ATK Audiotek Selects Harman Professional As Running Mate for Republican National Convention Sound System

In yet another example of how Harman Professional audio technologies are consistently selected by leading audio professionals for the most demanding, high-profile entertainment, sporting and political events, the company today announced that its JBL VERTEC® line array loudspeakers are being deployed by ATK Audiotek for the Republican National Convention, that took place at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota from September 1-4. The convention, which featured major speeches by party leaders and luminaries including President George W. Bush, U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, Major General Rick Goddard of the U.S. Air Force (ret) and U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, among others, culminated with a major speech by Republican Presidential candidate, Senator John McCain.

Sound system design and operations services for the convention was provided by Event Sound Designer and Chief Engineer Patrick Baltzell of Baltzell Audio Design. Baltzell has successfully specified JBL VERTEC line array loudspeakers for numerous high-profile events, including presidential inaugurations, political conventions and events of state, and he had no hesitation in specifying JBL once again. With a mission-critical task in hand and numerous high-profile political leaders to be heard from, Baltzell specified eight arrays of 12 JBL Professional VERTEC VT4889 large-format line array loudspeakers, with each array accompanied by one JBL VERTEC VT4880A arrayable subwoofer. The main reinforcement system is supplemented by 40 JBL VRX932LA constant-curvature line arrays and 13 VRX928LA ultra-portable line array speakers for additional VIP seating and area fill applications.

Commenting on the application, Mike Stahl, President of ATK Audiotek noted, “This is the fourth time in a row that our company has provided sound for both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions in the same year. With each election year we seek to outperform our work at previous conventions. It is this commitment to innovative production, high-quality sound and unparalleled customer service that keeps our customers coming back to ATK Audiotek. This is also a commitment that we share with Harman Professional, which explains why their audio products are such a natural fit for the events that we serve.”

“Providing sound system components to ATK Audiotek for the Republican National Convention is both a privilege and a responsibility,” noted Michael MacDonald, Executive Vice President Of Marketing & Sales. “As with all of our customer projects, this is a responsibility we take very seriously because we recognize that the performance of our products impacts the success of our customers and, in this case, an event of national importance!”

ATK Audiotek can be reached at http://www.atkcorp.com

Harman International Industries, Incorporated (www.harman.com), designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment products for the automotive, consumer and professional markets. Harman International maintains a strong presence in the Americas, Europe and Asia, and employs more than 11,000 people worldwide. The Harman International family of brands includes AKG®, Audioaccess®, Becker®, BSS®, Crown®, dbx®, DigiTech®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson®, Revel®, QNX®, Soundcraft® and Studer®. Harman International’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “NYSE: HAR.”