audience back to the Hollywood Palladium in May 2021. To provide the best possible sound given the venue’s acoustical and logistical challenges, ATK Audiotek selected JBL VRX932LA-1 and VT4886 loudspeakers to deliver clear, high-quality audio with ample coverage and avoid unwanted sound reflection and feedback.

“The Palladium is a challenging venue,” said ATK Audiotek PA designer and system tech Kirk Powell. “The real challenge of that room is the low ceiling … we were trying to keep the volume low and have a nice distributed system for even coverage so everybody could hear everything––the VRX932 is a good box for that. Everybody could hear everything, and so it worked out well.” Learn more.

“…most notably, the (Martin MAC) Allures played a starring role in a sequence where Meath reflects a beam of light into the audience using a handheld mirror.”

Martin MAC Allure Profile and VDO Atomic Dot CLD Bring Streamlined Lighting Solutions to Sylvan Esso Tour
When singer-songwriter duo Sylvan Esso headed out on their fall 2021 Shaking Out the Numb tour, they wanted to bring an imaginative visual style while working within the production constraints of the post-pandemic live music industry. Lighting designer Zach Sternberg created a streamlined yet versatile lighting rig featuring Martin MAC Allure Profile and Martin VDO Atomic Dot CLD fixtures and a P3-050 system controller.

“One of the things we really focused on was how to design a show that pushes the limits of creativity and brings the fans that same experience they’ve come to know and love under the new constraints,” says lighting designer Zach Sternberg. “The (MAC) Allures have become so integral to the show that they’re irreplaceable at this point. It’s this design element that has become such a part of the experience that if you take them out of the equation, it’s just not the same show.” Learn more.

To learn more about the wide range of HARMAN entertainment technologies at work supporting live entertainment touring and installed applications, we invite you to browse our library of relevant case studies and curated coverage from leading trade publications.

NEED PROFESSIONAL AUDIO OR LIGHTING DESIGN SUPPORT? WE’RE HERE TO HELP
If you have any pro audio, video, lighting or control projects or designs that you need support on, we’d love to talk. Contact your local HARMAN representative or if you’re not sure where to start, just submit this form and we’ll have someone contact you.

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